So what are you learning these days? (Surely something, if you’re not then you better do!)
Today’s newsletter is about something which bug me a lot when I was learning programming and it has continued to this day..
Most people don’t know what it is so they end up falling for the trap!
I’m sure most of you will agree that web development is like art (even though there’s a lot of logic involved).
But there’s others who see it as a one way street taking them to the final destination. No turns, no roundabouts no traffic lights..
You can’t read a book from left to right and turn that scattered information into structured understanding to create something useful. This doesn’t happen in programming world.
Schools follow this linear structure and it works well for many fields for example medical, but not for all.
It falls flat when it comes to web Development/programming. Learning becomes nightmare, you are stuck.
A 500 page book stuffed with information most of which would never be put in practice. Ever wonder why they have to be so long…?
Same applies to online tutorials. A 50 hrs course designed to drown you with information. It’s business. Nobody has your best interest in mind. Time and money both wasted.
A friend of mine once asked me how would they know what they’re learning is useful? What part of the course is actually worth learning?
The answer is simple but hard to put into practice.
You won’t know whats useful until you have understood majority of it, applied and got a good grasp. Only then you can go back and answer the question: what are the useful parts of the course?
A person like me can quickly skim through the course and tell you whether it’s worth the time or not. But a beginner wont be able to.
Now my point is this:
Most structured courses are useless.
They are meant to fill the pages, make videos longer and other reasons..
Rarely you’ll come across a tutorial that’s actually trying their best to help you learn and succeed.
A 500 pages book could be cut down to 50 pages to get the main points across.
The world will always try and sell you 500 pages book… Its your job to know whether its worth your time.. but since you’re a beginner you won’t know! You’ll get a book or course based on reviews or list of contents just to find you are lost again.
How to know what to learn?
There’s 2 solutions I can think.. the first solution is simple:
Ask someone experienced to give their opinion about the course/book/tutorial. They can tell you whether it suits you or not.
The second solution is this:
Whatever you learn, try putting it into practice as soon as possible!
The key: As soon as possible! This is opposite of what most beginners do.
This will force you to switch ON your practical brain, and guess what a practical brain wants?
USEFUL STUFF that’ll benefit you!
This will instantly speed up your learning.
Based on your practice you can quickly discard or note the useful information.
For example, if you’re learning Python Arrays you need to find a way to use Arrays, look for as many practical ways you can use the Arrays. If you find its use, use it, otherwise move to next chapter.. Simple.
Now its easier said than done and this can go wrong too.
You don’t want to be ignoring useful information just because you can’t find its use in present moment but that’s OK. That’s better than watching 50 hours long tutorial filling your brain with stuff you’ll NEVER use!
If you keep putting things into practice as soon as you learn them, soon you’ll have a list of things that are useful and ready to be used practically. You’ll self correct based on the needs.
If you’re watching a tutorials, videos or reading a book or an article. Ask yourself: Where can I apply it!? Can I learn it later…? In this present moment, is this information practical to ME?
Always know: A person selling you their courses will always tell you that Everything Is Equally Important! It’s not.