Product Management
The importance of continued learning in the rapidly evolving digital world
We were having a conversation this morning about how how quickly technology, and development practises change and the things you can do in order to keep up to date. Following on from that, we’ve been having a think about the top ways to stay on top of those changes (listed below) and why continued learning is so important.
You see, it’s not just about ‘what you know for that next meeting or pitch’, it’s also a way to expand your brain and keep that grey matter from dying off as you get older. A recent study from the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute and the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in the US, found that of the participants in their study, those who regularly played puzzle games (i.e. tested their brain on a consistent basis), were more likely to have a greater brain volume and scored higher on given tests. So don’t just keep learning for work, keep learning for your health. 1. Read, read, read
My top resources for digital developments are the following:
– GigaOm
– GizModo
– Business Insider Tech 2. Online webinars
One of the best ways to keep up to date, is via webinars – many are absolutely free in exchange for you providing your details for marketing purposes. If you’re after an online library, we’d recommend General Assembly. They’ve got hundreds available across different topics such as Data, Digital Marketing, Mobile and Web Development, and User Experience Design to name but a few. They’re available On Demand as well, meaning you can access the courses at a time that suits you. 3. Talk Talk Talk – especially to your tech team
You see those guys sitting quietly bashing out line after line of quality code? They’re your best resource for new technology. Nine times out of ten they’ll know about it as it happens, if not before. They’re a silent, secret weapon. One of our favourite things to do used to be to get a couple of our developers together (they usually work better in small groups) over a few drinks and start them waxing lyrical about where they see the future of tech going. Sometimes it went down the rabbit hole but sometimes they’d come up with something brilliant that was then incorporated into our next product.
