Without fail, the guys that rise to be the cream in your development organization are the "learners".There are "experts" in your organization. These specialists are incredibly good at what they do. They've been doing it for a long time. Their careers are built on the ability to do a task and do it very well. When you need a specific task done right AND right now, you go to the experts. Experts know how to get things done today. These folks are very valuable to your organization, but they aren't the learners that I'm talking about. Learners will know how to get things done in the future.
Learners are the associates who take their lunch hour to dig through a few interesting articles. They write "Hello, world." programs as a hobby. They hear buzz on a blog somewhere, and go off to find other articles on the topic and maybe try out some free trials. Their project folders are strewn with half-baked code projects that got just far enough to illustrate an approach, but not far enough to be "done". They tinker. They learn.
Curiosity is the foundation that drives the learner, and for an architect, a commitment to life-long learning is a core value. An architect understands that what is the most correct approach to solve a problem today will not be the correct approach in the future. Technology evolves and the concerns of today's architect will give way to faster, cheaper, more intelligent technology of tomorrow. Unless he sharpens the saw, the architect may get stuck applying the old, ill-fitting solutions to new problems. An architect must display a genuine curiosity for new methods, practices, and technologies so that he can apply those to the problems that he'll face tomorrow.
Having experts in your organization is great. Have learners in your organization, and especially in the role of architect, is absolutely necessary if you expect your group to grow, evolve, and innovate for the future.
I'm curious. Do you agree?
photo: bdu
Great post. I agree very much. Learning about and playing with the newest technologies and approaches is one of the aspects of my job I love the best. I love seeing the hype on a new technology or approach, figuring out if the hype is worth it, how I can best apply it to my current and/or future projects.
Thanks for the note! Yes. The ability to explore new ground is one of the fringe benefits of the job.