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Rakesh Potnuru
Rakesh Potnuru

Posted on • Originally published at blog.itsrakesh.co

Avoid these mistakes when you are learning a new technology

Beginners often do these mistakes when getting started to learn a new technology which leads them to confusion, demotivation and ultimately giving up. So let's see some of those mistakes and try to avoid them.

Let's get started

Resource hunting

I know you need a quality resource to learn new things. But, no matter how much you search you can't decide on the exact resource you are looking for. And the reason for it is you don't know about that technology and you are not familiar with its community, so you may not find the right resource suitable for you and waste a lot of time.

Hence do follow these steps-

  • First of all, go to that tech docs, try to read it.
  • If you can't understand docs, go to Youtube and find a tutorial.
  • Now you get the basics and idea about that tech.
  • Do join that tech community on slack, discord, forum etc... to ask doubts and get guidance.
  • Now you will be able to choose the correct resources.

Local setup

Some people even spend days just setting up everything on their local system and the reason is the same as above. For example, if I want to learn Java I need to install JDK, now what is JDK?, why do I need JDK?, how to configure JDK? and so many questions arise. So at least know the basic terms before doing the local setup. When you are just starting, always choose an online IDE or text editor like Codesandbox, replit etc., because they set up everything for you, so that you can get started right away.

Not doing projects

No matter how many hours of video content you consume, no matter how many books you read. If you don't put that knowledge into practice you will easily forget that tech. And the best way to put that knowledge into practice is by doing projects. If you don't have any project ideas just remake existing things in your style.

Getting distracted with trends

People often prefer to learn trending frameworks or trending languages or other trending techs. Now you are learning that non trendy tech and you get demotivated. I saw people(beginners) learning angular gets demotivated when someone says you should have choosen React instead. What's the point in this? Everything has it's own purpose. Just remember why you have choosen that tech. Even if you learn that non trendy tech you can easily shift to the trendy tech. So don't get distracted by trends.

Inconsistent

Are you that person who do all things at once and feels exhausted? No, don't do this. Consistency is better than enthusiasm. Enthusiasm gives you short term benefits, consistency gives you long term benefits.

Demotivation

It's okay if you can't understand a topic that others understood at one go. It's okay if you learn everything slowly. It's okay you can't figure out that silly mistake. Everything is okay as long you are trying. It's not okay to compare yourself with that experienced person who made a mind-blowing project which you don't even understand. It's not okay to think you will never be able to learn that tech. It's not okay to give up without trying enough. Nothing is okay as long as you overestimate what you can do in a short time and underestimate what you can achieve in a long time. Remember again the purpose why you are learning that tech.


What other mistakes do you add to these? Comment below.


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