Why this website?

 

Newbie to Expert came from blood, sweat, and tears. Too often, we get bombarded with tons of “facts” on how to do things better, faster, or smarter.  You would like to start but there’s simply too much to deal with. Or when you do finally pick something, you later read that it’s the wrong way to do it.  Examples include:

    • Goals are great.  No, systems are the way forward.
    • You need passion.  No, focus on building skills.
    • Big hairy audacious goals vs. incremental improvements advocated by Kaizen.

Seriously?  Just tell me something that works, why it should work for me, and the evidence to back it up.

That’s where Newbie to Expert comes in. To find answers that are reproducible, scalable, sustainable, enjoyable, and applicable to you.

 

What is Newbie to Expert about?

 

To find out what really works, Newbie to Expert examines a wide range of sources: blogs, books, courses, research papers, etc.  Then, we look at the evidence through different lenses.

First lens, find what works in practice.  Look for common patterns among successful practitioners to check the real-world feasibility box.  Do what they practice overlap?  If so, there’s a good chance that there is something real there and it’s not just a one-off.

Next, does the science back it up?  Sometimes, people simply parrot what others have stated and it becomes “fact.”  Here, Newbie to Expert surveys the scientific literature to ask a series of questions:

    • Is there a theory to back up the practice? The reality is even with successful folks they don’t want to rock the boat and may parrot what others have stated.  So, what may have worked for one person comes off as some universal truth. If there is a scientific basis, then the technique should hold true regardless.
    • Does it work in the lab?  In most studies, the participants are often newbies, like most of us in the beginning. This is a good stress test to see how easy is it to do the practice.
    • Is there any evidence against despite the popularity of the idea? Remember the flat earth view was popular for a long time until science proved otherwise.  Sometimes we want to believe something works when the evidence says otherwise. For example, I like learning styles and Myers-Briggs but the science just doesn’t back them up.

The final lens is whether the approach is rigid or adaptable since it’s rare to find a “one-size fits all” solution. And what works for you now, may change as you gain more experience.

After all this analysis, Newbie to Expert summarizes the research and makes recommendations so you can focus on the doing rather than the finding.  We do the research so you don’t have to.

 

Who am I?

 

My name is Roy Kamimura. I’m a dad, recovering perfectionist, management executive, entrepreneur, and research nerd (aka Ph.D.).  While I trained as a chemical engineer (UC Berkeley and MIT), I’ve had a variety of different jobs: bio/chemical engineer, bioinformatician, computational biologist, computer scientist, business director, and project manager. Throughout it all, I always faced the need to pick up new knowledge and skills as soon as possible.

I’ve also worked in different work environments ranging from academia to government to industry. So, I know what it’s like to start off in new areas as a Newbie and trying to get up to speed as an Expert since the situation demanded it.

I’m constantly learning and trying to figure out how to do things better, faster, and smarter.

 

Want to know more?

 

If you also want to know more about how to learn faster, better, and smarter to achieve your goals, then signup for my email list below to stay up-to-date with my latest research.