The long road learning pattern sets its premises on favoring rather than quick results cumulative progress. I believe that working towards a 4-year college degree and the tradeoff that comes with it puts us in that category. We all know that even after the switch from student to paid professional the road doesn’t end. In fact, one of the reasons, I decided to pursue a career in technology was the promise of perpetual learning that the field offers.
The author mentions the constant change in technology and a deeper intrinsic knowledge we developed over time to deal with them. In a sense I believe, he meant that as we acquire experience, we become more sensitive to patterns. These patterns can help us become more agile in adapting to new tech as well as seeing projections of how they would unfold ahead of their full development. Regardless of how far we get we must not give into the ego and assume things with certainty we can’t guarantee.
We must watch for hardening during the long road. The author doesn’t offer any cautionary warning for this pattern, but I believe it warrants one. In many professions I see how the long road can become a trap to steer you away from self-development. It is extremely easy as you gather knowledge along the road to become a know-it-all. To me there are 2 versions of the know-it-all; the flexible version where one knows a lot but is open to change; the hardened version where one knows a lot and cannot change. I think it has a lot to do with egos, the flexible one is probably perceived by others as knowledgeable but does not care about the title itself so it makes it easier in the long run to reshape knowledge; and the hardened one sees itself as knowledgeable, the title is important so no exterior knowledge that conflicts with its own can be accepted. The hardened one should be avoided; professional life is about social interactions and the hardened one will become isolated or be avoided by others while the flexible one will flourish in a social environment and grow with it.
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