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I was doing something I'd never done before -- vacuum bagging some fibreglass and kevlar composite items.

Naturally I'd brought a book on the subject and read it from cover to cover before embarking on this learning experience -- but even this useful reference left a lot of unanswered questions.

In days gone by, finding myself with a problem in such an esoteric field at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon would have probably have meant I'd be on my own and the outcome would have been most uncertain.

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Fortunately however, we have the internet and it took only a few minutes searching to discover the missing facts, allowing me to continue with confidence and produce a rather excellent result.

It was this experience that reminded me just what a valuable and unique resource the Net has become for anyone working in hi-tech fields where there's a steep learning curve.

Thanks to the Net, it's far more practical for people to get quite deeply involved in areas that were previously the domain of university scholars or which required a huge amount of expensive training.

Through various websites and a good search engine, it's now possible to tap into a massive wealth of information and experience that truly does span the globe -- and that has the potential to increase the productivity and effectiveness of every single worker, entrepreneur or tinkerer.

The big question we now have to ask ourselves is: are we making full use of this resource?

Right now NZ is suffering from a skills shortage. There just aren't enough trained people to fill many hi-tech roles and as a result, our unemployment figures are amongst the lowest in the developed world.

Does this mean we're hog-tied in respect to extending our reach into the knowledge economy or other hi-tech areas?

Instead of training people to be specialists in specific fields, why don't we train them to be generalists with good information-hunting skills?

I guess this is pretty much what I've been for all my life -- someone who knows a little about a lot but who also knows how to find out more information about the subjects that are relevant or important to achieving a particular goal.

The vacuum bagging situation is a good example. Over the years I've made many things out of fibreglass - but have never used the bagging technique or more exotic materials such as kevlar or carbon fibre.

However, when I had a need to exploit these materials and techniques, I simply spent a week or so learning-up on the subjects and acquiring as much knowledge as was necessary to make the bits I needed. Now, two weeks later, I have saved a snot load of money and time, and have exactly the parts I wanted *plus* the ability to make more.

Is it time to recognise generalist "fast learners" as a whole new category of skilled worker? Could this approach help us overcome our skills shortage?

Are you a fast-learning generalist? Has this helped you in your work or entrepreneurial activities?

Go have your say in The Aardvark Forums

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