These days, the accelerating pace of technological innovation is almost impossible to keep up with without putting in a concerted effort. Even hardcore geeks struggle to stay on top of the latest news in the software and hardware realms. If you feel overwhelmed by the breakneck speed of tech evolution, the following tips will help you to remain well informed.
Automate Your News Feeds
The easiest way to keep abreast of new technology is by leveraging the power of selective automation. You can use platforms like Google Alerts, Talkwalker and Social Mention to crawl the web for breaking news in specific areas of interest. For the best results, use IFTTT to notify you of tech stories via email or SMS.
Hang Around the Digital Watercooler
Sometimes, you don’t know what you’re looking for until you’ve found it. If you want to tap into the collective consciousness of the tech enthusiast community, setting up a Quora account is a good idea. Popular questions are usually related to trending tech topics and are a good indicator of what’s currently hot.
Complete DIY Projects
Solving a practical problem in your life is a great way to find out about the latest technology available to do so. Tinkering with the Arduino platform exposes hobbyists and professionals alike to a host of emerging hardware that’s hitting the market. It’ll also help you to brush up on your design and coding skills.
Invest in Formal Education
Enrolling in structured classes is a no-brainer if you want to expand your knowledge base. Fortunately, you can earn an information security master’s degree online to up your game. One could even take a digital course in forensics from the comfort of home.
Teach Others Your Skills
One of the best ways to identify and fill gaps in your arsenal of expertise is to teach others. You can set up and run online courses in everything from programming to product prototyping on sites like Codecademy and Udemy. The beauty of this approach is that you learn as much from students as they learn from you.
Change Is the Only Constant
At the end of the day, it’s impossible to stay aware of every development in the tech world. Try to maintain a broad familiarity with the general tech scene and drill down in a few select areas of interest. The suggestions highlighted here should help you to accomplish this goal.