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How to handle your frustration about knowing very little?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Well i really dont have correct words for my these feeling, so sorry if it dont make sense to you, but if you can help me in understanding what's going on with me that would be great.

Basically the problem is these days every discipline/subject is so much big that you cannot grasp all the aspect of it. E.g; i am a computer science student and there are lot of things which i wanted to study and get understanding of e.g; networks, operating system, data mining etc etc . Problem is i like all of these subjects and would like to read more and more about it but whenever you start reading something it takes you to new dimension like when you are on web, and one link leads to another... and at the end you came to the point where you are not reading something for which you open wikipedia page lox...


So how basically you handle this situation or what kind of advice i can get from here to handle my mind. Though i fully understand that you cannot master everything but what i should do about that desire which wanted me to become master of everything...

Sorry if it did not make sense to you. But this is killing me.
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    How about go to a library instead? Wiki is good for brief outlines of things and for finding key authors but as for in depth knowledge its not very reliable.
    Use it to find key themes or authors then go get some books out and find out about subjects from there. Factual books always include references as well so if you find something interesting and want to study it more in depth you can go back up the chain so to speak until you get to the source.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you're using just the internet to do your research then you don't stand a chance of making any sense of it. Go and use the uni library for the bulk and pad out what you learn with a bit off the net.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whowhere wrote: »
    If you're using just the internet to do your research then you don't stand a chance of making any sense of it. Go and use the uni library for the bulk and pad out what you learn with a bit off the net.
    Internet was just for the sake of example but knowing everything is kind of thing is which is making me go nuts and at the end i know nothing...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I understand what you mean, i get the feeling of being overwhelmed by the vast amount of 'stuff' there is to know! I always get the feeling that everyone else seems to have real in depth knowledge of things, and i feel a little stupid in comparison! There is just SO MUCH to learn about every single subject!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know what you mean, i have some friends that have 5A's and are probably going to oxford. Give them any topic and they can talk about it, they read something over once and they know it and its the most frustrating thing ever!

    For me i need to go over things a few times to get it. My biology book for example is full of pictures and diagrams and all the paragraphs go in a colour gradient. (very pretty :D)

    I suppose everyone is different. For each new thing i need to learn if i am finding it difficult i change the way i'm learning it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think the thing to realise is that you can't do everything at once. Knowledge has to be built up over time, starting with basic foundations and layering up into more complicated areas.

    Generally that layering up is like a triangle, so the base is broad and the tip is specific. In your case, with computer sciences, that means that you should read up on general basics, and then try to specialise at higher areas. It's rare for even people in the industry with years of experience to know everything about everything.

    So what I'm saying really is that in order to learn more, you first have to agree with yourself to learn less.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    mist is right. The sort of knowledge youre after takes time and patience.
    I get what you mean, for example im learning french, and i find my lack of fluency really really frustrating when im over there, but sometimes, even with lots of effort, you still have to build up your core gradually.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mist wrote: »
    I think the thing to realise is that you can't do everything at once. Knowledge has to be built up over time, starting with basic foundations and layering up into more complicated areas.

    Generally that layering up is like a triangle, so the base is broad and the tip is specific. In your case, with computer sciences, that means that you should read up on general basics, and then try to specialise at higher areas. It's rare for even people in the industry with years of experience to know everything about everything.

    So what I'm saying really is that in order to learn more, you first have to agree with yourself to learn less.
    Thanks mist, esp. the triangle analogy was quite helpful.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Some of the comments here are interesting, I don't think someone showing an in depth knowledge of a subject necessarily makes them more adept.

    One of the my lecturers told me that I should aim to have a good broad understanding of the subject, but in the exam he will look for me to show a very good level of understanding on certain key topics. I have friends who are very good at being able to memorize facts, however I have a good 2.1 from Leeds and my memory is rubbish! I find a I am able to have a good broad understanding and I practiced at developing my ability to *think* about a problem and come up with an intelligent response.

    As an example, I remember preparing for an exam in Information Systems and speaking to fellow students who had spent hours writing out the lecture slides like they were preparing to regurgitate them. I just made sure I had a good general knowledge of the content in preparation for applying it to a problem- afterwards I found that I got 69 in the subject where as those students I spoke to got 2.2s because they hadn't approached it properly.

    I'm finding it difficult to put across my point, but sometimes I think rather than just sitting reading endless reams of information it's about working smart and ensuring you grasps the concepts that you need to know. Trying to go 'in depth' for every part of the subject will send you mad.

    I hope that made sense.

    S
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You have to learn to be able to say "I know enough about that for now" otherwise you just keep going deeper. The internet makes it easier to got lost in more more more information, whereas a library forces you to get up and get into another book before you lose yourself in an ancillary topic.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I am a computer science student and there are lot of things which i wanted to study and get understanding of e.g; networks, operating system, data mining etc etc . Problem is i like all of these subjects and would like to read more and more about it but whenever you start reading something it takes you to new dimension

    This is a problem that's pervasive in the I.T. industry. In my field, Software Engineering, Microsoft are churning out new framework versions, new languages, new methodologies, new development environments, new patterns, and new best practices quicker than you can keep track of them, let alone learn them; I enough have trouble trying to sift out which topics might be worth my while learning.

    As you mention, even when you've chosen a topic to examine, you'll find that you can go off in a million different directions when studying it further.

    Some of the soundest advice I received from people is to confine yourself to reading around a task. If something's taken your interest, then set yourself a task and read enough to help you to complete the task.

    Taking data mining as an example: do some data mining. Start simple and small enough to allow you to complete so rudimentary data mining. Identify the areas that you found hard, or thought you performed inefficiently, and read around those areas. Re-do the task better. Did you enjoy the process? If not, then maybe data mining isn't something you'd enjoy. If you did, then set yourself a bigger task, and try complete that.
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