Comments on: Bruce Rich’s insatiable quest for knowledge

By: Joanne

Joanne — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:12:20 +0000

Bruce, you are an inspiration. Amazing the amount of time you can accrue if you don’t watch the boob tube!

And what a FASCINATING debate about learning from videos vs. real world application that has arisen. It hits at the very nature of fruitful education itself. Love that you’ve cited Gladwell’s 10,000 hr theory – I think about that all the time. I think both components are equally important: instruction obviously is critical, but you have to get in there and play & discover, too. Talk about being a sponge – that’s what you were as a kid, and think of how much you learned in those 0-10 yrs of life because of playing. Absolutely watch as many videos as possible, but don’t forget to leave some time to play & experiment yourself afterwards. I think that’s the balance.

By: Ralph Kipnis

Ralph Kipnis — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:38:12 +0000

Known Rich for about 30 years. Surprised by this time that his head has not exploded with all his mental energy with all the knowledge he has accumulated.
He continues his quest for whatever is out there in computer technology.
Amazing !

By: Dennis Macharia

Dennis Macharia — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 03:50:18 +0000

I thought i was crazy over Lynda’s training, probably coz everyone else thought so. I simply cannot stop; i want to know as much as a person can know and with time become the best all-round IT specialist. I just completed my Undergraduate and realized that technically i know nothing. Thanks to Lynda, i have learned object Oriented programming, graphics design and am now starting to master 3D modelling and animation. It’s great to know there are many like me out there. Congratulations to Lynda, all the trainers and also to Mr Rich for the Inspiration.

By: Nats

Nats — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 08:23:20 +0000

I agree with John that if you don’t apply your knowledge you usually don’t really understand what you are being taught and ultimately forget it.

I learned 3dsmax on Lynda and whereas I watched several courses when I actually picked up the software and started using it I found I knew nothing about actually using the program in a practical sense. It was then that my learning really began and now about a year later using the program for real life projects I feel I am getting to an advanced level. Lynda is great for initial learning and concepts but to really learn something you have to use that program in a practical way.

So whereas I respect Bruce for his dedication to learning I also wonder how much knowledge he has retained from those videos. I would imagine the only programme he has found useful are those that he has used subsequently in a practical sense.

Nothing wrong with learning as long as it has an ultimate useful purpose.

By: Edd

Edd — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 19:13:13 +0000

John, I think he is doing the best thing a man can do, learning and re-inventing himself. He is making an investment in himself and that is the best investment a man can make. Besides learning new things help you keep young, hopeful and ready for new challenges, and there is no such thing as inert learning. It becomes part of you and you don’t know when you would need them. Just like people who hated math at school because they wanted to work at a job like be a nurse and find out that its the same math that they are using at the job they loved. So no learning every gets wasted. I think Rich is setting himself up so that he never fails and is ready for any changes that come along in life business and technology.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 18:36:38 +0000

I think it is a great accomplishment! But at the same time there is a point of diminished returns with learning things in this way I feel. I agree with John, that if you don’t regularly use it, the skill set quickly diminishes. And Lynda only gets you to a point of basic competency, you need to create with the software or tool on a regular basis, do “the grind”, to begin to create professional results. I went to art school, and many people leave that 4-year environment not able to create at a professional level, despite the amount of time they invested–it often takes a lot of real world time, working with people better than you, working in a professional environment to become adept.

I love Lynda, but it doesn’t really go super deep into many subjects as far as I can tell. It gets you to a basic point, but to really master the programs or techniques, I think you need to find more advanced tutorials or mentors. For instance, I’m a 3D animator/VFX artist. I love fxphd.com. There is nothing close to their level of depth on Lynda.

I really do think it is an accomplishment. But I think it is often better to hire people to help supplement areas you are not good at. If you want to start making smart phone apps, it might be a better idea to hook up with a working programmer, rather than spending copious amounts of time studying coding. You might not have a great aptitude for it either and it will be time better used for other things. I do think there is value in understanding about things. But the visionary or boss doesn’t need to peel the carrots, just come up with the plan.

I would tone down Lynda training and spend more time with friends or family. Or else dive deeper into your areas of real interest and become a master.

Best of luck!

This is only my 2 cents and I could be completely off base.

By: Mark Niemann-Ross, content manager | Developer

Mark Niemann-Ross, content manager | Developer — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:57:03 +0000

Hi John,

You might be surprised at what Bruce has done with his knowledge. He runs a small business, constantly adapting to the needs of his current (and new) customers. Bruce has an interesting backstory – he has remade himself several times over the course of his working life.

In short, he’s not just an inert sponge, watching but not learning, learning but not doing. Bruce invests in himself every morning, looking for opportunities to re-invent himself should the need arise.

MNR

By: John

John — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 05:42:43 +0000

Knowledge without Action is useless. It makes a great story for your website but in reality, what has he really accomplished? If you don’t keep practicing something you will soon forget how to do it… This seems like what he’s doing by switching from program to program.

The comment Bruce made in reference to designing a website for a customer says it all: “I need to learn more before I take that on…” WHAT??? You have completed over 500 Courses!?!? If you can’t apply what you “Learn” you are simply wasting your time.

I’m not saying this to HATE on Bruce, I’m sure he is a really cool guy, I’m simply saying this because I used to do this very same thing. I would study, learn, practice without actually going out and taking action. Once you learn that you will never be perfect and get out there in the real world and take action you’ll be amazed what you can accomplish.

GET OUT THERE AND TAKE ACTION PEOPLE!

By: Aviad Sar-Shalom

Aviad Sar-Shalom — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 04:56:35 +0000

This is my ultimate dream, to just sit infront of a big screen with lynda.com courses being played inthe background till i will retire

The problem is my wife and my two kids, and a full time job that I have.

So the only option I have during the day to watch lynda and upgrade my skills are:

1. While I am hoding the baby to sleep, my wife stop nagging me, so I can watch 15 minutes of lynda videos via my iphone

2. Searching in lynda videos for a particular subject like RSS, and watch the first 5 videos on it
while I am at work

By: Gary

Gary — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:34:38 +0000

How appropriate that the accountant/marketer/etc at Stewarts Coffee name is “Joe”.

Great story!!!

Gary