On a Roll with RoadTests and How To Benefit from Participating in the RoadTest Program

I like RoadTests that stretch me. Most RoadTest products, by their nature, will be new or cutting-edge, so there is always an element of exploration that I enjoy. I think it improves many skills, depending on how RoadTesters tackle things.

For instance, working on a RoadTest can be a very practical way to learn how to present material, and it's up to you if you want to practice your writing skills or video work and learn how to identify the important stuff for presenting to an audience.

You can also learn how to handle different audiences; that will be relevant in many careers, so what better way to learn than to try it out in front of a friendly audience.

It can increase your exposure to new types of data and new programming languages and improve your prototyping, testing, or demonstration skills if that's where you wish to take your RoadTest.

With some longer RoadTests, you learn how to manage your time performing different exercises and keeping your work organized when there could be dozens of screenshots or files.

You get hands-on exposure to different technologies, which provides a great learning experience. I've had an enjoyable work life so far, in part due to the things that I learned; I worked in a startup where I based our solution around a microprocessor that I frequently blogged about as I learned about it, and I had once RoadTested it too, using a cloud service. I use the same cloud service for the Startup offering. I can't think of a more relevant example of the direct application of knowledge from RoadTest to career!

For those in education, if they have the time, then trying a RoadTest could help put your learning in context, but there's something that isn't taught in colleges (much) but is super-important for RoadTests and for careers: it is Reliability. It's not complicated - if you make a promise, try to stick to it, and if you need help, speak up. Everyone was and is a beginner in some topic or another at one time. Many people can and will offer advice, but they won't know if you go silent. No one likes unreliability, and if you don't get practice in researching and working on things that are sometimes a little outside your comfort zone, how will you cope in a work environment? It is good to learn now!

I like RoadTests that stretch me. Most RoadTest products, by their nature, will be new or cutting-edge, so there is always an element of exploration that I enjoy. I think it improves many skills, depending on how RoadTesters tackle things.

For instance, working on a RoadTest can be a very practical way to learn how to present material, and it's up to you if you want to practice your writing skills or video work and learn how to identify the important stuff for presenting to an audience.

You can also learn how to handle different audiences; that will be relevant in many careers, so what better way to learn than to try it out in front of a friendly audience.

It can increase your exposure to new types of data and new programming languages and improve your prototyping, testing, or demonstration skills if that's where you wish to take your RoadTest.

With some longer RoadTests, you learn how to manage your time performing different exercises and keeping your work organized when there could be dozens of screenshots or files.

You get hands-on exposure to different technologies, which provides a great learning experience. I've had an enjoyable work life so far, in part due to the things that I learned; I worked in a startup where I based our solution around a microprocessor that I frequently blogged about as I learned about it, and I had once RoadTested it too, using a cloud service. I use the same cloud service for the Startup offering. I can't think of a more relevant example of the direct application of knowledge from RoadTest to career!

For those in education, if they have the time, then trying a RoadTest could help put your learning in context, but there's something that isn't taught in colleges (much) but is super-important for RoadTests and for careers: it is Reliability. It's not complicated - if you make a promise, try to stick to it, and if you need help, speak up. Everyone was and is a beginner in some topic or another at one time. Many people can and will offer advice, but they won't know if you go silent. No one likes unreliability, and if you don't get practice in researching and working on things that are sometimes a little outside your comfort zone, how will you cope in a work environment? It is good to learn now!