218th Rule of Acquisition - Sometimes what you get free costs entirely too much.

The 218^th rule applies to my attempts at learning Apex. There is a lot of free stuff out there (videos, blogs, etc.) and some cheap stuff too. I have tried and am trying both. I am finding that it comes down to teaching style and my learning style.

Teaching style can include the format, clarity of the instructor and organization of the material. Learning style is specific to me, i.e., how do I learn best. I like videos but have gotten some benefit from text-based delivery methods as well. I also need exercises/examples that incorporate the material I just learned. I find the Apex related Trailheads require far too great a leap in knowledge for me to complete, but how many 'helloWorld' triggers can one write.

I am using some of the big name stuff but I find that it is not as compatible with my ‘style’ as I would like. It’s not bad, it’s just not as effective for me as I need it to be.

The challenge is do I stick with what I have paid/am paying for or do I research other methods. The main risks are cost and schedule, i.e., the time and in some cases money, that I need to invest to evaluate the other tools., only to find out that they are not for me.

One could argue that the 62^nd Rule applies - The riskier the road, the greater the profit, but let’s not forget the  240^th Rule - Time, like latinum, is a highly limited commodity.

The 45th Rule Of Acquisition – Expand or Die

Well, it has been a while since I posted here; over a year. Since them I have left the contract job and got a great full-time gig. I also passed my App Builder Cert! It was easier than the Administrator exam since most of what I do is declarative work.

My next certification is the Platform Developer I certification. This will be a tough one since it is a lot of material to cover. I could probably pass the exam with the help of a few study guides, but I would certainly starve as a developer.

The good news is my current job is shifting towards Apex/Visualforce solutions since we are expanding our org beyond the limits of the click-not-code projects. So far, I have worked on modifying an API and a Visualforce page.  I have my sights on a few triggers. I may even write a class or two in the next few months.

So the 45^th Rule seems appropriate for this upcoming year, or given all the studying I have to do, maybe the 103^rd – Sleep can interfere with...studying…