Ever wish you could listen to Aaron and I talk about random programming topics? Well do I have some news for you.

Software developers are, by necessity, lifelong learners. We are constantly facing new challenges, new technologies, new methods of solving problems. But how can we make our learning more efficient? This is a question that I’ve been pondering for at least four years.

I recently enrolled in 30x500, an online class designed to teach you how to launch successful products. I know how to run a consulting business (been there, done that) and I know how to build software applications, but I had no real idea how to build and launch a product. After tweeting about my enrollment, a few people responded with curiosity, intrigued at the idea, but not yet ready to put down the money to join. Today was orientation, so I decided to start documenting my experiences right away, not only for my own benefit, but also for those perhaps on the fence about taking this class themselves.

Thanks to everyone who attended my talk today, especially those that asked questions and gave me feedback afterwards. I’m posting my slides for the talk I gave at WordCamp Milwaukee today. As with most talks, there is a lot more information than what the slides contain, but at least it is something.

Just a quick note that I’ll be speaking at WordCamp Milwaukee on June 3. The talk is titled “Contributing to Open Source Projects”. It’s not really a WordPress specific topic, but more of a general encouragement for everyone to get involved in open source and how specifically to go about it. Read the official brief on the WordCamp site.