If You Want To Learn Faster Than 99% of People Just Copy Me (From A Principal At Amazon)

Questions are knowledge and include assumptions .... GOLD!

This is a great video. I especially like the 12-box-max concept diagram. A good place to apply that would be as a first page in a team's documentation for a feature. "This is feature X, which consists of the parts below." Right after the diagram? A bullet point list of one-sentence definitions for each box. The rest of the documentation just adds detail as necessary.

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I have over 40 years of experience at learning a business or technology on the fly, And... You mistakenly assume conceptual knowlege is known already, such as order processing generally looks like this diagram. Not helpful to true beginners! This is a better way, go meta. There are usually only two types of models: CLASSES and SYSTEMS. SYSTEMS first. All systems have -inputs, -outputs, -processes to transform inputs to outputs, and -information feedback loops. Ask who, what, how, when, where, and how much, and why questions for each part of the system. Ex: who provides the inputs, what are the inputs, how are they recieved, when do the arrive, where do they come from, where are they recieved, how much or many inputs are recieved, why these inputs are the right inputs... Do the questions for all 4 main elements of system. Fyi, the how question applied to the process, gives you the steps. The why question applies to the overall system. Why does it exist? CLASSES. These are simply a class and its component or multiple classes that are related. 1. Simple example, an organizational chart. A tree structure. Enterprise at top, companies, divisions, functions, teams, individuals. 2. Multiple classes bunched together by relationships. Ex, a balance sheet, stack architecture, a business model, etc. Thinking in Classes and Systems is how to quickly learn patterns of any type. This is how you learn that all order processing is basically the same. You even see how all industries have the same basic components. How all technologies have similar jobs to do. Thinking in Classes and Systems organizes your facts and questions.

I started a new job about 4 months ago as a SWE2... I accidentally did most of this( not to toot my own horn), and it works surprisingly well... To the point where my manager and team lead were shocked at the rate at which I got up to speed on the project... Though I do see a few gaps between what I did vs what was done in this video, i'm hoping I can take this and fill in those sections for the next domain I need to onboard onto!!!

I kind of did this in my past projects eventually (in 2 months) but to know it from a role model like u, that you can speed it up and knowing that this is the right model , is very helpful indeed

Awesome to see you posting more, you're one of the smartest guys on Youtube. I'm in the middle of a transition to tech after working in finance; it's great to hear about what it's like to actually work in industry, not just tutorial hell or some weird day in the life. You made a really thoughtful point about how understanding trumps initial apprehension. Personally, I feel like there's so many buzz words, concepts and technologies that courses never explain well enough. I would love to hear about concepts straight from a principal engineer! If that's not really your vibe, maybe you can look over someones startup or Github, I feel like you could build anything! Really enjoyed hearing your thoughts, just don't forget you're in a league of your own and I'm still working up the courage to even apply to jobs because I'm not sure if I know enough yet.

volunteering for shadow on call immediately is a really good one. your point that it will get you the attention of those you need is spot on. thanks, steve

Such a common challenge most engineers face, the first creator to actually address it in a practical and useful way. Thank you!