Should I learn?

A typical problem is someone, maybe your friend, your teacher, your co-worker, tell you that you must learn the freshest, incredible new XXX. Nobody cares what's that. The problem is, what they suggest might not be what you need. So the funny things happened, you spend a lot of time on what you don't need it! Programming itself is a good example, everyone says kids should learn it, but the truth is you might not have to do that.

Imagine, one day you have an idea, it's about how to make credit card user got a notification after the card is used. If you're not a programmer and want to create a system like this, what should you do? Learning C/C++, Java, C#, Node.js, Python, Go right now? No, the best way is hiring someone good at this, just like you would like to have a lawyer to deal with law but not do by self.

Why use this example? Because we can understand learning programming right now can't solve the problem, you have to have market and income so that what you think can work, after you learned those things the chance already gone. It's the same logic about learning something of computer science. You have to use React to create a website, so you spend time on it, became an expert of React. Want to open the door by cellphone(of course, before we have the smart lock), so you learn how to control lock by Arduino and let it connect with the net. We have the problem, and we try to solve it. But sometimes, the suggestion is not for you, exactly, usually not for you, but for who suggests these. For me, knowing how Linux handle raw packet is an important thing, implement load balancing algorithm, operating kubernetes is my job, so I would focus on these, and tell you to know the detail of mechanism is important, sorry about that, that is wrong! What's important depends on what do you want. The layout of the Ethernet packet is not important for who just want to create a picture modifier app!

A few days ago, I read an article, it's trying to tell you, spend more time for something that can reuse, the basic, the most natural thing of technical than the framework. I basically agree with the conclusion, not totally because that is just for programmers, and only for those who love programming and can type more code after work, no, they are not everyone, some people actually don't like programming but fixing motorcycles, have more animate than Udemy video. If you just want a job, yes, learn a framework, enjoy what you want. Might not be the greatest programmer, but you get what you want. So I think the answer for should I XXX? Is make sure how to reach your target. For example, you want to create a website in 3 months, and want to know everything behind GET google.com HTTP/1.1 would take a totally different way to learn HTTP.

Carefully listen to the suggestion, find out those work for you, and(important) take the result you choose (I don't want to listen to the story that watch movies 6 hours a day and ask me why can't get a higher salary, time is fair).

p.s. I'm not saying mechanism of technical is not important, I'm talking about using your time better, so depends on the target and choose a different road, I like to know every mechanism that I can see, but it takes time, considering benefit and cost can help you reduce a lots time.