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

Summary

In this video, a former principal engineer at Amazon shares his system for quickly getting up to speed in new environments, even with little experience. By categorizing knowledge into four buckets—facts, procedures, concepts, and questions—he explains how to accelerate learning and impact, from mastering foundational knowledge to understanding complex systems. The key is actively engaging with new material, creating mental models, and constantly refining understanding through questions. This system allows individuals to become experts faster, fostering growth and success in their careers.

Takeaways

• 😀 Mastering the ability to get up to speed quickly is a crucial skill that can catapult you ahead of your peers in any career.
• 😀 The onboarding process often involves confusion, outdated documents, and incomplete information, but it's critical to organize your knowledge effectively.
• 😀 Categorize new information into four buckets: factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, conceptual knowledge, and questions to accelerate learning.
• 😀 Factual knowledge should be split into 'working memory' (things you need to memorize) and 'reference facts' (things you can look up later).
• 😀 Procedural knowledge is best learned by actively executing the process rather than passively reviewing documentation.
• 😀 To learn procedural knowledge faster, volunteer to practice procedures under supervision, like joining on-call rotations or shadowing others.
• 😀 Conceptual knowledge involves understanding the high-level connections between components, not getting lost in implementation details.
• 😀 Use visual aids like diagrams (boxes and arrows) to map out conceptual models and relate components to each other.
• 😀 Your conceptual model should focus on core patterns, not every detail. This helps you quickly grasp new systems and apply learned patterns.
• 😀 Keep track of your questions and never delete them. They create a breadcrumb trail of your learning journey and help newcomers understand the domain.
• 😀 When you reach a point where you're asking advanced questions, you're no longer the 'new guy'—you're now on the frontier of the team's knowledge.

Q & A

What is the primary challenge when you're the new person in a team?

The primary challenge is feeling overwhelmed by the unfamiliar language and information, leading to confusion and a sense of falling behind in your work.

What key skill does the speaker attribute to his success at Amazon?

The speaker attributes his success to his ability to rapidly get up to speed on new domains, teams, and projects by using a systematic approach to learning.

How does the speaker categorize knowledge to accelerate learning?

The speaker categorizes knowledge into four buckets: factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, conceptual knowledge, and questions. This method helps streamline the learning process.

What are the two types of factual knowledge mentioned in the video?

The two types of factual knowledge are working memory facts, which are essential to keep in mind regularly, and reference facts, which are things you can look up as needed.

Why does the speaker recommend separating working memory and reference facts?

By separating these two types, you focus on memorizing critical information that you need frequently, while keeping less critical information in reference form to avoid overloading your memory.

What is the best way to learn procedural knowledge according to the speaker?

The best way to learn procedural knowledge is to practice executing the procedure as quickly as possible, ideally under supervision, rather than passively reviewing SOPs.

Why is conceptual knowledge important in accelerating learning?

Conceptual knowledge helps you understand the core ideas and relationships between components, allowing you to see patterns and connections rather than getting lost in specific details.

What is the purpose of the questions bucket in the learning process?

The questions bucket is a record of your learning journey. It tracks the evolution of your understanding, and keeping questions, even after they're answered, helps you understand the process of learning and connecting information.

How does the speaker suggest using diagrams to learn conceptual knowledge?

The speaker suggests creating simple diagrams, with boxes for key components and arrows showing their relationships, to visualize and understand the overall system at a high level.

How can you apply the system of categorizing knowledge to help new team members?

When a new team member joins, you can walk them through your question list and help them understand how your knowledge evolved, which can drastically speed up their onboarding process.