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Stimulating Your IT Knowledge To Grow
Joe M posted in Howto on April 9th, 2009

I had a guy stop me the other day.

He has always been interested in learning more about IT, but just never could muster enough drive and motivation to dig in and learn.

He asked me, “What’s the best way to learn more about {IT / Operating Systems /Protocols}?”

At that point, I had never really thought about it.  I know what I do, but never really tried to communicate that to someone else.

After having thought about it for several days, I have come up with a basic list to pass on to him.

1. Learn Concepts, not buttons or menus.

So many times, I have seen people swear by the Start menu in Windows or the menu in MS Word.  If they happen to use something different, such as another Office Suite or another Operating System, they scratch their heads in disbelief.

Concentrate on the task at hand and the underlying idea of the action you are taking.

2.  Avoid vendor specifics.

There are vendors that make excellent and innovative products.  There are also vendors that try to control standards.

I remember studying the OSI Model in school.    There’s seven layers to it.  It’s a basis for troubleshooting and design within OSes and networks.

I took one vendor-specific test, in which the vendor tried to re-design the seven layer model into a four layer model.

It didn’t fly, but it makes the point.

Vendors are usually relationship-oriented and usually practice benevolence in securing a long term customer relationship.  There are exceptions, in that some vendors feel they can be more profitable if they control the standard.  That means filling the genre with a lexicon of their own terms and dictating how a model will work.

Models that are open usually offer more for the customer in terms of having more vendors’ support.

In an open model, Brand A will interact with Brand B, C and D without having to spend additional time or resources.  If you have to spend additional money, then it’s probably not an open model.

3.  Attend to your peers.

Talking with people that have similar experiences often will open doors and resources in which you might never find, otherwise.

Ask your friends and coworkers for help.  Share experiences.  Trade knowledge.  Find out where and how they learn.

If someone tells you, “It can’t be done,” write the task down.  Research it, and don’t settle for that answer without a long, hard fight.  It’s a challenge or a puzzle for you to solve.

4.  Broaden your spectrum.

It’s easy to fall into an informational rut.  If you only work in Windows or OS X, you can miss a great deal of opportunity for knowledge growth.

Keep your eyes and ears open.  Keep up on emerging technology (there are enough tech news websites to keep you busy).

If you work in Windows, mostly, make it a point to learn more about Unix, OS X or Linux (which can be considered similar skillsets).  Try performing some of the same functions in another OS (different from the one you normally use).  If you get stuck, once again, Google is your friend.

Make it a point to learn about how to connect dissimilar network components.  Try getting a Windows machine to talk to a Mac or a Linux machine.

If you hear about something new and interesting, write it down and Google it.

5.  Share!

During the quest on your learning path, inevitably, you will learn a tip, technique or concept that will prove valuable.  Practice it.  Write it down.

At the next opportunity, tell someone about it.  The experience will positively reinforce your own motivation, even if the person you tell is not as excited as you are.

If you follow the above suggestions, you will find that your motivation and your expertise will continue to grow.

It’s a process, and not one that will take place over night, but before too long, you will start to see your knowledge grow.

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