How Vast Is Knowledge?

You know, the more we grow up, the more we realized how much we don't know.

I have this feeling in my workplace recently. This heavy 'burden' on how little I know. Is it because my knowledge have grown too little over the past 3 years?

Perhaps, but even more so is just how much my 'observable universe' have expanded.

Let's not even go THAT FAR. Let's just take my field for instance - Information Technology.

Do you know how VAST AND MASSIVE it encompasses?

There's hardware/software architecture, security, operating systems, databases, networks, web-stack, authentication and encryption, programming...

More recently, there's cloud computing, big data, analytics, mobile development, etc...

And I'm just really talking about high level stuff here. Everyone of these can take a lifetime to master.

A degree in computer science is really like primary school in each of these topics. It's just to get you started.

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Take me for example.

I have been working mostly on databases and business intelligence products for the past 3 years. And still I feel I know very little.

There are new technologies like NOSQL Databases, R Programming, Hadoop (which contains like dozens of different platforms and add-ons), etc...

I have been thrown into a couple of new projects lately, and there:

I heard people talk about LDAP, active directory (authentication-related stuff).
I heard people talk about geospatial data and statistical models.
I heard people talk about Solaris OS, Oracle RAC (OS and DB installations stuff)
I heard people talking about push/pull through servers and their security implications.
I came across new standards like JSON, MongoDB, etc...

Man.

How could one ever learn them all?

And in times like this, is it better to be a "jack of all trades", or "master in one"?

There are SOOOO many things I wanted to learn!

Unfortunately, things aren't so simple now that we are out of school. There's no luxury of time or "structured course" for you to learn each topic step by step now. You're on your own. 


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I really felt that I have become quite stagnant in this area, especially when you browse the net and come across so many new technological terms.

I know I can't master them all, but at least I must be committed to grow.

Hence, I hereby make this resolution that I MUST at least become moderately proficient in these 2 areas within 6 months. (mostly related to my area of work, and the area I want to grow in)


Business Analytics

I know I am no maths expert, but I really want to expand myself in this area. At least know the basics.

For this, I have a schedule SPSS course.

I will pick up R-Programming from Code School and apply them in an upcoming project.


Databases and Data Warehouse

I have scheduled a course in SQL administrator and their integration product.

More importantly, I want to move beyond traditional relational DB.

This is gonna be tough: Pick up on NOSQL DB. For this, I choose MongoDB.


Future

Hopefully, I can find some time to also pick up mobile programming (as a side interest). IOS or Android?

Maybe not to great proficiency like Java, but at least be able to write simple programs on mobile platform.