If you’ve ever spent hours (or even weeks) following coding tutorials without feeling like you’re learning anything, you’re not alone.
Many beginners — and even intermediate developers — find themselves in what’s called “tutorial hell”: a loop of watching videos, copying code, and never really moving forward.
The good news? You can escape it. Let’s break down why it happens and the steps to finally break free.
What Is Tutorial Hell?
Tutorial hell is when you rely too heavily on coding tutorials without applying what you’ve learned independently. You might:
Watch endless YouTube playlists and Udemy courses.
Follow along perfectly, but struggle when faced with a blank editor.
Feel like you’re “learning” while just mimicking.
This happens because passive consumption feels productive, but true mastery requires active problem-solving.
Why We Fall Into It
- Comfort: Tutorials are safe; building alone feels risky.
- Fear: You don’t want to get stuck or “do it wrong.”
- Dopamine: Completing a guided project feels good, even without understanding it.
How to Escape Tutorial Hell
- Switch to Project-Based Learning Stop relying solely on guided lessons. Pick a small, achievable project you care about — like a personal website, a to-do app, or a game — and try building it without looking at a tutorial first.
Example:
If you’ve just learned about APIs, build a weather app that fetches real-time data. You’ll quickly find gaps in your knowledge, and that’s a good thing — it shows you exactly what to research.
Use Tutorials as Reference, Not a Crutch
When you do watch a tutorial, pause often, and try to implement the concept in your project without directly copying.Learn in Small, Focused Batches
Instead of binge-watching hours of content, learn a single concept and apply it right away.
For example, after learning about fetch() in JavaScript, use it in a mini project that same day.Embrace the “Struggle”
Struggling isn’t a sign of failure — it’s a sign your brain is processing and growing.
The more problems you solve without step-by-step guidance, the faster you’ll improve.Collaborate and Get Feedback
Join coding communities, share your projects, and ask for constructive criticism.
Platforms like GitHub, Reddit, and Discord groups can keep you accountable.
Final Thought
Tutorials aren’t bad. But they’re a starting point — not the destination.
The real magic happens when you step off the guided path and build something that’s yours.
Close the tab.
Open your editor.
Start building today.
Top comments (2)
Hi Adeyemi, I like your post. A strategy I have adopted to breaking out of this syndrome is to have one or more personal projects. They do not have to be big or even have a long-term goal, just be fun.
For anyone starting out on this course of action I would recommend first getting a GitHub or GitLab account and make sure you store all your work there. It becomes a record of your progress, reduces the risk of losing the produce of you learning, and can be a handy point of reference.
As for projects, start small. Create some code to replicate the behaviour of an established product or language feature. Suggestions include:
reducefunction akin to Array.reduce using the simplest possible code.mapandfilterfunctions based on the Array.reduce method.Next level, identify a problem you might be able to solve using software. After researching a little while and developing a mental plan, consider the tools you need and how well you know them. Create a remote Git repo, clone it and draw together your tools. The start to journal and plan your step, one day at a time. You might not achieve much each day but that is not the point. The point is to learn from doing it yourself, and before long you will make progress.
If there is a piece of code you see in your working life that you think can be improved or enhanced so it can be applied to a wider range of problems, why not reproduce it yourself? Document what it is supposed to do and how you want to adapt it. Write unit tests to confirm it does what you expect, and does not fall prey to edge cases.
Moving on, why not consider collaborating on a slightly larger project with a friend. That can be loads of fun.
All this effort is investment in yourself, and will pay greater dividends than watching another YouTube video. However, online tutorials definitely have a role in making you aware of new tools and techniques, so don't abandon them completely.
Thank you for the insight!