The world of technology changes quickly and is continuously evolving. To avoid feeling left behind, here are some things you can do every day.
Be proactive
“The first thing is to be curious and proactive,” explains Mélanie Bosc, director of training at TECHNOCompétences, an information technology specialist for more than 20 years. “You have to be engaged, stay alert. It’s a state of mind that you learn to develop by talking with colleagues, reading the press or specialized sites.”
Conducting a virtual watch
Marc-André Malouin, who works at Spiria, advises developing a list of technologies, applications and software that interest you, and looking for related documentation. “To do this, you have to read specialized sites.” Stack Overflow, Techmeme, TechCrunch, Recode, Two Minute Papers are good starting points. These specialized sites disseminate accurate and essential information. “Don’t overlook the official documentation, which is often the best source of information to get started on a new technology,” he adds.
Create a custom dashboard
With Flipboard, Panda or Pocket, you can organize a personalized dashboard to maintain a news feed that you can read offline. “You can sort, index or create a folder of favourites by technology (or subject), have a list of useful resources, says Marc-André Malouin. There are discussion forums where you can ask questions, tutorial sites, online videos, etc.”
Training online or with an organization
Mélanie Bosc suggests taking a training program distributed by an organization. “’These are things that can be negotiated with the employer.” Another idea is to sign up for an online course. There are a continually growing supply.
Be on the lookout through social media
Social media lets you follow topics about technologies, through customization algorithms. Marc-André Malouin also suggests following the blogs of small specialized companies.
Join a community of practice
“Each professional sector is organized around an association or an order. It’s interesting to register and participate in the various meetings or networking appointments,” says Mélanie Bosc.
Setting goals
“Before embarking on a topic, it is important to set goals on what you want to learn and a time limit,” says Marc-André Malouin. “In addition, cutting readings and learning into small subjects or blocks makes it possible to be more effective.”