I am a firm believer that the best way to learn something is by doing it. When I identify something I want to learn, I might spend a few minutes reading up on the basics, but I want to jump in and actually get my hands dirty as quickly as I can. I assess my understanding of a topic using these guidelines.
- Level 0, No knowledge beyond, maybe, having heard of it.
- Level 1 Novice Passing knowledge of the topic where I could speak to the general idea.
- Level 2 Beginner Understand the vernacular. Can hold my own in conversations about what it is, why you would use it, and some of the key challenges. Book knowledge. Little practical experience, if any.
- Level 3 Intermediate Practical experience. Can perform the basic tasks and execute documented scripts with a fundamental understanding of what is happening. Able to do basic troubleshooting.
- Level 4 Advanced Well-versed in the topic. Can solve problems on my own and I could even mentor someone else and answer questions.
- Level 5 Expert Comfortable with anything that comes up on the topic. Able to find creative solutions to problems. Can mentor anyone. It is rare that I would rate myself at this level.
My interests are wide-ranging so I generally use a breadth-first approach to learning. I will commit myself to the topic until I get into Level 3. By that point, I usually feel comfortable with where I am at and will turn my attention to another topic. I will continually return to the topics that interest me the most so that, over time, I move to a higher level in those areas.
There are some topics where I never even get beyond Level 2. These are generally things that I want to be aware of because they are tangentially related to my primary areas of interest, but I do not have a reason to move beyond that.
With all of that out of the way, these are my notes on a variety of topics. Some dig into the details on how something works while others focus on how to complete a specific task.
Be aware that while these may look like tutorials, that is just an illusion. The audience for these notes is me. I capture only enough information to jog my memory as I am working on a particular topic. I make no meaningful attempt to generalize the information for a wider audience nor am I trying to create a comprehensive reference. There are plenty of other resources out there for that—which I link to where appropriate.
If you found yourself here while looking for some guidance on one of these topics, then I hope they help you out.
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