Re: On not becoming discouraged

[Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

"Ellen Vanrenen" wrote...
 
> When I read all your postings, I am always concerned with how very much
I
> have to learn. 
> How do you all do and learn it all? 

You don't. You learn how to "connect the dots" and make sense out of
chaos. You'll never know "it all." So you learn some core fundamentals and
then piece them together. 

Honestly - most technology boils down to about a dozen base concepts such
as object relationships, packets on a network, electromagnetic radiation ,
e=mc^2, DNA, etc.  Once you know all the basics, then its just a matter of
filling in the details. Thats easy, you just keep comparing whats in front
of you to those basics. Eventually you find a pattern, and you run with
it. 

And honestly, most tools are the same exact thing - just different names.
People become so enamored with tools when most of them are virtually
identical in function and capability. Its usually just a matter of
personal taste. 

You seem consumed with having all the "requirements" down so you can be
ordained a tech writer. Don't worry about the requirements. I didn't even
know how to pronounce RoboHelp when I first did a help file. It took me
about 5 days to figure it out. Its not a difficult tool to use, despite
what some people say. Just engage brain and learn. 

You don't need to be a certified expert to be a highly productive user of
any tool. 

This won't come as any surprise coming from me, but spend your energy
learning about the products and technologies (and related technologies)
your company makes. Don't worry about the tools. You can learn those -
whenever. Learn what your employer makes an why it is cool. That will get
you a lot farther than a single-sourcing seminar. 

Andrew Plato 

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