How to Escape Tutorial Hell

Let's face it, everyone at some point while learning one Language, framework or any skill has experienced tutorial hell, this might be you right now, you've tried to escape but nothing seems to be working, this experience has led you to have imposter syndrome and maybe at the verge of giving up your learning. This is one of the major reasons why people quit when learning how to code or any other skill. I have experienced this, so I know how this feels, and I'll highlight some ways you can escape this deadly trap too.

Before Proceeding, it is paramount to say here that learning how you learn is important to your personal growth, everyone learns differently, some learns faster than others, others learn by doing and making mistakes while others learn by copying, some learn better with text, others with videos, the most important thing for you as a person is to find your pattern. This will help you in the long run to learn anything you'd want to learn.

Here are steps to take to Escape Tutorial Hell as a Developer:

i. Read Documentations/Articles:

The core concept of a Language or its Frameworks are found in its Documentation, this is so important in your Journey because it forms a strong foundation of your Learning process. Also, most articles explain some concept of a Language or Framework. You must not understand all the concept but those you've learned about can form a strong foundation to kick off your learning journey.

ii. Watch Tutorial:

After having the basic core concepts, watching someone explain this will concrete the knowledge you have about the basic concepts, at this point, it's best you watch and don't code along to see how these concepts work.

iii. Google, Google, Google:

The art of googling as a developer is a skill to learn, as you learn how to code, I'll recommend you read this article by Lauragift The art of Googling. When you do this you begin to see that there are some knowledge gaps, and this will force you to look for answers online. This is where you google and find answers to questions that might have arisen while reading the documentation or watching the tutorial. You also can ask questions on twitter and be sure you'll get answers or resources to drive you to the answers you're looking for. Again this is done to give you a strong foundation of the core concepts.

iv. Watch Tutorial(Code along):

As you code along, you begin to personalize the Knowledge you have on the topic, it's a great way to start, but this is where most developers experience tutorial hell. when you code along and build exactly what has been built, all you've done is copy. The true test comes when you need to code without the tutorial.

v. Build your own:

Whether you want to add extras to the existing project built in the tutorial or build your own with the knowledge you have gotten so far, the most important thing is that this is the point where you Escape the tutorial hell, example: You built a book list with Vanilla JavaScript, you can use that knowledge to build a similar project like a Todo List, at this point you make mistakes, ask questions, google etc, just so you can test your knowledge, If you are able to do this, you would have escaped tutorial Hell.

vi. Write about what you've Learnt:

You learn twice when you teach what you know, whatever you've learnt no matter how small it is, the best way to teach others is to write about it when you write about it, you reinforce and internalize what you've learnt, and by that personalize that Knowledge you've gotten. You can always reference the article when you've forgotten.

The truth is you can anyone can escape tutorial hell, do not seek perfection, seek growth, and you grow by doing it on your own. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, beacuse as a developer, you'll make a lot of them, but the truth is thats how you learn and become a better developer or learner in any field.