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What Should I Learn and Where Can I Learn It?

Que dois-je apprendre et �où puis-je l'apprendre ?

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HC SVNT DRACONES

HC SVNT DRACONES = “Here be dragons” in Latin

Recognize up front that the work you will be engaged in as far as programming goes is unlikely to be what you expect it to be, just like this phrase and the maps that it doesn’t appear on (click text or image on the slide for the beginning of this).

This session is intended for people who are not sure where to start or where to go next or what might even be possible, which means that you should likely see yourself as something of an EXPLORER. See yourself this way both in terms of where you might go but also in terms of how you might get there. There are many paths to the same destination in the digital space—as there is in most spaces—and what you likely need right now is a combination of the two, destination and path, that is GOOD ENOUGH.

EXPLORERS of old didn’t have sweet tools like we have. No GPS, no satellite maps, no both on your phone. Sometimes they didn’t even have a decent compass or a decent map or bug spray. Often they just had good sense, drive, and durability.

The most important thing you should learn isn’t likely a skill or a tool but an unquantifiable attitude akin to exploring. GET COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. Expect trouble, more time, and more resources than expected. Look to the journey as much as the destination.

NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST.

Where such an attitude can be learned and even if attitudes are the sorts of things that can be learned is an open question. I won’t answer it. Good luck with it if you don’t already have it.

You are here though. So you either have it or you’re here against your will! You decide.

This said, let’s assume the attitude, and get to tools and skills, shall we?

Not quite yet. We need to push the explorer/navigation/map analogy a little further…

Image from: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/04/3b/29/043b296d4640ba9eda7400783e111f2c.jpg

Notes on some of the complications of this phrase: https://www.wired.com/2006/12/hc-svnt-dracone/

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Walk the path.

Grow the path.

Parcourez le chemin.

Faites grandir le chemin.

The roads we use today are not the roads that were used in the past. Typically not made in the same way. Often not even in the same places. Sometimes not even of the same type (rivers were roads. The sky is now a road.). We couldn’t have gone from nothing to the modern highway in the distant past and we rarely go from nothing—note even an easement, a footpath, a nearby road or river—today. We got to where we are now by first walking the distance from here to there, doing it again, and again, adding others, and making lots of improvements, including abandoning the path or road because we’ve found a better way.

Given the sort of EXPLORATORY work that you’ll likely be doing you should see your work in a similar way. EXPLORE the path from here to there, end to end, and expand and smooth it out over time.

Get some data. Look at the data. Do something with the data. Look at the data. Attempt to make a gesture at your ideal output. Get some more data. Look at that data. Etcetera.

Avoid getting caught at any point along the path. Spending a lot of time trying to get all your data at the beginning can kill the project and waste time later if it turns out to not have quite what you thought. Trying to get all the Twitter data. Get some and see what you can do with it. Ever had a document you spent a lot of time on and then discovered that you couldn’t print it? Or the person at the other end of the email didn’t have the program to open it? Same thing.

We come to know our world through moving through it. We know it best when we walk through it. Repeatedly. Take your time. Discover the path by walking it.

This suggestion parallels software development methods like rapid application development, the agile framework, anything with a heavy emphasis on prototyping. Fail fast.

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ibaaj/dijkstra-cartography/master/results/paris.gif

https://awesomeopensource.com/project/ibaaj/dijkstra-cartography

https://acqnotes.com/acqnote/careerfields/software-development-approaches

https://acqnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Spiral.png?ezimgfmt=rs:519x518/rscb3/ng:webp/ngcb3

Rapid Application Development. Prototyping and building on that over and over. Feedback as soon as possible and incorporate it.

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Many ways.

De nombreuses façons.

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Perspective.

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Often overlooked.

Statistical Sensibilities that include Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Visual Design

Interface Design

Souvent négligé.

Sensibilité aux statistiques, y compris l'apprentissage automatique et l'intelligence artificielle;

Conception visuelle;

Conception d'interfaces.

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Programming Language.

Langage de programmation.

What are the people around you using? /�Qu'utilisent les personnes qui vous entourent ?�
What can you use elsewhere too? /�Que pouvez-vous utiliser ailleurs aussi ?

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Tools.

What are the people around you using? /�Qu'utilisent les personnes qui vous entourent ?�
What can you use elsewhere too? /�Que pouvez-vous utiliser ailleurs aussi ?

Outils.

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Standards.

Normes.

What are the people around you using? /�Qu'utilisent les personnes qui vous entourent ?�
What can you use elsewhere too? /�Que pouvez-vous utiliser ailleurs aussi ?

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Set the hook.

Posez l'hameçon.

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Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI)

The Carpentries

Where?

Où?