In this series, we’re catching up with some of our Tech & Change colleagues about why learning is so important in an ever-evolving tech landscape and how they make time for their own development.
First up, Software Engineer Vince shares how he sets himself up for learning and some useful tips!
Tell us a little about your role, Vince.
I’m a Software Engineer on the Customer Experience Team based in Chatham. I mostly develop code for the Mobile App and Chatbot, but do Web/microservice work too.
Why is continuous learning important to you?
Working in Tech & Change, technology evolves quickly which means I always have to keep an eye out for new, possibly better, ways of achieving my objectives. Keeping up with learning is a good way to research best practices, and picking up new skills also looks good on a CV if I can provide evidence that I’ve gone the extra mile.
Can you tell us how you make time for personal development?
I would love to say that I have a timetable and put aside an hour a day (double at weekends) - but I don’t. I find that if I choose courses that are interesting and/or fun to me, I look forward to continuing them and find time to do it. While some aren’t directly useful to work, many are. So if I feel like doing a course on Quantum Programming or Unity Game Development I’ll do that without feeling guilty.
Are there any tools or platforms that have particularly helped you in your role?
Having access to Pluralsight has contributed massively! It has been my primary training resource for over six years. The best outcomes I have achieved are when I have found a best practice style in a course that is better than the way we currently work. Often a Pluralsight course will talk me through creating a basic framework that I can then extend for tasks that I am assigned.
What do you like about Pluralsight?
The quality - good tutors and excellent video and audio. YouTube is a great resource too, but its quality is hit or miss.
Any tips on personal development in general?
Minimise distractions: To help with learning, minimising distractions is key. For me, either a separate office or investing in good quality noise cancelling headphones is very helpful.
Make notes: Perhaps it’s just me, but I find that making notes throughout the course helps me when I want to use what I’ve learned at a later date. If you have a second monitor (or an ultra-wide screen), you can have Pluralsight on one and your notes/code on the other.
Find the most up to date information and courses: In my experience, I started several older courses that used obsolete technology/practices, so choosing newer courses will ensure the same doesn’t happen to you.
Useful tips, thanks Vince!
You can check out some more of our Tech colleagues' learning stories here:
Anita, Software Engineer: https://www.vanquiscareers.co.uk/story/anita-learning-in-tech
Mark, Principal Software Engineer: https://www.vanquiscareers.co.uk/story/mark-learning-in-tech
