In short it was studying to get my A+ certification which allowed me to get into the IT field and led to a successful career.
I'm curious about what other people consider their best investment. I'd love to hear other's opinions.
* Learning BASIC and later 6502 ASM on a Commodore 64 when I was a kid... play, not work.
* Being a "hacker" (sense two) in the early 90s. While this was not legal, I learned more than I would have in probably anything else. This is particularly true because there just weren't the open resources available back then... how else would a suburban middle class 15 year old in the Midwest learn about applied cryptography, Unix C coding, or how IP routing works?
* Installing Linux in 1993 from floppies, learning C around the same time.
* Founding a failed startup years ago. This one was a mixed bag. It was a painful experience, but also hugely educational.
* Working for a business consulting firm that specialized in early stage companies.
(and the obligatory xkcd for this topic, http://xkcd.com/519/)
Secondly, going back to University. While I never had much of a problem getting jobs without a degree, the jobs I've been offered since getting a degree (MSc in Applied Math) are far more fun and interesting.
- Learning Python around Python 1
- Learning JS at the same time node was beginning
Current investment is learning Unreal Engine, AgiSoft Photscan and Maya now WebGL is in all browsers. I'm making a bet that the best 3D stuff on the web will be created using the best 3D tools, not the best JS 3D tools.
I find it hard to explore objects and learn JS core. So much is done with frameworks these days.
1. Per browser DOM APIs
2. jQuery
3. Modern DOM APIs. document.querySelector(), nodelist.forEach(), element.classList() etc. You'd use CSS transitions for animations you used to do in jQuery.
Personal style also comes into it. Some people use function variables, others functions declarations. Some people put script tags everywhere, others use one of two modules systems. There's no one right way to do things. But there's a lot of wrong ones.
First things first: understand the basics, like async and closures. They haven't changed.
And get the yellow book with the bird.