Tutorial hell and how to escape it!
Move forward in your learning and not get stuck in the loop of consuming one tutorial after another.
Introduction
When it comes to technology there are a lot of resources available such as documentation, blogs, tutorials, YouTube channels, videos, etc. When you go through these, you get a basic idea of the concept you want to learn.
Everyone has faced this problem at one time or another of watching tutorials, reading books one after the other, and not being able to apply concepts learned. You might feel you have learned a lot but when you try to build something, you are not able to apply your learning to whatever you are building.
Before diving into how to prevent this, let's have a look at why it happens.
Cause of Tutorial hell
Following a tutorial is convenient, if you get stuck somewhere you can always revisit the tutorial and figure out what you did wrong.
There is instant feedback, if you follow the tutorial correctly you will instantly see the results and that will make you feel good. You might not be able to use the concepts taught when applying them to another problem.
Problem with this approach
When you are building exactly what is being taught, rather than trying to build it yourself. You are not looking up the problem, or researching the components being used. You are learning the implementation and not really the fundamentals.
For example - A particular tutorial uses Django, and another uses Flask. You have completed the tutorial of both but now you are unsure when to use what.
Getting stuck, getting errors, and resolving bugs are equally if not more important than learning the concept.
Solutions
1. Build it yourself
Once you have completed a tutorial, try to build it yourself without looking up the tutorial again. Google your questions, use StackOverflow and ask in forums. Give yourself enough time to think about the problem.
Why are you using whatever you are using, try changing the parameters, if I use "string" instead of "String" what will happen? Experiment a bit.
This will give you a feeling of accomplishment and confidence as you are resolving the problems on your own, a skill that is very close to what you will be doing on the job.
2. Build a similar project
Try to build a similar project to what is being taught in the tutorial. For example - If the tutorial is teaching how to make YouTube, try building Netflix. This will give you added boost to your confidence, and the problems you will face will help you learn and grow. You will be able even to learn the concepts that might not be covered in the tutorial.
When you showcase your project on your resume and the interviewer asks questions regarding it, you will reply with confidence as you are aware of the ins and outs of the project.
When explaining the project, you can tell the interviewer all challenges you faced. What was the impact of the problem, how did you resolve it, what can you do differently in the project, and so on. You will be reflecting confidence to the interviewer. If you are confident in yourself, the Interviewer will be confident in selecting you.
Make a conscious effort to learn and apply, be patient with yourself, have a dedication to your work, and consistency in your approach. Nothing can stop you from succeeding.
All the best!