This is something I always wondered about AI and it promises. Sometimes, the last 1% is the hardest or can be even impossible. Self-driving cars, in particular, are a good case. We get to solve 99% of the use cases but achieving full autonomous vehicles might be just out of reach.
It depends where you live and what company you work for. I have been working in Spain for some years and only a few of my peers spoke English comfortably (I'm German). But you limit your options without it. I would not be able to hire you if you don't have at least a basic grasp of English (you can participate in our online meetings that are held in English, and you can read and write somewhat fluently).
11 years and counting. Born in Germany, I've been to the US, UK, Spain (and short 3 months in Mexico), now again in the UK. It has absolutely been valuable, though I feel the question does not really apply to me as I always felt I had to go abroad. Everything has good and bad parts, but the one thing I can say for sure is that I am much more "alive". The thought that I might have stayed in my home town (Hamburg, which is one of the nicest cities in Germany) for my whole life truly horrifies me.
However, now with wife & kids priorities change significantly. We are planning (though it is not sure we will do it due to wife's job) to bring our kids to Germany while they're in school and then retire in Spain once they have grown up. Let's see if that works out ;)
- select your candidates that maintain a public profile. You should get a broad idea about the skills and interest of that person
- have an informal interview to see if they fit your company culture and values
- then have them work on a small real project for less money
I'm a dev and happy to work on such a "taster" project. It's a win-win: I'm not working for free, the company gets a realistic picture of how I work and how I fit into the company.
This works naturally best for hiring contractors, but even then I don't understand why not more companies do this.
Summarize in your own words (and drawings) without looking into the textbook. Even better, explain to someone else what you have learned. Best would be to find a study partner, if that's not possible try to write for the public.
Learning occurs when we relate new material to what we already know. Build your own internal knowledge map.
You might need a visa for you and your employees in the future. It's quite likely that Berlin is replacing London as the tech hub (I personally would place a startup in Berlin now, if I could choose, no doubt)
I recommend reading SICP and using Clojure to implement the exercises. There're plenty of solutions out there should you get stuck or need inspiration. Not only are you going to learn a LISP-like language, you also study one of the best programming books plus get to know a compelling language.
Sorry for a non-answer, but I noticed whenever I get excited trying out new tools and apps (I love productivity apps), what is really happening is that I just procrastinate. Tools can be useful but won't make you magically more productive.
Having said that, what I find incredibly useful is Scapple as a form of "smart" paper.
I have a simple standing table arrangement. My main table is wide enough to put another small side table on it (bought for 5 quid or so at Ikea). Most of the time I sit, but several times a day I stand using the side table. Works perfectly. Standing up also helps me to re-focus. I highly recommend this.
I believe the need (or desire) to re-invent oneself several times during a career will become soon the norm rather than the exception. How to not make this a social liability is a challenge ahead of all of us.
Teach others about what you want to acquire. That's why I believe that blogging is a very efficient exercise if you want to truly learn something.
Teaching requires you to absorb, eliminate and bring order into your thoughts. This is when learning happens.
Regarding what tool I'd recommend, I use Scrivener. As I mostly write in order to learn, and Scrivener is a writing tool, I've come to use Scrivener for almost everything.
Access to an incredibly thoughtful bunch of minds which I doubt I could have had otherwise. Many new ideas and helpful advice. However, it also is also my number one excuse to procrastinate.
If you want to raise above, you have three options:
1. Become very good in one particular skill
2. Become good at multiple skills
3. Choose a niche or something new where due to lack of competition you are already very good
1. is hard, especially in popular, well paid areas
2. + 3. are much easier to accomplish.
I recommend "Make: Electronics: Learning Through Discovery" 2nd edition. It's fun and highly practical. There are also kits out there containing everything you need to do the lessons.