Date:         Thu, 25 Jul 2002 16:21:10 -0400
Reply-To:     Dianne Rhodes <RHODESD1@WESTAT.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Dianne Rhodes <RHODESD1@WESTAT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Best Ways To Learn SAS?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

This is how I learned the best:

10 SAS Institute and SAS Alliance Partner Courses
10 SAS Books By Users
09 The SAS System Help
09 The Online Documentation
09 Hard copy of the Manuals
09 Curiosity & A desire to learn
08 Subscribe to SAS-L
08 From a Mentor (lots of them here at Westat ... where I worked before _I_
was the SAS guru!)
07 Spending time working through examples
07 Read code written by people you work with
07 Re-read code you have written in the past, try to come up with another
way to accomplish the same task
07 Practice (trial and error messages)
06 Set up a user group within your workgroup, help other people with coding
problems
06 Read Sugi/SUG Papers
06 Attend a SUG(LUG) or a SUGI (try not to drink too much)
06 Applying code examples presented in papers or on SAS-L to your own work
05 Write a paper for a SUG or a SUGI
05 Present a paper at a SUGI or a SUG/LUG
04 SAS Class Notes (available by taking a SAS institute course, or from SAS
Institute Publishing)
01 Use SAS.com
01 Use SAS Tech Support

I'd also add the SAS Computer Based Tutorial pretty high up.  I used it when
I had been off mangling projects and came back to SAS and I found it
helpful.  It's set up so you can go at your pace, has practice questions,
and a quiz at the end of each section.

I've given some items the same number because I think they are essentially
the same thing.  Like from a Mentor and from SAS-L.  What's the diff if I
walk up stairs to see Ian, or send him an email.  He might actually answer
email more quickly.<g>

Dianne Louise Rhodes
Sr. Systems Analyst
Westat