In CS448, we’ve begun independently reading Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman by Dave Hoover and Adewale Oshineye and looking deeper into the patterns discussed in the first six chapters. The first Apprenticeship Pattern I focused on was the first described in Chapter 2 – the “White Belt”. This pattern suggests taking a beginner’s mindset with an emphasis on humility and open-mindedness when learning new things or otherwise addressing professional development. 

This pattern’s Context statement grabbed my attention because it felt very relatable as a senior with a strong understanding of Java who is looking at delving deeper into other languages like C++ and JavaScript. While I have a solid grasp on Java and general programming concepts, I have a lot to learn and really at a beginner level in other languages as I need to relearn basics like proper syntax as well as other concepts like memory management. To this point, one aspect of the White Belt pattern involves admitting ignorance – there’s much more than I don’t even know I don’t know yet. But, I also find this to be encouraging – I also don’t know how much I can possibly learn and gain professionally by taking this perspective in picking up skills.

Another concept that’s brought up and discussed with the White Belt pattern is the notion that particularly when learning and strengthening new skills, it is going to take more time to do tasks that would otherwise be simple to us in our first language – but that is okay and to be expected. This can be a point of frustration for me personally, so it was nice to see this acknowledged and helpful as I can address these tasks in a more patient headspace prepared for slower speed. Furthermore, the long-term benefit to struggling through this slow period usually pays off – the authors eloquently put it as “losing some productivity in the short term in order to take a leap forward once you master the new approach.”

Embracing humility, admitting ignorance, and actively seeking to understand challenges are key components of this pattern that I also try to live life by. So, the “White Belt” individual apprenticeship pattern was very insightful and impactful to read about and a great introductory pattern to more soon to come. It seems most applicable to situations where I/my team will be learning or enhancing skills, particularly when working with others and in environments with more experience to learn from. As a soon-to-be graduate, I look forward to keeping this pattern in mind as I enter the professional field.

Sources:
Hoover, Dave, and Adewale Oshineye. “Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman.” O’Reilly Media, 2009.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tech. Worth Talking About by jelbirt and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.