What I like about being a programmer is that you have to constantly learn new things — either new languages, tools and frameworks that make your job easier (and more fun), or interesting theoretical concepts that stretch your mind, a kind of mental yoga. Being a math graduate I can tell that even if this knowledge is not instantly useful, it will probably pay off in the future.
There are different ways for programmers to gather knowledge, most have something to do with reading. But, as skilled craftsmen have known for centuries, the best way to learn is from a person who is willing to share his real-life experiences, tricks and habits. For example skimming through a cryptic Vim reference sheet or reading even the best tutorial is so much different than seeing the actual usage patterns of a skilled user.
That’s why every week at Code Sprinters we organize Tech Talks, meetings during which one person speaks about about a topic of his (or her) interest. Those are not official presentations with slides, but rather discussions around the whiteboard, sometimes turning into hands-on workshop. The subject doesn’t have to be purely technical — a few weeks ago I spoke about Getting Things Done, a way to organize myself I use and find very useful. We don’t claim that we are experts on a given subject, but certainly each of us knows something that might be interesting to others.
I think holding such meetings is a great (and quite easy) way to spread the knowledge inside a team or a small company, and it’s also fun!
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