Live to work or Live to learn

Last week, I had a small talk with a friend about the attitude to work. She's working at FPT around 2 years. Basically, I think she is good in term of desiring to learn skills/techniques, sharing knowledge. Currently she is in charge of a product for banking to manage exchanging gold. I'm sorry if you're FPTer :-) but I can see FPT style via her project : a product is considered a success if it's released ontime whatever its quality. I'm not going to argue about the quality of her project. That's a long story for managers. I just want to share some thoughts about her view on the job because it's different from me :-).

Her point is all-for-work. That's you should use all your resources (time, mainly) only for producing good software. And after that you will recieve a great reward which could be client's bonus, becoming a leader in another project or moving up :-). The term all-for-work means that your team have to build the product as quick as possible; there is no unit tests, test scripts, spec, .. They are things I had to do or be involved in my team. And as quick as possible could mean you need to work overtime frequently. However, if you have to develop something within a short time, I agree that you will do like this because it's no choice. But the main point in her all-for-work is that she prefers taking time only for product to learning something new that isn't related to work. That's why I call it all-for-work

Mine is opposite : work is only a part of life. Self-improvement is my style. Actually I have learnt a lot from Buu Nguyen. I have completely changed my mind since he interviewed me at FCG Vietnam (CSC Vietnam). I suppose the client is always hard to please so I usually give out the result that almost fits their expectation, no more no less. Then after the task is done, I do self-improvement to make myself better for future. Therefor, things I learn to improve myself aren't quite linked to the project. It can be something else like book reading, a new programming language, another platform for development, blog writing ...

We talked about 30 minutes to protect our oppions. She dislikes my attitude with 2 ideas:

1. Work can teach us new things and experience you learn from work is better than pure theory.
2. The pressure from client will let you get the right things to learn new technique instead of looking through it.
   

That are her points. Hmm, the way I see it that you're going to know ajax if the project requires fast response, you're getting to know unit if you have to use unit test ... That means if project doesn't require any of them, you wouldn't know those stuffs. Does it sound we are inactive to get new knowledge ? Once she asked me "how do you develop your 3-layers in application". It's 3, not 2 or 4 :-).

I'm a open mind guy. Of course I don't tell her off for her way. She has being followed it and she succeeds in her career. I prefer self-improvement in order I can be up for new chance (maybe). All things I wrote in this post just a question : why doesn't she accept my oppion as I did with her ?

Got a lesson. It's hard to change somebody's view :-)

What should yough people do

Being a human, we usually show the same manner when we process / receive / learn / handle things or people. That is having a great expectation on people more than ourself. We always say or think something like

• "Why does this javascript library only support those browsers" - Although that guy doesn't really know what other feature is
• "Can you explain this technique in simplest way in order we can get the basic ideas" - Although latter he may say "This stuff also has a lot cool features. Why don't you present them at the beginning"
• "Hey, that guy likes an idiot. How can he say that." -Although they don't realize the idea behind
•  ...
  

That's normal. I know because I'm too. But I would like to find out the reason, at least the one I can understand, not very fancy. After observing people in my office, I see why. When you have to get new thing / idea (usually bad, trouble or you don't really like it). There are two kind of response

1. You ask the author of thing / idea all questions come up from your mind even ones that people expect you to answer or do. We almost fall to this kind and I think if you aren't this type of person, it's a bit difficult to work with them.
2. You receive the basic info and then go on your own way. If you need some extra, you'll ask latter. This type of person usually don't show their opinion right way and they tend to see the issue in their own view. Maybe it isn't quite correct but they like to.
   

The manner having great expectation on other people is used usually by people in first type. I think the possible reason is that it is easy to criticize anything that you don't involve. Is it true ? At least it's the scenes I have seen. Therefore, if you want to be somebody that is different, a little bit special, why don't we jump to the second one? It isn't bad. Just behave in opposite manner. I know it sounds pure theory but the best way to get to know something new is "just do it" (I learned from my delivery director).

I think, when you are trying to do that, actually you are improving yourself (more technical, refactoring yourself. :-). Basically, people isn't perfect when they were born, so you are allocated a 30 years timeframe to be better enough for future.I have been refactoring myself a year ago. Maybe it's not long enough but better late than never.

To train myself, I always do following things:

• think first, don't give any opinion or conclusion
• understand other's view about the issue before resolve in my own way
• reading
• asking, even it's silly question
• guide people what thing I know, that is the best way to review and improve communication skills
• smile
• sense of humor
  

Do you know the message I want to say. hopefully you do :-)