# Hacking Wordsmiths Apprenticeship

## Snarky Puppy

Just so you have something cool to listen to as you read.
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###### tags: `Wordsmiths` `apprenticeship`

> [name=boilerrat]
> [time=Sat, Dec 11, 2021 8:08 AM] Just starting to work through this. The type of apprenticeship I am most familiar is in the trades so I will probably refeance that experience a lot for my contributions to the apprenticeship program for wordsmiths. I have more to add than what I have here, but am out of time for now.

## How long should one stay an apprentice?

I'd like to start by offering a quote regarding something called the 10,000 hour rule.

> You’ve probably heard of the 10,000 hour rule, which was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell’s blockbuster book “Outliers.” As Gladwell tells it, the rule goes like this: it takes 10,000 hours of intensive practice to achieve mastery of complex skills and materials, like playing the violin or getting as good as Bill Gates at computer programming.

[https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-05-05-researcher-behind-10-000-hour-rule-says-good-teaching-matters-not-just-practice](https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-05-05-researcher-behind-10-000-hour-rule-says-good-teaching-matters-not-just-practice)

10,000 is obviously not the goal here for someone to transition to full membership status. However it is notable as this number suggests that even though a person may progress through the apprenticship it should remain a goal to continue mentoring and challenging each other in a critical and constructive way.

> Practice is important, and it’s surprising how much it takes to master something complicated. But Ericsson’s research suggests that someone could practice for thousands of hours and still not be a master performer. They could be outplayed by someone who practiced less but had a teacher who showed them just what to focus on at a key moment in their practice regimine.

So the challenge becomes guidance and mentorship throughout the process. It is one thing to say "ok you are an apprentice, show me what you can do" vs "here is a task to complete and this is how you can do it."

Personally I have completed a couple different "official" apprenticeships in my life. Once was to get my trade ticket as a construction boilermaker. This was a four year apprenticeship program (I finished in 3). It consisted of an education aspect, which was 2 month terms of in school learning per year. The rest of the time was spent in the field, on job sites working shoulder to shoulder with journeymen and other apprentices.

The other apprenticeship I have served was for a shadowy mens club (woooooo). This was quite a bit different and in way more challenging than the trades apprenticeship. This was memorization and proving my understanding of the work I was assinged in front of other men. The experience is very foreign to day to day life and is meant to be uncomfortable, until you realize that every other person in the room had also gone through the same uncomfortable experience. There is comfort in a shared common experience as a basis of support and understanding.

So as this program for developing apprentice wordsmiths into full members, it will be important to share experiences and to offer guidance and constructive criticism along the way. The thing about apprenticeships is they aren't meant to teach you everything. You don't come out of any apprenticeship as an expert in your field. What you should have is a good base from which to grow from.

A good journeyman knows that sometimes an apprentice has a lot to offer from their own personal experience and can teach the journeyman a thing or two. This is because the real goal is to be lifelong learners. Along the way there will be areas that a person does better than in other areas. An apprenticeship should try to surface those as much as possible, to find the areas where they may like to specialize while at the same time develop the weaker areas to at least a competant journeyman type level.

## Education and Tracking Progress

My idea on this is heavy use of POAPs and NFTs as an interesting way to gamify the experience and create a "proof is in the wallet" model of progress.

### Workshops

Keeping mind the previous statement regarding lifelong learning, I would suggest that any education opportunties at that may arrise out of the apprenticeship be open to anybody who wishes to take part. My idea on this is developing workshops, which can be put on by any member in areas they feel important and feel they are knowledgable enough to present the topic. Each workshop can have a POAP created for atendees.

### Task Assignments

The Apprentices may be assigned certain tasks to complete in aide of the DAO such as research assignments, small writing tasks, conducting interviews etc. Satisfactory completion would earn a POAP for the category of learning the assignment would fall under.

### Taking Part in Wordsmiths Activities

Taking part in meetings in some form form in some regularity should be required. As well, apprentices should be a part of any RIPs or RAIDs the guild take upon, to the extent in which they can be if they are not yet members of Raid Guild. Succesful completion of taking part in these activties can also be rewarded with a POAP.

### Raid Guild Membership

This will be a requirement for any apprentice to move forward to full membership. Of course it is up to Raid Guild wheather or not to accept new members and that is beyong the control of Wordsmiths. With that, as WS is a sub-DAO of Raid Guild in order to be a full member that will also be a required upon aspect of the completion of the WS apprenticship, if not the most important part.

## Progressing Through and Completing the Apprenticeship

For this my idea is this. If an apprentice has earned a certain number of POAPs or certain combination of POAPS including Raid Guild membership before an apprentice may apply for the full voting shares in Wordsmiths.

I would like to propose as well that the apprenticeship be progressive. In that, as tasks completed / POAPs are earned, then the apprentice be allowed to propose for an increasing amount of shares, based upon their progression in the program. For example, for 10 POAPs earned the apprentice may apply for 1 more share in the DAO (along with the appropriate tribute). This would be similiar to the trades apprenticeship, where after each round of "schooling" the apprentice would have to proove their proficency in the required skills and material. If succesful the apprentice would recieve a raise in pay as per the negogiated union contracts, the difference here being the apprentice gains sligtly more governance power within the DAO.

## Proposed Structure

[https://miro.com/welcomeonboard/NEczTlh4R3VKVDJIRzBmR3FpZ3pvOEdpZ1NZclBkeTIyMnVHWGRwYWZYRWVNSkt6YmY4OHU1eDFha1p3MlQ2WnwzMDc0NDU3MzY3NzAwNjYxNTky?invite_link_id=653854632455](https://miro.com/welcomeonboard/NEczTlh4R3VKVDJIRzBmR3FpZ3pvOEdpZ1NZclBkeTIyMnVHWGRwYWZYRWVNSkt6YmY4OHU1eDFha1p3MlQ2WnwzMDc0NDU3MzY3NzAwNjYxNTky?invite_link_id=653854632455)

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