Date:         Thu, 25 Jul 2002 17:25:30 -0400
Reply-To:     Ian Whitlock <WHITLOI1@WESTAT.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Ian Whitlock <WHITLOI1@WESTAT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Best Ways To Learn SAS?
Comments: To: Doug Zirbel <doug_zirbel@MSN.COM>,
          "Delaney, Kevin P." <khd8@CDC.GOV>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Kevin, Doug,

First what are the requirements?

   Modest intelligence
   Hungry enough
   Available information
   Means to execute SAS

If these conditions are sufficiently satisfied then you will learn SAS.
There are trade offs.  For example, some intelligence can be exchanged to
more hunger.  As the means to execute SAS gets easier the hunger level can
drop.

So the question should be how will the four requirements be met?  For each
requirement one might rank methods of supplying the requirement from easiest
to hardest.  The one that is probably hardest to control is "personal
motivation", what I labeled as "hungry enough".  Consequently I see it as
the greatest reason for the failure to learn good SAS.

IanWhitlock@westat.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Zirbel [mailto:doug_zirbel@MSN.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 3:00 PM
To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Best Ways To Learn SAS?


This is part of the ongoing research I'm calling "10 Things Experienced SAS
Programmers Should Know".  Kevin Delaney replied that ranking "Best Ways To
Learn SAS" would be helpful.  Here are his items.  Please feel free to rank
to **your top 10** of these, assigning a 10 to the most effective and a 1 to
the least effective in your opinion (the rest you can leave unchecked).
============================
From a Mentor
Subscribe to SAS-L
Use SAS.com
Use SAS Tech Support
The Online Documentation
The SAS System Help
Hard copy of the Manuals
SAS Books By Users
SAS Institute and SAS Alliance Partner Courses
SAS Class Notes (available by taking a SAS institute course, or from SAS
Institute Publishing)
Read Sugi/SUG Papers
Write a paper for a SUG or a SUGI
Present a paper at a SUGI or a SUG/LUG
Attend a SUG(LUG) or a SUGI (try not to drink too much)
Read code written by people you work with
Set up a user group within your workgroup, help other people with coding
problems
Re-read code you have written in the past, try to come up with another way
to accomplish the same task
Curiosity
A desire to learn
Practice(trial and error messages)
Spending time working through examples
Applying code examples presented in papers or on SAS-L to your own work
============================
If you have other methods not covered here, please send them in!
Thanks,
Doug Zirbel