Sharpen the Saw: Bum, Back, Bytes, Brain

Monday November 28 2011 - , , , , , ,

Nice article by Scott Hanselman on how computer professionals deprive themselves of good tools and abuse their bodies. Some (computers, monitors, keyboards and mice) are obvious. Others not so much. Things like a good quality bed, a decent chair and height adjustable workbenches. Scott’s final tool that needs sharpening is: Your Brain. Scott says:

Books, classes, experience, and challenges all push your brain. I often tell the story of the senior developer who has 20 years experience. The problem is it's the same year of experience, twenty times. Somewhere in year 5, or year 14, you'd think this developer would notice this and break out. What I'm saying is that not only should you as a programmer listen to your body, you should also listen to your brain. If your tool is dull, consider consciously what you can do to sharpen the saw.

This is so true! I see this in IT Pros and Developers all the time, they are so busy doing their job that they stagnate, forget to learn new skills and suddenly they are a liability with 20 years of obsolete experience. Never forget to Sharpen the Saw! Employers: give your technical staff time and budget to keep their skills up to date.