It is important to continuously learn and expand your skills, and when you are an engineer it is imperative. With technological advances and societal shifts happening at lightning speed, we must make a conscious effort to keep growing and developing new skills rather than remain stagnant. That’s why reflecting on lessons from our own experiences as well as others is so valuable - it allows us to identify areas where we still have room to improve. Whether it’s learning from our successes and understanding how we can replicate positive outcomes, or analyzing our failures to pinpoint exactly where things went wrong, self-reflection and seeking knowledge drives progress. With some practical wisdom and the right learning strategies, we can become more agile, creative thinkers who never stop evolving. The first step is recognizing that the learning process should never end.

Think about it for a second. For most of us working at Amazon, we use AWS on a day to day basis. Dynamo was released in 2012, which was just over 10 years ago. Lambda was released in 2014, which was just under 10 years ago. And Fargate was released in 2017, just over 5 years ago. All of those people toting 20+ years of experience, 10+ years of experience, or even 5+ years of experience - cannot have that much more experience than you using these transformative technologies. The best of them are applying their previous lessons learned to new technologies, while the worst of them are stagnating.

In my opinion, there are only three ways to learn. We can learn from our successes, from our failures, or from those around us. If you are only learning from one of these, you are severely hampering your growth. For reference, I would say that I tend to learn about 50% from others, 35% from my success, and 15% from my failures.

Tips to learn from your success: When you achieve a goal or accomplish something meaningful, reflect on what led to that outcome. Ask yourself - what specific strategies, methods or choices worked well? Examine the timeline and key decision points - were there inflection points where you made a vital adjustment that propelled progress? Identify external factors like helpful mentors, resources that accelerated your growth, or skills you invested in refining. Pinpoint the positive habits, mindsets, preparation and persistence that paved the way for success. Perhaps something just “clicked” spontaneously due to timing or luck. Understand that success seldom happens overnight - appreciate the insights and journey. Apply these lessons to fuel motivation, replicate effective tactics and lay the groundwork for future wins. Remaining mindful, strategic and proactive based on what drove past achievements can help sustain growth momentum long-term.

Tips to learn from your failures: Failures, when reflected upon properly, provide invaluable lessons. Start by reviewing what went wrong without self-judgment. Look at the facts objectively - avoid emotive descriptions like “stupid mistake.” Track the series of events leading up to the setback. Identify the pivotal moments where you took a misstep with the benefit of hindsight. Determine where your planning, preparation or execution faltered. Assess whether you had underlying blindspots in knowledge or skills and how to avoid those next time. Examine what resources or support could have made a difference if leveraged better. Now shift your focus forward and get strategic about necessary course corrections rather than self-criticizing. Perhaps new systems need implementation to prevent recurrences, or you simply need more practice. With enlightenment, patience and diligence, you can apply these lessons to turn your failures into stepping stones to learn from your success next time.

Tips to learn from those around us: Observing and actively listening to those around us offers a trove of transferable insights. Identify people who inspire you or demonstrate mastery - what drives their excellence? Foster mentoring relationships with those farther along in their career and be receptive to their guidance. Follow thought leaders online sharing their lessons learned publicly. Connect with people from vastly different backgrounds - unique perspectives outside your own can spark creative revelations. Be open and gracious when receiving advice or constructive criticism. Consider knowledge-sharing forums to exchange best practices with peers, either learning from others or sharing your knowledge. Teaching is widely considered one of the best ways to demonstrate mastery of a subject. Encourage yourself to take time to read others blog posts or videos. But, make sure you experiment applying others’ advice selectively before adoption. With an open mind, clear communication and synthesis, third-party lessons can positively shape your path without replicating it exactly.