For the next apprenticeship pattern that I would like to discuss, my choice was to do the one in the text book entitled “The Deep End.” This pattern was similar to a previous pattern that I have discussed in that it relates to a time when a beginner in programming is preparing to enter the real world of job opportunities. In the other pattern, I learned ways in which I should try to show that I am qualified for a new job if I do not have much prior experience, if at all. A lot of times, employers are looking for candidates who show that they have the skills necessary for the position based on many things (primarily prior experience or certification), but sometimes what is needed is more than that. Sometimes what is needed is the willingness to try more than anything else. For this pattern, the book discussed how to motivate me to dive off the deep end and get the job I want not just the one I think I can handle. If my enthusiasm and my will to excel and learn at the job remains strong, I should not have to concern myself as heavily with how well equipped I am for the job in the first place. I purposely decided to review this pattern because of what is going on in my life right now. I have been setting up job interviews and phone calls recently to try to get jobs after I graduate. In most interviews I have had, my background has been an issue even if the employer does not seem to think so. I am thinking too much about whether I will be able to even do the job if I get it rather than trying to get it as best as I can and then seeing what I can accomplish from there. The book explains that the solution to this problem is to reach for that opportunity even if there is the possibility that it could lead to failure. It states that “waiting until you’re ready can become a recipe for never doing a thing. So when you’re offered a high-profile role or a difficult problem, grasp it with both hands. Growth only happens by taking on the scary jobs and doing things that stretch you.” My solution would be to do just that. I am going to try to get involved in the opportunities that I have been hesitant about pursuing. The risk of failure is often overemphasized and crippling to anyone who tries to find their opportunities especially in the beginning of their journeys. I need to stop weighing the risks so heavily and quite literally “dive into the deep end.”

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tim Drevitch CS Blog by timdrevitch and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The fourth pattern that I plan on discussing is titled “expose your ignorance” in the book. The reason I want to choose this pattern to learn next is because I believe that it relates to me one hundred percent of the time I am in school. The idea behind this pattern is that if you do not speak up when you are lost, you will inevitably hurt your learning process. Many people, including myself, get into the habit of not vocalizing questions and concerns for fear of being disruptive, time-wasting, and possibly getting even more confused. It is very easy to simply keep your head down and struggle through a course or project without getting everything you need out of it. Basically, in situations where you do not know what you are doing, protecting your pride is often a bad solution, and exposing your ignorance is likely your best option. The book does a great job explaining why this is and it has good examples of times where it is a needed apprenticeship pattern to pick up. Even in jobs, it is important to expose your ignorance. The easiest way is by asking questions. Not only will it help you learn faster and more, but it will also ensure that you are doing everything right and in the way that your employer expects you to get your work done. The book has other solutions for this as well. In fact, the main action that it tells you to carry out is to “write down a list of five things you really don’t understand about your work. Put that list where others can see it. Then get in the habit of refreshing this list as your work changes.” Personally, I feel like in my years of schooling I have not reached out enough with questions for fear that I would look like I do not know what I am doing. It is not going to get any easier for me when I try to get real jobs, so it is important for me to learn to put my ego aside and expose my ignorance in a way that will allow me to learn and get better everyday.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tim Drevitch CS Blog by timdrevitch and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

After completing my apprenticeship introduction blog post and two different patter reviews, I am excited to keep reviewing more. For the next pattern from the textbook that I have chosen to review, I chose the “concrete skills” pattern. The book describes a situation in which you are trying to work with a group or at a job in which you do not have a very strong background in yet. This is ofter one of the most inconvenient thing when looking for starter jobs. Most jobs want individuals who have a good background so they know you will be a good fit for the job. The book also supplies us with a great solution to this problem however. Basically, it states that you will have a better chance getting the job if you can prove that what you lack in background work, you make up for in your ability to learn quickly and work hard to learn new things on your free time as well. The more jobs and projects you can accomplish/work on, the better your portfolio and background becomes overtime. Eventually you will find it easier and easier to get where you want to get, and it all starts with your first several projects/jobs. This specific apprenticeship pattern resonated with me primarily because I personally do not have a great background yet and am trying to create a good one. The advice from this section was super powerful, and to be honest, this might be one of the most important concepts discussed in the entire textbook!

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tim Drevitch CS Blog by timdrevitch and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The second apprenticeship pattern from the textbook that I would like to discuss is the one described as “Unleashing your Enthusiasm.” For the most part, the book is trying to say that some students learning software development are not up to speed with knowing all they need to know yet but have great enthusiasm towards the subject. This often times holds them back in succeeding and learning primarily because of others with countering attributes. Many people have more knowledge of software development but much less enthusiasm toward it, and these people sometimes will hinder the success of the less knowledgable enthusiastic learners. The book primarily describes examples of this hindering with the different members of groups having less enthusiasm and not appreciating the ideas of the others. Groups in software development tend to think normally and about finishing their sprints and nothing else. The extra enthusiasm and ideas from the member of the team is often seen as just an annoyance to the other members when they are in a rush to finish their work. The book describes ways of getting around this by talking to people you trust about your ideas and edging them to give their feedback. Suppressing your enthusiasm and ideas is the worst thing you can do because you could have small amounts of knowledge and lose your enthusiasm entirely. Do not let your possibly great ideas go never proposed. It is your job to energize your team and not let them fall into the lapse of simply doing the work to do it.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tim Drevitch CS Blog by timdrevitch and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Throughout this semester, I will be reviewing several different apprenticeship patterns from the first six chapters of our in class textbook. For my very first post, I decided to review the first pattern covered which was “Your First Language.” For many of my friends and classmates (including myself), Java was the first language learned. When we are first starting out learning programming, the book tells us that it is incredibly valuable to master our first language or two rather than try to learn a bunch of different languages at once. I am a firm believer in this notion as well simply because, with my knowledge in Java, I am able to translate to other languages fairly easily. The book explains that trying to learn all the languages instead of one for when a programmer is just starting out is not ideal mainly because it will end up causing more confusion than learning. If I am great at my first language, it is generally not too difficult to solve a problem in that language and then translate it to a new language after the fact. A great quote the book uses to describe this is by Alfred North Whitehead, and it reads, “by relieving the brain of all unnecessary work, a good notation sets it free to concentrate on more advanced problems, and in effect increases the mental power of the race.” It definitely is a bit concerning to me when I see job applications stating I need to know certain languages or programs that use specific languages, but my original background in Java has proven to be extremely helpful in learning how to use those other languages. All the work I put into learning Java has helped me with my understanding of all languages, and for the most part, I just end up needing to teach myself the slight syntax differences between them all. This portion of the textbook spoke to me strongly because I have often thought about what would have happened if I had learned a different language for my first language. I see now that it most likely would not have changed anything, and that makes me happy!

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tim Drevitch CS Blog by timdrevitch and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.