Ask HN: If you only had 40 hours to learn a new IT based skill what would it be?

9 pointsby codinguyvor 13 Jahren19 comments

19 comments

armsvor 13 Jahren

Python. IMO, it's so well designed that you can gain a comfortable (albeit still beginner) grasp on it within 40 hours, especially if you have prior programming experience.

varunkhovor 13 Jahren

Web security and attack vectors, seriously. Will be helpful regardless of the technology you'll choose to build web apps.

AznHisokavor 13 Jahren

I'd learn Chef or Puppet.

sachin0235vor 13 Jahren

java script, node.js or PHP

rootjvor 13 Jahren

Linux servers administration.

codinguyvor 13 Jahren

That was definitely on my list :)

rman666vor 13 Jahren

There are many many IT skills you could learn in 40 hours. Assuming you are not a complete n00b, how about learning Ruby and Sinatra (a "framework" for rapidly creating web applications). You could easily make it through the book, "Jump Start Sinatra," in less than 40 hours, for example.

Is this the type of response you're looking for? If not, please clarify. Good luck!

codinguyvor 13 Jahren

My wife and kids are away for a week in the near future, so I thought I would take 40 hours and learn something new. I have no idea yet as to what that will be, so I thought I would ask more intelligent people what they would do :)

Thank you for the suggestion though!

tonyoconnellvor 13 Jahren

How to build a lean startup with Steve Blank https://www.udacity.com/course/ep245

mknitsvor 13 Jahren

Either Python or Ruby. Photoshop is also a good choice.

juntovor 13 Jahren

Both Angular and Ember so I can at last make my own mind up on which is better!

wwwwwwvor 13 Jahren

what current skills do you have? I would pick a skill to compliment my current skills.

revoradvor 13 Jahren

Graphic design.

yulaowvor 13 Jahren

Mh or ruby and rails (but 40h are not enough for both) or probably GO

bennygvor 13 Jahren

State-of-the-art security and crypto.

toutouastrovor 13 Jahren

node or basic sysadmin or django

dannytatomvor 13 Jahren

AI (in games, mostly)

bobfvor 13 Jahren

Metrics measurement and tracking of some sort, depending on your area of interest and existing expertise. That could be Graphite and statsd, or a particular type of web analytics like Google Analytics or MixPanel. It takes roughly 40 hours to get a good basic understanding, implement, test, and start tracking useful things with each of those.

cawvor 13 Jahren

I'd go with NoSQL (any of them, overview of all of them?) or AWS/cloud stuff, because I'm already familiar with Linux administration and RoR. In the enterprise you don't get to work with that sort of technology, so that's where I'd spend my time.