Hi friend,
Welcome back to the monthly newsletter, I hope you’re staying safe wherever you are around the world. How was your May 2022? Mine was slightly uneventful (like last month) and flu-ridden due to colder weather. I hope yours was better.
Let’s focus on a learning dilemma, an ongoing issue I and many face. How to continue a learning path when things get difficult and stale. Disclaimer, this newsletter is from Mr Ash.co, as you subscribed or downloaded a freebie. Read online or listen here, enjoy!
The Learning Dilemma
Professional Development (PD) is important in education, in a way, its my job to learn. I typically focus on a course or project to learn new skills or sharpen existing ones.
Currently, I’m learning Python, a flexible, popular programming language with a beginner-friendly design. I’m learning via the online, self-paced CS50P course from Harvard. It spans 11 weeks with succinct lectures and challenging problem sets, oh and it’s 100% free. For help, there’s a discord server to ask educators and students.
What’s the dilemma? What’s so difficult?
It, got, hard, and, boring. One particular week wasn’t interesting as the previous weeks. It’s a pretty bad excuse for a learning dilemma, but I think it’s an important one.
Here’s how I’m combating the dilemma:
- Writing this public newsletter.
- Sharing problem set advice via the blog.
- Tweeting some progress.
- Just keep going.
It’s simple in the end, to not stop, to continue when it’s hard and/or boring. Sometimes there’s no ’hack’ or special trick, it’s just ‘heads down’ and study.
Catch-Up & Next Steps
Looking back on May and forward to June.
Months Memories
- Another spin around the sun for me, I’m a year older @27, so wise.
- I started and (sort of) finished my first collaborative python programming project.
- This tweet shared PyScript, a new way to use Python in web pages.
- Mike Driscoll, a prominent Python Educator retweeted my website.
- I got Recut by Dave Ceddia, it automatically cuts silence from audio and video files.
- We hired one of my good friends at work, it’s great to be working along with him!
- No new content either articles or videos this month, having a break.
Content I’ve Consumed
- Videos: David’s OSINT and SCADA interviews, Fireships CS Concepts and Web3, Chuck’s Malware, and FreeCodeCamps Discord Bot.
- Podcasts: How I Built This Discord, Darknet 116: Mad Dog and 117: Daniel the Paladin.
Key Point Indicators (KPIs)
- Newsletter friends: 188 (+9%)
- YouTube subscribers: 421 (+13%)
- Blog views, visitors: 1806 (+22%), 694 (-24%)
Next Month:
- Continue CS50P, complete Weeks 5-9.
It’s been another mixed month, nothing to complain about, just living life here. I hope you have a rewarding June, talk in ~30 days.
Kind regards,
Ash
