Escape from Tutorial Hell: How to break free and create on your own
Getting out of tutorial hell requires transitioning from passive learning to active problem-solving and project creation. Luckily for me, I escaped tutorial hell early on when learning programming. Tutorial hell is something programmers have encountered Here are practical tips to help you break free:
Limit tutorials and set a goal
When I was learning, something I had to do was search for a specific topic. I wanted to create a chabot and this occurred years before ChatGPT was a thing. To learn how to make a chatbot from scratch, I had to make a corpus and a text document with the data, parse the data, and create the bot with the function to read and process the corpus. For theory, I learned about machine learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP). I learned a lot from the project and it helped me stand out. Decide on a specific number of tutorials you’ll follow before diving into a personal project. Identify what you want to achieve and focus on that. These goals can be simple like learning a new programming language, or framework or building a small project.
Start building small projects
Create small, manageable projects like a to-do list app, calculator, or personal portfolio website. Solve simple problems from daily life to make it practical and engaging. A good idea is to write scripts to automate your workflow or do mundane tasks. This is a good idea and practice for automation engineering jobs. I was writing and running basic scripts when I was learning Python. Rebuild the functionality of an app you use but with your own spin on it. Classic examples would be a to-do app or a basic video game for a starting point.
Use what you learned
After completing a tutorial, use what you have learned. Add new features or change the design. Build the project again without referring to the tutorial. Use the same concepts but for a different purpose or tool. For web development, I moved from vanilla static sites to working with various web platforms - Webflow, Squarespace, Shopify, etc. to build dynamic websites. This helps growth by not relying on a crutch for most of the development.
Tackle coding challenges
Practice coding problems on platforms like. I'm of course going to name LeetCode, HackerRank, and Codewars being the top 3 sites I use. These challenges help strengthen problem-solving and algorithmic thinking. Plus preparing for the difficult coding interviews that lie ahead.
Embrace mistakes and debugging
We all make mistakes. It's normal. Learn by making mistakes and fixing them. It's a good idea to try to fix it before giving up. I was stuck on one feature of a GIS personal project until I debugged and tested it, resulting in the feature being implemented successfully. Understanding and fixing errors teaches you more than just completing a tutorial.
Work on open-ended projects
Start with a vague idea and figure out how to implement it as you go. Build projects for friends, small businesses, or open-source initiatives. There are various communities across social media platforms where you can showcase your work.
Use documentation
Get comfortable reading official documentation for tools and frameworks instead of relying on video tutorials. Learning and writing technical documentation is another skill set to add. Technical writing is another field that opens doors to opportunity. It allowed me to seek out other opportunities and helped me get interviews. Documentation keeps track of project status and updates.
Join Communities
Share your code on platforms like GitHub or discuss on Reddit forums(the latter can vary depending on which one you go to). Join coding communities or contribute to open-source projects to gain practical experience. At this time, I feel comfortable using Discord and X and found groups on Meetup.
Set a Time for Independent Work
Allocate dedicated time to work on projects independently, without following a guide. I work in the morning to afternoon for projects and set time for studying technical topics and practicing.
Reflect and Adjust
After each project, reflect on what you learned and identify areas for improvement. Adjust your learning strategy to focus on weak points. I keep working on projects even if they are considered complete.
The key is to apply what you’ve learned as soon as possible, embrace uncertainty, and cultivate the confidence to solve problems independently. This approach will fast-track your growth as a programmer.