Despite my “ace” upon entering the Data Science bootcamp (the goal is typically a job placement, but I was fortunate enough to have that already in hand), I was not going to let my luck prevent me from dedicating myself to the class that I had been coveting for so long….even though the time and energy commitment was difficult for both me and my family. An immersive is truly what it advertises itself to be. (I am counting the days until I get to exercise, cook, and rest.)
The circumstances were disappointing. I loved my job and was also quite good at it. Once all was said and done, I planned to make the best of the situation and committed myself to the class. And I knew that anything I learned might be a benefit to my new employer! No slacking off.
Going back to school after so many years, I was not sure I would remember how to study nor how to learn in the age of “a laptop on every desk. Everything has changed. When I don’t understand something? I don’t raise my hand (or, as in our class, ask on slack); I google. I have found that it is actually very satisfying to learn with Google in hand; if one explanation doesn’t make sense, there’s always another out there that will resonate. The downside is: I start reading about the topic and miss the next point in the lecture because…. I’ve gotten lost in a rabbit hole.
One of the “skills” I’ve been working on developing in this class is to know how and when to put the brakes on. When I find something interesting, I want to pursue it, I know it is worthwhile, but … this is not the right time …..
I won’t say that I’ve conquered to my rabbit hole/attention issue, because that would be untrue. But, I have learned to recognize it.
Diving deep, with no understanding of whether it is worthwhile to spend the time on the question or not, is the lifeblood of academic research and of learning.
So while at first glance these so-called rabbit holes appear to be a “waste of time”, I beg to differ. The skills I have gained while conquering the question at hand, whether or not the question truly needed to be answered, have been and will continue to be useful.
The pursuit of knowledge is a series of rabbit holes. Some lead to a new discovery, and other simply end in a deeper understanding.
Were these rabbit holes a good use of my time? Yes. Did I limit myself to falling down them at appropriate times? Probably not. But, since we live in this age, there’s always the recording of what I missed, available on youtube…..
Moral of the story might be: Dive, but surface often enough to learn more so I can dive again in a more promising spot?
