The Brazilian system does not exist, but it works. Sometimes.
More precisely so. The system of express training under stress has existed for a long time. Traditionally, it is practiced in Russian factories and in the Russian army. Especially in the army. Once, thanks to a strange Russian TV program called "Yeralash", the system was called "Brazilian", although initially this name has nothing to do with the arrangement of players in football. At least that's what Wikipedia says.
In general, everything is very strange with these Russians. Perhaps this is just such a way of disguising a secret effective art that has been passed down from generation to generation. After all, the βBrazilian systemβ probably had other names in the old days, but probably all of them were very popular. At least Wikipedia doesn't know anything about it.
But what about today, in the age of high technology? Is it possible to apply the "Brazilian system" in IT, and how to make it work stably, efficiently and safely. Is it real at all?
"Theory without practice is dead, practice without theory is blind"
And here is another well-known phrase-greeting to the newly-made holder of higher education, who first went into production: "Forget everything you were taught at the institute." The phrase is old, but it certainly has not lost its relevance. Today, in order to start working in IT, you need to βswallowβ a bunch of books, courses and instructions. And many of them, we admit honestly, quickly become obsolete or initially have little in common with real practice. It only becomes obvious when the practice itself actually begins.
Because practice is the criterion of truth! At the same time, the practical method of scientific poke does not suit us!
That is, of course, the theory is needed, but its useful, current part is needed. And therefore, most quickly, without specials. preparation, a person working in a related profession, and already having a critical level of necessary knowledge, can immerse himself in a new business for himself. For example, a system administrator who wanted to become a developer, or a developer whose soul, as it turned out, lies in administration. The cases are not so rare.
And in these cases, the "Brazilian system" can be really effective.
Throw him into the water, if he wants to live, he will come up!
Some public information:
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The worst possible training option might be the classic formula:
memorize -> prove that you have memorized <=> reward + 10,5% of 100% practical knowledge (but this is not accurate). -
The best training option is when actual, for the current time, knowledge is given, with simultaneous immersion in the practice corresponding to this knowledge. This is how many good courses go, for example .
Of course, if a student does not have the opportunity, after completing such a good course, to move on to constant practice, and given that everything is changing very quickly in IT today, it will be natural that after a while the knowledge he has gained will cease to be practically useful. But it will be much easier for this student to restore the required level when needed. A "pure" theorist will have to learn, in fact, anew.
If the task is to master not just some amount of knowledge, but to master a new profession, then a complete, phased immersion in regular practical action will be required. You need to βfeelβ the shovel and/or machine, machine tools, programs and servers yourself in order to connect all new knowledge structures in your brain, get the appropriate feedback, evaluate it correctly and consolidate it with your own actions. We need real examples, real working examples of different scales and a lot of our own practice!
And now the secret ingredient! If you add a little stress to this dish, for example in the form of real responsibility, things will go much more fun. The main thing with stress is not to overdo it. Due to the fact that the mat, screaming and assault (out of place) will certainly harm the psyche of the applicant, we will have to use something like smoothly throwing him into the water, but with a mandatory safety net. In this case, the swimmer will at least be sure that he will not go to the bottom with a hatchet or, for example, will not drop prod. And that means learning something.
Total
In this summary of a book about the βBrazilian systemβ that has not yet been written, we found that:
- To have enough fast to master a new type of activity or a new profession, a basic level of relevant, βliveβ theoretical information is still needed;
- Act! And useful theoretical baggage will help you not to get stuck at the very first practical step.
- Full immersion in a real work environment + real responsibility, albeit under the watchful eye of a mentor, will add stress and force you to actively develop in a new profession. Well, or make it clear that "probably it's not mine" ..
Practice
Everything written above is just a theory. What does it look like in practice? For example, let's take Southbridge, a server administration company, and take a team of night attendants.
Night is their element. The night is full of silence, but often loud surprises, and at such hours, extra help to the duty officers definitely does not hurt. Our night duty officer is essentially the first line, so the level of requirements for their knowledge and experience is high, but not as high as for a team of day administrators who are fully managing their projects. At the same time, during the night, the βshouldersβ of the night servers have a whole fleet of servers in different countries and time zones, which implies high responsibility and a samurai reaction - you need to quickly eliminate any surprise, or quickly connect the surprise with the still sleeping βdaytimeβ one. In general - fertile ground for experiments in the style of the Brazilian system.
Suppose there is such a newcomer who has a basic level of knowledge and experience in the matter of system administration, enough responsible, agrees to a low salary and night vigils. And most importantly, he is determined to learn the Tao of a system administrator. Here is what he will get after a little preparation:
- Actually, a real opportunity to change profession;
- Full immersion in the working environment with working servers and projects. And really interesting tasks;
- Knowing the purity of one's motives and intentions - the Tao of a system administrator does not forgive ignorance, high self-esteem and weakness of spirit;
- The opportunity to develop in the profession, with the transition to the next level of knowledge, responsibility and salary.
- The ability to travel around the country for free (sometimes, not for long, and this is not accurate);
- As many cookies and coffee as you like (if you don't forget to buy them before duty :D);
- Cultural and friendly team in different parts of the country (world), after all. And this is very important! Cultural type in the sense.
All these theses have been practically confirmed, including by me, for several years of work as a night duty officer. And I hasten to note that the talk about the βBrazilian systemβ does not mean that the beginner will gain his experience at the risk of the performance of a good project, although everything may now look exactly like this (as in that very issue of Yeralash). The correct organization of the work of the first line and the gradual entry into the process eliminates this danger.
In general, in our company we have our own views on many processes and our attitude towards .
PS
By the way, we will, from time to time, have one vacancy for a night duty officer. Follow this paragraph. Right now there is just one place!
Are you ready to become a Brazilian system administrator? If it does not work out, we will make you a manager or a speaker (according to the Brazilian system, but this is not certain, although it is very likely). Write to [email protected]
Source: habr.com