I keep seeing a common mistake by aspiring students of CIS/IT. They miss the bit for the bytes.
I can quickly explain in plain english - I am doing a take on the quote "Don't miss the tree for the forest."
For the geeks you already know what I meant - don't miss the bit for the bytes works here. The bit is the smallest, yet important detail in the world of computers and networks. The byte is bigger, and really important as it is code.
When learning about computers and networks, some people will gain insight into an applicaton like facebook, twitter, or iphone shit. Some people will be only proficent in Windows, but not know anything about linux. That level of proficency is fine, but I get concerned when those kinds of people get complacent.
When a old guy points at the forest, and the young guy says "yea, I know about the forest - I can see the tall trees, and how it stretches for miles each way. " The old guy is disappointed because he was pointing at something closer. The young guy again says "oh yea, you were pointing at that tree!" The old guy wishes the younger guy looked closer, to the leaf he was pointing at. This is understandable, the excitement to learn is perhaps greater in the younger person and they get ahead of themselves.
Now, this is the crucial moment. The young knowledge seeker would pause, and try to see from the old man's POV. After all, the old man has the one thing the young man does not have, wisdom of age. If the two cease effort to create a meaningful situation, it is wasted time.
BTW, the old man benefits from a decent POV, no matter if it came from a young person.
Now the whole point of this is not to rebuke anyone or a group. Anyone that knows me, knows I believe in fostering the spirit of learning. In many topics I see posted, I see many little leafs that are being missed. The leafs are questions that should be asked, detail that should be pointed out and discussed.
DNR
