Pondering some moments from strange and wonderful ride though a varied and I think successful career path, a thought of reflection is due for the tact and fact of learning with your mouth shut.
So this installment of sage career advice adds the thought of in groups and gatherings, such as meetings and work sessions, that the best learning opportunities (as well as leadership opportunities) is to learn with your mouth shut. Don't be the first to talk, and don't be the last either. If you feel that you have a worthy "add" to the conversation, then play your card well timed and delivered short and sweet. But in the meantime listen to the conversation around you. Carefully. Pondering, Considering, Thinking. Reviewing. Respecting.
What is being said? How is the conversation maturing? Exactly. Now add and draw back.
Are you learning before going all in?
Learn with your mouth shut. Then speak. In time, you will get to be the one with the million dollar answer to the 64,000 dollar question.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Sage Career Advice - If you like having some time for yourself...
Sage career advice: If you like having time for yourself, you know to do those things like day trips, sitting and reading, spending time with the kids in the evening, boating, and other things, I have two bits of advice for you.
If you choose a career in a service field like police, fire, medical, and other "thank God you are there" careers, then you should also take a minor in making time work for you. Why, because your career will challenge you if you enjoy regular time away from work. But none the less, you would never be full-filled in any other line of work. We won't see you behind a desk any time soon.
For the rest of us, stay away from retail. Or at least a couple of hops away from the retail consumer. Why, because when the retail consumer is at the store, you are at the store too. Not at home, and not cozy in the chair. Some thrive in this area, some don't. So the Occasional Guru suggests that you examine if weekends and evenings off of work sound like a treat for a hard days work. If so, steer clear of the retail grind.
If you choose a career in a service field like police, fire, medical, and other "thank God you are there" careers, then you should also take a minor in making time work for you. Why, because your career will challenge you if you enjoy regular time away from work. But none the less, you would never be full-filled in any other line of work. We won't see you behind a desk any time soon.
For the rest of us, stay away from retail. Or at least a couple of hops away from the retail consumer. Why, because when the retail consumer is at the store, you are at the store too. Not at home, and not cozy in the chair. Some thrive in this area, some don't. So the Occasional Guru suggests that you examine if weekends and evenings off of work sound like a treat for a hard days work. If so, steer clear of the retail grind.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
The Design of the Design of the Design
Design is a big word these days and it is almost a stance of worship that some things we make have such a design following. I have an iPhone. It belongs to my company. I would have accepted a good Droid if that was their pick. It is better for my use than a Blackberry.
Droid, iPhone, and Blackberry. Each have their followers and while the use of the Droid and iPhone are quite similar, the Blackberry still is a powerful device for those who it fits best for. That is why it still sells. Learn to use the thing and it is a powerful tool for business.
The Droid - iPhone world is different. New offerings from Motorola, Samsung, and Apple have brought some very intelligent, smart, and crafty offerings to market that stun the imagination. Steve Jobs is getting far better known as the tyrant designer beater than the Buddhist Business Guru but he had an idea that others designed.
Then there are the designers. They design. Pulling soft edges and durable material wisdom coupled with easy to use powerful robust software out of mid air into a manufacturer ready sleek device that is made for pennies on the US dollar.
Well not really. The designers have methodologies and standards to help them work a design into a a reality. These methodologies and standards have designs behind them that have been build, redesigned, and refactored to enable proper designs that work. Behind these designs are other layers of designs that are all part of getting stuff done and getting it into your hands.
Think about it. How many layers of design are behind the design of the device you using to read this? Thinking about design differently? I am.
-M
Droid, iPhone, and Blackberry. Each have their followers and while the use of the Droid and iPhone are quite similar, the Blackberry still is a powerful device for those who it fits best for. That is why it still sells. Learn to use the thing and it is a powerful tool for business.
The Droid - iPhone world is different. New offerings from Motorola, Samsung, and Apple have brought some very intelligent, smart, and crafty offerings to market that stun the imagination. Steve Jobs is getting far better known as the tyrant designer beater than the Buddhist Business Guru but he had an idea that others designed.
Then there are the designers. They design. Pulling soft edges and durable material wisdom coupled with easy to use powerful robust software out of mid air into a manufacturer ready sleek device that is made for pennies on the US dollar.
Well not really. The designers have methodologies and standards to help them work a design into a a reality. These methodologies and standards have designs behind them that have been build, redesigned, and refactored to enable proper designs that work. Behind these designs are other layers of designs that are all part of getting stuff done and getting it into your hands.
Think about it. How many layers of design are behind the design of the device you using to read this? Thinking about design differently? I am.
-M
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
So you want to...
So you want to write better software? That is if you are a developer. And if you are a developer you tend to write software for others to use. Sure you use it for a little bit for testing and making sure it works, but once you hand it over, you are done with it.
So the software you write is used by others and they like and dislike it and most of all accept it as what is available. And did you know they hold on to every comment you make about the software and what it does like gospel?
Is your software great, good, or just answers business requirements?
So you want to write better software? Write some for yourself. For your use. To do your things. To do something that was once manual and tedious but can now be quick and agile. Writing software for your use will uncover design and development nuances that are not in your current work. This process will lead you to better software.
So you want to write better software? Get busy and write some for you first.
-M
So the software you write is used by others and they like and dislike it and most of all accept it as what is available. And did you know they hold on to every comment you make about the software and what it does like gospel?
Is your software great, good, or just answers business requirements?
So you want to write better software? Write some for yourself. For your use. To do your things. To do something that was once manual and tedious but can now be quick and agile. Writing software for your use will uncover design and development nuances that are not in your current work. This process will lead you to better software.
So you want to write better software? Get busy and write some for you first.
-M
Friday, September 14, 2012
If I could pick one word...
If I could pick one word that is omitted from the IBM System i world that is sorely needed it would be the word deprecated. Backwards compatible
is only as valuable if the value of forward moving over forward innovation is at least twice as great.
By not deprecating code, techniques, and styles, the development world of the System i (formerly the AS/400 - iSeries) has remained mostly in a zombie like stage while only a few brave souls move forward and define modern RPG and System i based development. Punch cards are a novelty and a Smithsonian exhibit. Stop programming like these are still in use, but that is if you were made to stop, because what you are doing is deprecated and it won't compile anymore. That would mean that you have to learn something new to get around that brick wall. Then you join the force of developers who are in the "now" and moving software forward with the times and hopefully ahead of the times.
-M
By not deprecating code, techniques, and styles, the development world of the System i (formerly the AS/400 - iSeries) has remained mostly in a zombie like stage while only a few brave souls move forward and define modern RPG and System i based development. Punch cards are a novelty and a Smithsonian exhibit. Stop programming like these are still in use, but that is if you were made to stop, because what you are doing is deprecated and it won't compile anymore. That would mean that you have to learn something new to get around that brick wall. Then you join the force of developers who are in the "now" and moving software forward with the times and hopefully ahead of the times.
-M
Saturday, August 18, 2012
SQL Saturday 164. Cleveland
My First SQL Saturday... SQLSaturday #164
It did not take much to blow me away today. So this first blog on Blogger as I start to move from WordPress (loved the blog, there is no traffic) goes out to folks who put on this great day of mind blowing learning and community.
Mike
It did not take much to blow me away today. So this first blog on Blogger as I start to move from WordPress (loved the blog, there is no traffic) goes out to folks who put on this great day of mind blowing learning and community.
Mike
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