The problem addressed by this pattern is one that should be familiar to most: needing guidance in unfamiliar ground.  The authors propose that you find a “master craftsperson” to guide you, but recognize a flaw: it is difficult to find true masters in a craft that is still fairly young, and in which the tools evolve very quickly.  Most of all, they emphasize the importance of getting over the anxiety of reaching out, because the upside of success is so high.

This resonates with me and with my experiences.  I find that I am very successful when I have found a mentor of whom I can ask questions and bounce ideas without fear of ridicule or rejection.  Even if my mentor doesn’t respond right away or have the answer, the act of formulating my thoughts enough to send them as a question to someone else can help me find what I’m looking for.

The authors also recommend taking on a mentor role when you have the opportunity.  This is also something that I’ve found helps me learn.  It may be common wisdom at this point, but I’ve found that I don’t know how much I know (or what critical knowledge I lack) until I go to teach it to someone else.  My family members often find themselves in the (hopefully patient) position of listening to me test my knowledge by explaining things to them — doing that by teaching someone that is really invested  in learning the topic is even better!

I can also connect with the anxiety of reaching out, especially to someone with whom I do not have a previous connection.  No matter how beneficial the outcome may be, and no matter what my past experiences have been (overwhelmingly positive) I tend to have trouble taking that first step of making a connection.  In my life in general, the anxiety of reaching out to other people for help is one of the largest obstacles I struggle with and one of the most important for me to work on.

Like with many of the other patterns, I find that this one did not necessarily teach me anything truly novel.  However, it validates what I thought I knew and backed that up, which is just as important.

From the blog CS@Worcester – orscsblog by orscsblog and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

“Practice, Practice, Practice” is a pattern which encourages exactly what you’d expect: continuous practice. Like Breakable Toys, the problem this pattern is intended to address is that failure in your professional responsibilities is too costly to risk. You can’t effectively learn without the freedom to fail, though, and for that reason you need somewhere safe to practice.

This is another pattern in which the writers say the ideal application of it would be in a world with formal software apprenticeship, but in reality, software apprentices have to create an approximation for themselves. In their ideal world, a mentor would assign their apprentice practice based on the apprentice’s strength and weaknesses, reinforcing what the apprentice does well and correcting their weaknesses. The writers emphasize the need for objective metrics to evaluate your abilities as a substitute for this; if you practice without getting feedback, you will reinforce bad habits.

One way of making sure you receive regular feedback is to practice in a way that’s public to some degree. The example they give is a group that meets in person to perform code katas, exercises which are meant to help programmers to sharpen their skills through repetition. For some apprentices, an activity like this probably isn’t practical or immediately accessible. Online communities devoted to practice are another option which can likely serve as a good source of feedback. Importantly, any method of getting feedback on your practice should take place in a relaxed and playful setting, since the point is to remove the stress of mandatory success. The practice itself should be something just beyond what you know you can do easily. In having to struggle with a problem, the practice will strengthen your abilities in addition to providing the benefits of repetition.

This is a pattern that appeals to me, because I’ve discovered that I learn the most by actually writing code. To that end, the writers suggest some older books that teach important programming techniques and design principles through fun problems. This seems like a useful, concrete recommendation, and I might look into obtaining one of their suggested books or find one of my own to improve my coding skills.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Fun in Function by funinfunction and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

In a field that continues to rapidly evolve, staying up to date with the latest and greatest tools and techniques is essential. Complacency is simply not an option if one wishes to remain competitive and relevant in the information technology field. Not surprisingly, however, there are certain tools that we become familiar over time, through repeated use and practice. There is nothing wrong with this, as familiarity with certain tools or techniques allows for more accurate estimations about work, and helps to limit risk. In Hoover and Oshineye’s Apprenticeship Patterns, they present a pattern that helps software apprentices deal with the complexities of complacency titled Familiar Tools.

In the Familiar Tools pattern, Hoover and Oshineye start out by acknowledging how valuable it is to have a set of tools that you feel comfortable using. Not only does this make you more valuable to employers, it makes the work easier and more valuable to the developer as well. From increased productivity to more accurate estimates, familiarity is important in the progression of a software craftsman.

Although the word is never explicitly mentioned, this pattern also seems to issue a warning about complacency. Hoover and Oshineye caution apprentices from becoming too set in a narrow range of familiarity, as that puts them at more risk for becoming irrelevant should the popularity or usefulness of those familiar tools fade.

This pattern was pretty easy for me to appreciate, as I already enjoy learning and improving through personal and professional development. Perhaps this desire to stay ahead of the curve is part of the reason that I became interested in the field to begin with. I have always enjoyed staying up to date with the latest and greatest gadgets, trying out beta builds, and experimenting with technology. Although the context is a bit different in the Familiar Tools pattern, the idea is very similar. The quote by Eric Hoffer that is included in this pattern also spoke to me, it is, “In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to love in a world that no longer exists.”

When entering the computer science program three years ago, it was repeated time and time again that the material that I would learn in college will likely be outdated by the time I am entering the workforce. While this is simply a fact of the computer science field, I feel that I am doing well at keeping myself informed and appreciate the efforts by my educators in keeping my education relevant and valuable in a rapidly changing world.

From the blog CS@Worcester – ~/GeorgeMatthew/etc by gmatthew and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.