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    I think this is the best single way, but it's not always possible. You can always learn from other people, even if they're more junior that you, but your team may not be involved in the topic you're interested in. Commented Oct 30, 2010 at 12:43
  • Constraining learning to what the crowd knows can cause a kind of Lemming effect, where we accidentally and blindly follow each other to our mutual harm. If you want to learn something the crowd doesn't know, you can't follow the crowd to do it. We need the true innovators in our field, and they always follow their hearts. Commented Mar 12, 2020 at 19:07
  • Besides this, I believe that the best way to do professional development is to master subjects enough to teach them, and then actually teach them. There is something about understanding a topic well enough to explain it to others, that catapults our own understanding, and our ability to use it -- leading to synthesis, invention, and advances in our field. Commented Mar 12, 2020 at 19:15
  • According to Steve McConnell, author of Code Complete, our Holy Grail is simplicity, minimizing complexity. But our pride is an ever-present inherent conflict of interest we must quell. From Code Complete, see chapter on "Personal Character". So, my last suggestion is to get this particular book. I have read it repeatedly -- it has a lot of research-supported wisdom, and that section on character. I haven't taken his classes yet, but it's on my to-do list. (Oh, yes, have both the print, and the Kindle versions, and it's worth it!) Commented Mar 12, 2020 at 19:20
  • Best suggestion I heard: every year, pick one new Programming Paradigm or programming language to learn during that year. My best suggestions are Factor and Common Lisp. Commented Mar 12, 2020 at 19:22