[LouisSayers]

It's your perspective.

The real question is, given all the materials on the internet that can literally tell you why these tools are useful (I mean, surely if you just read the docs you'd find out?!), why have you not done the work?

It feels like you're in your comfort zone and rationalising why you shouldn't do the work. I mean, is finding a job and being employed not motivation enough?

Perhaps look inside yourself and be honest first. It sounds like instead of admitting that you need to do some work and learn some things you'd rather blame outside circumstances for your lack of personal progress.

I don't mean to sound harsh - sometimes we just need a reality check!

Take responsibility, get out there and DO THE WORK. A new world is waiting for you just over the hill.

[jumbojax]

You're correct that I'm in a comfort zone. I can read about why these tools are useful. At the same time, these are tools that solve problems I don't have. How can one practice them like that? My mind is blocked here, I'm unable to come up with situations even "for learning purposes", for side projects, scenarios that would let me understand them better.

I have difficulty coming up with new problem scenarios in my head, unless they resemble something I already encountered in the past. I will have to overcome this, if I were to become a better engineer.

Without having a problem scenario, there's no work to be done. So there's only the job hunt right now.

[LouisSayers]

> At the same time, these are tools that solve problems I don't have.

If you're applying for jobs in companies, and those companies want you to have skills in tools x, y, z, then they have a need and they have problem scenarios that will be relevant to those tools.

You can read company blogs - go look at any of the big tech company engineering blogs and they'll go into a lot of depth on the problems they have and how they go about using modern tooling to solve those problems.

The information is out there, if you don't have any ideas, then talk to ChatGPT , read company blogs, buy a book, do a course, put a question into google.

There has never been an easier time to get an answer to a question - you just need to ask it in the first place.

Your job relies on you being a problem solver. Start by solving your own problem, stop with the excuses.

[stuxnet79]

> The real question is, given all the materials on the internet that can literally tell you why these tools are useful (I mean, surely if you just read the docs you'd find out?!), why have you not done the work?

This is it. All of these tools (with a few exceptions) have legitimate use-cases in the tech industry. The fact that OP hasn't clued into what those use-cases are betrays a lack of adaptability and an inability to leave their comfort zone.

I used to be that kind of person so I get it. It's really uncomfortable having to shift your mental model to accomodate a rapidly changing industry like tech but it's absolutely necessary in order to prevent stagnation.

[jumbojax]

I can read an article explaining how a tool is used.

There are many tools that solve technical and organizational problems I don't have. There is no "work" to be done if I don't have those problems. You're correct that I'm in a comfort zone. When there is no problem, I cannot find agency. The most effective learning I've had is learning on the job, or from being able to draw parallels to past job experiences. Without either of these things my mind is blocked and I feel unable to take action.

I'm unable to create problem scenarios for something that I haven't used before. My perspective doesn't go past- encounter problem first and then see if I should try something else that would work within my constraints.

I wish that mind block could go away.