Today I listened to an audio program on "Get" about how to read books, which mainly introduced six suggestions for reading:
Don't feel guilty for not finishing the book.
You can read 10 to 20 books at the same time.
Reread your favorite books every now and then.
Read books in different formats.
Read any book that interests you immediately.
There's no need to read them in order.
These six suggestions are also very useful when we are learning PLC . Below is my interpretation of these six points based on my learning of PLC technology.
1. Don't feel guilty for not having systematically studied PLC. Apart from those with an automation background, there aren't many people in the industrial control industry who have a complete and systematic PLC learning experience from the beginning before starting work. Most people learn as they go on the job.
PLCs can solve control problems in various industries, but no industry can utilize all of their functions. The ultimate goal of using PLCs is to solve industry-specific control challenges. The purpose of learning PLCs is to quickly solve problems in the workplace by learning certain skills.
Even without mastering all PLC knowledge, solving practical problems has already maximized the value of a PLC. Furthermore, utilizing limited technology to solve problems to the greatest extent possible demonstrates competence.
This is not to say that systematically learning PLC knowledge is unimportant. If you want to go further on the path of technology, you must have a solid foundation.
2. You can learn about different brands of PLCs simultaneously. If a PLC interests you, explore it further. Learning is arduous and goes against human nature; follow your emotions and learn different knowledge points based on your interests. The important thing about learning is not dividing knowledge into categories, but maintaining the motivation to learn continuously.
It would be better to have a systematic and in-depth understanding of a brand's PLCs, but most of the time we need to learn a specific knowledge point of a particular brand based on the needs of the project.
3. Relearning a knowledge point after a period of time: In addition to helping to form long-term memory, relearning at intervals also helps to connect newly learned knowledge with old knowledge.
As learning progresses, reviewing previous knowledge allows for a deeper understanding from a higher perspective.
4. Cross-disciplinary learning: While learning PLC, you can simultaneously study related professional knowledge such as computer principles and electrical engineering fundamentals. This learning method allows for connections between knowledge points from different fields. For example, if you learn about pneumatics and hydraulics while learning about PLC, you can write reasonable control programs based on the advantages and disadvantages of various mechanisms when debugging projects.
Cross-learning can deepen the understanding and application of the learning content.
5. If you are interested in a certain knowledge point, go and learn it immediately. The worst thing about learning PLC is to follow the table of contents. You may be very enthusiastic at first, but the first two chapters of unimportant content will consume half of your enthusiasm.
When you're interested in something, get straight to the point. First, learn about the part that piques your curiosity, and then expand outwards from that point of interest.
6. Learning on the job doesn't have to be sequential. In school, we're used to starting from the first chapter of the textbook and working hard for the entire semester to finish a book. Using this method at work would be a waste of time. We should focus our time and energy on valuable things that we can apply to our work immediately once mastered.
We can actually treat the book like a blog, with each section being a post. When we encounter a problem, we can check the table of contents, find the "post" that is related to our current problem, and then directly look at it.
In summary, since we don't have the time for a systematic PLC learning process from scratch at work, we should focus on mastering specific areas based on our job requirements. With consistent effort, these areas can gradually connect. By continuously accumulating technical expertise, we can eventually connect the dots, and from there, form a comprehensive understanding.
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