# Just-in-Case Versus Just-in-Time - John Synced: [[2024_05_30]] 8:29 AM Last Highlighted: [[2024_05_29]]  Summary: The text discusses the difference between learning just in case and learning just in time. It explains that while some knowledge can be acquired just when needed, certain foundational concepts need to be learned in advance. Software developers often prefer just-in-time learning to avoid unnecessary information overload. ## Highlights [[2024_05_29]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hz15x556mn50k4dpjf2k8fah) > In general, you learn things in school just in case you’ll need them later. Then once you get a job, you learn more things just as you need them. [[2024_05_29]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hz15xkt7ycs5h7434pscf9z0) > When you learn just-in-time, you’re highly motivated. There’s no need to imagine whether you might apply what you’re learning since the application came first. But you can’t learn everything just-in-time. You have to learn some things before you can imagine using them. You need to have certain patterns in your head before you can recognize them in the wild. [[2024_05_29]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hz15zchh8bt94vmcm85h379w) > Software developers prefer just-in-time learning. There’s so much out there that [you aren’t going to need](https://www.johndcook.com/blog/2009/10/05/yangi/). You can’t learn every detail of every operating system, every programming language, every library etc. before you do any real work. You can only remember so much arbitrary information without a specific need for it. Even if you could learn it all in the abstract, you’d be decades into your career without having produced anything. On top of that, technological information has a short shelf life, so it’s not worthwhile to learn too much that you’re not sure you have a need for.