The Best Piece Of Advice I Was Given About Learning

When I was well into my career, my friend gave me an unforgettable piece of advice.

I was starting to get interested in front-end web development, and had been spending hours on in the space trying to add to my skills. I started out as a *nix systems administrator and transitioned into backend development. But, like most beginners, I was making a lot of mistakes:

I went round and round comparing languages

I’m convinced it’s something people with the mindset that draws them to technology have in common. We like to look at all the possibilities and compare them. It feels productive to compare and contrast, finding the perfect language to use.

There is value in using the right tool for the job. If you never leave the hardware store, though, the job won’t get done.

I was stuck in Tutorial Hell

Once I decided on a language to start my journey I spent far longer than I should have working through tutorials. Now, tutorials are great, and they have their place but that’s the thing, they can quickly grow to consume more of your time than they should. Good tutorials feel good! You appear to be productive, following an expert, but you aren’t creating.

Until one day, my friend said to me:

”Just build something on your own.”

That day, my whole life changed, I just didn’t know yet. It took me a few more years to realize how important this advice is. The best way to learn is by doing.

Yes, tutorials have their place and they are a great way to get a lay of the land, once you have it, set out on an adventure of your own making

Build something you would use

The best way to understand something is by using it, making mistakes, and understanding what went wrong.

Tutorials are great, don’t let them keep you from building your own thing.