What Are You Committed to Learning in 2017?
This will be my last post of 2016, so before I get into it I just want say thanks for a great year (or half-year) back at WSO. It’s been fun for me to explore some topics with y’all that weren’t necessarily finance related. The caliber of threads and comments really has leveled up over the years.
Now that that’s out of the way, I thought I’d wrap up the year with a little strategy of mine that keeps me motivated about something even when the rest of life is pretty boring and mundane. I’ve already covered my goal setting process around Thanksgiving, so I don’t really call this a goal. I think of it more as personal development.
Each year I endeavor to learn a new skill. Over the years a number of them have been purely business related, but the majority have not. For example, I decided to spend 2016 getting really good at Javascript. I did it at Matt Mullenweg’s suggestion to “learn Javascript deeply.”
I consider programming languages basically equivalent to human languages in value, but fluency in programming languages comes much faster. While I’d still place the priority of a second language on human communications, once you’re bilingual you should devote some time and energy to learning code. It’s just the nature of the world we live in, and it gives you a problem solving framework that extends well beyond computer programming.
I’m changing it up in 2017, though.
I’m a pretty decent poker player. By that I mean that I finish in the money in a decent number of tournaments, and I generally mop up in the $10-$20 no limit games popular down here on the Gulf coast. I’m not in any danger of going pro, but I’ve held my own in some brutal rooms for many years now. In short, it’s a game I know.
Backgammon is pretty much the exact opposite for me, and that’s going to change next year. I’ve been putting it off for far too long, and there’s money to be made. I was especially interested to learn that the world’s best player works for Goldman Sachs.
So the skill I’ll spend 2017 mastering is backgammon. I know we have some players here on WSO, so all tips are appreciated. I am a true beginner, and would like to become a formidable player in a year’s time. If you know of anything I can do to shorten the learning curve, I’m all ears.
This is how I stay motivated year in and year out. No matter where I’m at with respect to my goals (2016 wasn’t a great year for that, to be honest), as long as I’m learning something that I want to know, it gives me the energy to press on. I find it especially helpful if it’s something completely outside of work, too. It provides a much-needed escape from the day to day and gives me a fresh perspective.
I recommend you pick a skill you’d like to master and spend the next year learning it. Again, it’s probably better if it’s something outside your daily routine. Make it something that’s just for you. You’ll learn plenty of work stuff along the way; make this something that makes you a more well-rounded person.
Best Books of 2016
I’ll wrap this up with two book recommendations from the past year. I’d love to be able to say this was the best book I read this year, but these two really are tied for first. They’re completely different books, so if you plan to read them start with the one that sounds more appealing to you. They’re both fantastic.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - I list this one first only because I read it earliest in the year. This is one of those rare books which is a learning experience that you just can’t put down. Humans are straight gangster. We likely shared the planet with as many as six humanoid species (cousins, if you will) like the Neanderthals, and we murdered every last one of them. This book might change your point of view on a great many things.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life - This was the hidden gem of the year for me. You could probably classify it as self help, though I’d consider it more akin to lifestyle design. It’s funny as hell, and presents a world view comprised of equal parts Stoicism and Pragmatism. Some of you younger guys should probably still be giving out your fucks, so this one is geared more toward the guys in their 30s and beyond. You can get through it in a weekend, and I found myself wanting to re-read it immediately after finishing it.
I did a lot of reading this year, but those were the cream of the crop. If you’re looking for a fiction recommendation and you’re into narco-thrillers, it’s hard to beat The Cartel by Don Winslow.
Well, that’s it for 2016, monkeys. Have a happy holiday season and for Pete’s sake stay safe. I’ll see you in January!
First of all OP, good job learning how to code in Javascript. As for your book recommendations, Mark Manson is an amazing author who writes quality material, I love his work.
I am going to spend a good portion of 2017 trying to create something with the coding I have learned (mainly Python). No better way of finding out how well you know how to code once you finally have to put the work in and create something out of it.
Started reading Manson's blog ~5 years ago - back when it was still "post masculine" - enjoy him a lot.
Very cool. If you're looking for real world projects to make your bones on and do some good at the same time, look for volunteer coding opportunities. I've worked on a couple projects for the Taproot Foundation and another organization is Social Coder. It's a good opportunity to stretch your skills and help out worthy causes at the same time.
Another one that combines learning and coding for impact is Free Code Camp. Teaches you a Javascript stack in probably the most in-depth curriculum I've seen online...and it's free. If you make it to the nonprofit project stage, you are a better developer than many CS-educated folks out there.
Get better at sales so I can be better at being a baller.
But in reality, I joined the local environmental team for my town (one of the top 100 wealthiest zip codes in the US -- so they have resources).
I hope to try to convince people to start using Elon Musk's panels and maybe try and get a few Tesla charging stations at around town (there are a lot of Teslas in town) to help promote electric cars.
I know this might sound like a really dumb question but how does someone get better at sales? Especially if they don't yet work in a sales role. I've been reading a book about sales by Zig Ziglar right now but I am wondering what are some ways you can practice your sales skills.
Trying to get good at sales and coding, feels kinda odd to be honest, like I am trying to get good at two skills that seem to be for polar opposite personalities but YOLO!
Literally just ordered "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life" on Amazon after reading this post. Can't wait to read. High reviews on this book on Amazon too.
Thanks for some great posts this year Eddie. FWIW I am also interested in any backgammon resources for beginners. It's been on my to-do list for awhile.
After reading about Phil Ivey being forced to pay back his winnings from edge sorting in baccarat, I'd like to learn some of the more low-key casino games and get good at them. Or just become very strong at blackjack and hustle the people around me.
Explore my own mind. Have been reading a lot of pretty out there stuff regarding the state of the human mind and consciousness, some of the most interesting and fascinating topics I've come across.
Golf. I don't need to be good at it but just good enough to lose without slowing down the game for everyone else.
I'm hoping we are able to go down to the gulf coast this year and if so I'm going to practice crabbing for blue/stone crab. Working on my salt water fishing skills is also something I would enjoy.
That's crazy.
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definitely want to get better at doing things outside. Hiking, fishing, biking, skiing, anything of the like really. I mean i understand most of these things on a fundamental level but to actually learn deeply about them and get good at them would probably yield great benefits for me. Gonna try to view the world as a big playground this year.
Eddie,
Right now, what I want to do is read Douglas Adam's recommended reading list as it discusses influence, which is something I'm definitely interested in - more because it is meant to teach the art of reading people.
Backgammon, however, is a fantastic game. I learned how to play sitting on the porch eating sunflower seeds and learning from Israelis. It's the only game I know of that brings Israelis and Arabs together, so there is something to be said about mastering it.
Eddie Braverman Sapiens is a great book. You should definitely also check out the sequel, Homo Deus (which you will probably do anyway).
More on investing and macro economics.
I'm going to read the Alchemy of Finance and the Margin of safety over the next few months
Fly fishing. Been fishing my whole life but have never picked up a fly rod.
Get a starter set from Cabelas. Cabela's Three Forks/Prestige® Plus Fly Combo This little setup has lasted me 6 years. Doesn't really matter where you live (exceptions the desert) there's always something to catch....seriously a great way to detox from the office
Thanks for the input. Looks like Cabelas might be getting some of my business for Christmas.
My boring skill i want to learn is cooking. Can't be that hard but i currently don't put any effort into it and would like to be able to make some awesome meals.
I am no chef, but I a damn good self-taught cook. Start with something like Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything or The Best Recipes in the World. Once you've mastered the basics, get Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. That should make you better than 90%+ of Americans at cooking.
I have only been cooking for about a year and a half, but I'm entirely self taught just by watching 1-2 minute Gordon Ramsay videos by paying attention to the techniques you can subtly see him use and trying out the dishes myself. I think your books would be a great supplement, and maybe its just because this is the effect of living in a college town, but when word gets out that I'm cooking something literally 10 of my friends will come over. Knowing how to cook is definitely a good feeling though.
This is not a cookbook, but I found Marco White's "White Slave" monumental in elevating my skill and attention to detail in the kitchen. Really gives you some insight into the mindset of a top chef and how uncompromising their regard for fundamentals are.
Sil has great suggestions, but I might even suggest you step back a bit further and start with The Four Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss. It's written for total noobs and is meant to get you up to speed (like gourmet level) on a few things very quickly. One of the most valuable takeaways for me was his recommendation of Rada cutlery. Cheap on Amazon, and sharp as all hell. Been a game changer for my meat handling.
Also, his cast iron stuff is pretty critical to learn too.
My wife is a great cook and handles the day to day for the most part, but when the kids see me in the kitchen they know something special is about to happen. Cooking is one of the most basic skills of survival, and getting good at it will probably move the quality-of-life needle for you faster and cheaper than just about anything else you can do.
Eddie Braverman you read his latest book yet? Tools of the Titans. I've flipped through a couple of pages of it.
Personally cook books never resonated with me, what really took my cooking to the next level was Youtube videos. You need to find what channels work for you but one I would recommend 'Brothers Green Eats'. They are two crazy brothers and they have a lot of crap on there with student cooking or recreating menus but just stick to their video section called 'Beginners Guide To Cooking'. Every week say on a Sunday try doing a different countries food, you get small wins quickly and learn different techniques but also you see similarities and build up your equipment and very quickly you have learnt a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt_lOWx8jR_MNAJCbcDuZxh-GouBligY1
Thanks for all the advice guys. Gonna be Bobby Flay in no time.
Cooking develops organizational skills, the ability to multitask, perseverance, discipline and knowledge (if you are into reading about the origin and reasons behind the ingredients and techniques you use).
Eddie the classic and best text people point to is 'Backgammon by Paul Magriel'
2017 I want to explore more hardware coding challenges and also do a hunt where you learn how to properly dress and handle wild game in the field
Learning French, a third language to put on the resume and also for future travels to France and Canada. Bought one of those audio cds for $15 on Ebay.
Try DuoLingo.
Duolingo is good, Memrise is also a good resource for timed repetition practice of vocab.
If you want to get tutoring online (typically around 12-25 USD/ hour), italki is a good option.
Lastly, Conversation Exchange is the best resource I have used for finding conversation partners. As long as you live in a metropolitan city in the states, chances are there's someone who knows your target language and wants to improve their English.
I am also planning to master the use of the force so the universe and its inhabitants are helpless to stop my endless ambition.
Particular skill set which would bring me 100$/hr net income and also happens to be location independent. If I reach that i will quit my day job and travel around the world.
https://www.freecodecamp.com/
Thanks, but I have particular skill set in mind and it's not coding.
I doubt any purely tech guys are breaking 100$/hr net except for right tail in high COL areas.
I used to play classical guitar when I was in college. My goal is to pick it up again and try to learn some Flamenco as well.
I'm going to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Krav Maga, or Aikido
Unsolicited advice: Learn Krav and supplement it, if needed, with Aikido and BJJ.
That's impressive. I've been trying to learn macros and shortcuts to automate my models. Its an entirely different mindset from learning finance. Tough to switch back and forth, but it'd definitely be worth the payoff to master Excel.
I want to learn some sort of programming language well-- whether thats python or java.
I'd like to actually get to be playable at chess.
Always wanted to learn to play guitar. Hopefully I can pick that up from my early teen days.
I recommend Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole among others
Spent 2016 learning VBA and Excel functions for work.
I have taken a liking to statistical analysis, data science, machine learning, etc. and will devote 2017 to R and Python. The holy grail languages for Data Science.
I also want to watch more classic foreign movies. I have a great knowledge of the French New Wave's and Hollywood's history but I plan on getting into more Anime, Italian Neorealist, Danish, and German films.
Lastly, I took a huge break during my first analyst year but its time to start golfing regularly again (when it gets warmer).
I've spent the past 6 months learning + using R for work, once you start getting into it you'll never want to open a spreadsheet again.
My plans for learning over the next year: CFA level 2 for the June exam, learning C++ for building production-scale machine learning applications, and maybe learn another spoken language if I have time, probably German.
Thinking about getting my pilots license on the weekends in between working days because its something you can accomplish over 7 to 12 months
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