On the road to senior engineer, one has to inhale multiple technologies. This often seems like a series of massive obstacles wherein each new technology resembles a new beginning. However, engineers often underestimate the extent to which procedural knowledge from one technology transfers to a new technology. In this talk, I will demonstrate that the process from OpenStack Community Liaison to Tinkerbell Developer Advocate was a series of procedural knowledge transfers, wherein the obstacles to learning reduces with each new technology that is learned. I will provide specific examples, from getting started to troubleshooting issues, and conclude with practical recommendations on how to create a coherent plan for transitioning from one technology to another.

1. LEVERAGING PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE
FROM RIDING A BIKE TO BARE METAL AUTOMATION

2. WHO AM I?
• Not a Teacher
• Lifelong Learner
• Community Manager @ Packet
FUN FACT: Retired Professional Dancer

3. WHO ARE YOU?
• Students
• Eternally Curious
• Anyone Tackling a New Technology
FUN FACT: If you know everything, this is not the talk
you’re looking for…
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

4. WHAT IS PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE?
• Declarative vs Procedural
• Facts vs How To
• J is the Tenth Letter of the Alphabet
• Amsterdam is the capital of The Netherlands
• How Do You Ride a Bike?
Photo by Sapir Giladi goveri on Unsplash

5. LEVERAGING PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE
LEARNING TO LEARN TRUSTING THE PROCESS
Photo by Dimitar Donovski on Unsplash Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

6. LEARNING TO LEARN
‘Learning to learn’ is the ability to pursue and persist in learning, to organise
one's own learning, including through effective management of time and
information, both individually and in groups.
keyconet.eun.org/learning-to-learn

7. LEARNING TO LEARN
• Focus vs Diffuse Thinking
• Take a Break
• Practice
• Know Thyself

8. FOCUS VS DIFFUSE THINKING
PHOTO BY MARTIN SATTLER ON UNSPLASH

9. TAKE A BREAK
PHOTO BY DENNIS OTTINK ON UNSPLASH

10. PRACTICE
PHOTO BY JONATHAN CHNG ON UNSPLASH

11. KNOW THYSELF
PHOTO BY ANDRE MOUTON ON UNSPLASH

12. LEVERAGING PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE
LEARNING TO LEARN TRUSTING THE PROCESS
Photo by Dimitar Donovski on Unsplash Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

13. TRUSTING THE PROCESS
“If you’ve been doing this for a while, no matter what the technology is. You
download it. You install it. You use the default config. Maybe it works. Maybe it
doesn’t. Fix and repeat. That’s the industry.”
Kelsey Hightower
28 May 2018
Community Pulse
”Imposter Syndrome”

14. TRUSTING THE PROCESS
• Communication
• Documentation
• Do The Thing
Photo by Liane Metzler on Unsplash

15. COMMUNICATION
PHOTO BY JASON ROSEWELL ON UNSPLASH

16. COMMUNICATION
PHOTO BY JASON ROSEWELL ON UNSPLASH
OPENSTACK
Mailing Lists : lists.openstack.org
Forums : ask.openstack.org
Dynamic Chat : IRC
Bugs : Launchpad + Storyboard
Mentorship : YES

17. COMMUNICATION
PHOTO BY JASON ROSEWELL ON UNSPLASH
PACKET
Mailing Lists : PacketCommunity.Slack.Com
Forums : PacketCommunity.Slack.Com
Dynamic Chat : PacketCommunity.Slack.Com
Bugs : github.com/packethost
Mentorship : YES

18. DOCUMENTATION
PHOTO BY ANNIE SPRATT ON UNSPLASH

19. DOCUMENTATION
PHOTO BY ANNIE SPRATT ON UNSPLASH
PACKET
Start : openstack.org/software/start
Docs : docs.openstack.org
Blog : openstack.org/blog
Google : EASY

20. DOCUMENTATION
PHOTO BY ANNIE SPRATT ON UNSPLASH
PACKET
Start : packet.com/developers
Docs : packet.com/resources
Blog : packet.com/blog
Google : Not as easy

21. DO THE THING
PHOTO BY NICOLE WOLF ON UNSPLASH

22. DO THE THING
PHOTO BY NICOLE WOLF ON UNSPLASH
OPENSTACK
Install : docs.openstack.org/install-guide
Operating Systems :
• SUSE
• RHEL / CentOS
• Ubuntu

23. DO THE THING
PHOTO BY NICOLE WOLF ON UNSPLASH
PACKET
Install :
• packet.com/developers
• packet.com/resources
• packet.com/blog
Operating Systems : Literally Anything

24. LEVERAGING PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE
LEARNING TO LEARN TRUSTING THE PROCESS
• Focus vs Diffuse Thinking
• Take a Break
• Practice
• Know Thyself
• Communication
• Documentation
• Do The Thing

25. THANK YOU
PACKET.COM
GITHUB.COM/PACKETHOST
@RAINLEANDER