If you must choose only one of the two choices, progress and technique, which will you choose (of higher priority)?

Thompson Lee · 2011-09-02T05:42:03

I'm here to collect a poll regarding on how people prioritize these two basic choices. These choices can assist each other, depending on what we're currently doing, and how we manage it. Progress, it determines how far we can achieve towards our goal when we're doing something (projects). In order to make progress, we must first construct a method that relies on techniques, then use the known method to continue progressing. Progress is not the goal of something (project). Technique, it is a skill learned from doing something (projects) in order to make progress. In order to learn a technique, we start from the basics, then move on towards intermediate and advanced levels, all the while, applying them to something (project) so that we can achieve progress. If we were to learn something first, we first learn the techniques before we apply them, therefore we can make progress only after we've learned those techniques. If we were to make progress first, we would start off with the basics of our techniques we'd learned from the past, and apply them directly, therefore we can achieve progress before learning more techniques. However, if we were to prioritize "progress", we won't be able to have the opportunity to learn better techniques to make our work faster, more reliable, etc. If we were to prioritize "technique", we won't be able to have faster progresses in our work, deadlines will be in need of postponing, etc. In short, to make progress, we need to learn techniques. To learn techniques, we need to achieve progress among them. It's a rather crude, vague cycle that continues to revolve around when we're learning and yearning. ---------------------------------------- Which choice will you choose to prioritize over the other? Why?

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Started by tom_mai78101 August 02, 2011 02:06 PM

11 comments, last by tom_mai78101 13 years ago

ApochPiQ

23,138

September 01, 2011 08:51 PM

Of course technique without progress is meaningless.

My point was more that apparent progress built on a shoddy foundation will end up costing more in the long run than slightly less apparent progress built on solid technique.

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frob

46,272

September 01, 2011 10:06 PM

Based on the followup, it seems like the question really should be:

---> Should I spend time learning theory (technique), or just dive in ignorantly to produce as much code as I can (progress)?

You need to understand the theory.

Without theory you can still imitate what you see, you can still learn by slogging through badly written code, but you cannot really understand what you are doing, or why you are doing it, and most importantly, you cannot readily create new things.

Learning theory takes time. Most people spend 3-4 years in a University setting. That is enough time on the theory to become an ENTRY LEVEL developer. Through your career you are expected to learn and develop your own skills. Theory doesn't change, which is the most useful part about it. The theory applies to all languages, from the lowest machine code through the latest experimental language.

Failure to understand theory means you spend your days behind the curve copying other people's work, and you become dead weight when the next language comes along.