For a long time, a blank text editor was a scary thing to see. Even after a year of learning to 'code' I would have no idea how to start a new project. I was overwhelmed by what I didn't know and to compensate for this, would quickly jump to a tutorial video to 'learn' more. I loved the instant gratification of completing a project via a video-walkthrough so much, that I had put off building any projects of my own. As I read more blog posts and watched more videos I learned a lot but my actual finger-to-keyboard coding skills lacked tremendously. This is what I would define as 'Tutorial Hell'.
Let me start by saying that I love tutorials, they are amazing resources and should definitely be apart of your learning process. But I do think that they can give you a false sense of knowledge, especially if you are in the infinite loop from one tutorial to the next.
Personally I knew I needed to get out of this loop and take a break from video tutorials, here are the steps that I took to continue learning and escape 'Tutorial Hell':
Read Documentation
Want to get started learning a new language or maybe dabble in the latest framework? Read the documentation from the source. Often times documentation will provide a quick walkthrough/get-started section that will give a quick introduction. Once you get through this section, build something immediately, even if it's another to-do app, and if you get stuck take the time to reference the documentation.
For a time, try to use only Stack Overflow and MDN when stuck
Now hear me out, I know there are so many other great resources out there. But I truly believe that limiting my resources for a time, challenged me to think more critically. I was forced to try new things and while I did fail more, my understanding of a certain topic was strengthened.
Start with what you know
When it comes to starting a new side project or building out a new app that you're excited about. First off, in the words of Shia LaBeouf, 'JUST DO IT!', and secondly start building with what you know and then add on to that. After all, Google is a developers best friend.
Don't be afraid to ask for help
It can easy to feel like you're alone in this process, but thankfully there are amazing online communities to reach out to and connect with. If you're ever stuck or are struggling for hours on end, reach out to someone or write a post on freeCodeCamp, Stack Overflow, or even here on DEV! Everyone needs help, and let's be honest you probably just forgot a comma😜.
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