I’m going to tell you something that sounds fake but isn’t:
I built a full-stack healthcare booking system with React and Next.js before I ever watched a React tutorial.
Not “I watched tutorials first, then built.” Not “I learned the basics then jumped in.”
I just… built it. With zero React knowledge. Just JavaScript, Google, AI search tools, and pure desperation.
And honestly? I still don’t know if that makes me brave or just stupid. LOL!
How It Started (Badly)
I was a computer science student. Selling jewelry and accessories on the side to survive. Barely done with my internship, where all I did was write basic JavaScript and fix small bugs.
Then I got pulled into a project.
Full-stack healthcare booking system. Frontend was mine. Backend team was already working. Timeline? Three months!
Cool. Great. One problem:
I had never touched React. Or Next.js. Or any modern frontend framework.
I had JavaScript. That’s it.
And also, my life was kind of falling apart.
Not in a “I’m stressed about school” way…In a “I can’t function properly and everything feels heavy” way.
But I couldn’t say no because I needed the work. Because I was still trying to prove I could do this. Because saying “I can’t handle this right now” felt like an admission of defeat.
So I said yes. And immediately regretted it.
Week 1: Pretending I Understood Anything
The first team call was on Google Meet. Backend devs explaining the architecture, database structure, API endpoints, and project timeline.
I was nodding. Taking notes. Looking engaged.
Inside my head: “What the hell is SSR? What’s a component? Why does everyone keep saying ‘state’ like I’m supposed to know what that means?”
After the call, I stared at my laptop.
Then I opened Google. Typed: “How to build a website with Next.js”
And that’s how it started.
Not with a course. Not with a tutorial. Just me, a search bar, and a deadline.
The Friend Who Got Frustrated (And the One Who Saved Me)
I tried talking to a friend about what I was going through. About how overwhelmed I was. How I couldn’t think straight.
He got pissed by the way.
“You only ever talk about work”
“You need to deal with your personal stuff.”
“I already explained that!”
He was right. But I couldn’t explain that work was the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart.
Then I met one of the backend devs.
Different guy, didn’t really know me personally, had no reason to help me as much as he did.
But when I showed up in the project group with panicked questions about state management, he answered. Patiently. Without judgment.
When I apologized for not understanding something fast enough, he’d say: “You’re learning. It’s fine. Here’s how it works.”
He didn’t get frustrated. He just… helped.
Selflessly. The kind of help you don’t forget.
And somehow, with his guidance and a lot of Googling, I started figuring things out.
How I Actually Learned (The Messy Truth)
Here’s what nobody tells you:
You don’t need tutorials to learn. You need problems to solve.
I didn’t sit through a 10-hour React course. I didn’t watch “Next.js for Beginners.” I didn’t do the step-by-step.
I just started building.
When I needed a navigation bar, I Googled: “how to make navbar in Next.js”
When my form wouldn’t update, I searched: “Why is my state not updating React?”
When I needed to fetch data from the backend, I asked the AI search tool: “How to call API in Next.js?”
Every feature became a Google search. Every error became a learning moment.
I wasn’t studying React. I was using React to solve real problems. And somehow, that taught me faster than any tutorial ever could.
The Only Tutorial I Ever Watched (And When I Watched It)
Want to know the wild part?
I didn’t watch a single React tutorial until AFTER I finished the project.
Not before. Not during. After.
By the time I watched one, I already understood most of it. Because I’d already lived it.
The tutorial was just confirming what I’d learned by doing.
And that’s when I realized:
Tutorials teach you theory. Projects teach you reality.
What Was Actually Happening in My Life
While I was learning React and Next.js, I was also:
- Attending university full-time (computer science student)
- Selling jewelry and accessories to survive
- Dealing with personal stuff that made it hard to function
- Trying to keep up with assignments, exams, side hustle, and coding
- Running on maybe 4–5 hours of sleep a night I was exhausted. Emotionally drained. Barely holding it together.
But the project gave me something to focus on. Something I could control when everything else felt out of control.
So I kept going.
Not because I was disciplined. Because I was desperate for something, anything, to work out.
The Moments I Almost Quit
There were days I’d stare at an error message for hours and feel like the dumbest person alive.
Days where I’d be photographing jewelry for Instagram (btw my account was disabled for NO REASON, when does it end!), then switching tabs to debug a Next.js API route, then rushing to a lecture, then coming home to code until 3 AM.
I felt like I was drowning.
But every time I wanted to quit, I’d remember:
If I quit this, what do I have left?
School? Overwhelming.
Personal life? A mess.
Side hustle? Barely paying anything.
This project was the one thing I could finish. The one thing I could control.
So I didn’t quit.
What We Built (Somehow)
Three months later, the project was done.
A full healthcare booking system. With:
- User authentication
- Appointment scheduling
- Real-time clinic data
- SMS notifications
- Admin dashboard
- Responsive design
Was it perfect? No.
Was my code clean? Absolutely not.
Did I cry multiple times during those three months? Yes. Yes. Yes.
But did it work? Yes. And that’s what mattered.
What I Learned About Learning
1. You Don’t Need Tutorials to Learn
I built an entire React + Next.js application without watching a single tutorial until after I was done.
How? Google. AI search tools. Documentation. Stack Overflow. Trial and error.
Tutorials are helpful. But they’re not required.
2. Real Projects Teach You Faster Than Courses
Courses teach you syntax. Projects teach you problem-solving.
I learned React by needing a component to work TODAY. Not “someday when I finish the course.”
3. You Learn Best When You Have No Other Choice
I didn’t choose to learn React and Next.js in three months. I was forced to.
And that’s the only reason I learned it that fast.
4. Imposter Syndrome Never Really Goes Away
Even now, I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing for real.
But at the same time? I’m confident in my designs. In my work. In what I can build.
Both things can be true.
You can feel like a fraud and still be competent. That’s just how this works.
5. The Right People Make All the Difference
That backend dev who helped me selflessly? I wouldn’t have finished without him.
Learning isn’t a solo journey. It’s messy, collaborative, and deeply human.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Nobody talks about learning to code while your life is falling apart.
All the “learn to code” content is clean. Motivational. Inspiring.
But real life is messy.
You’re learning React while juggling school, side hustles, personal chaos, and trying to keep your mental health intact.
And you’re still expected to deliver.
So if you’re going through something right now and wondering how you’re supposed to learn while barely functioning, I see you.
You’re not weak. You’re surviving. And that’s enough.
Where I Am Now
I build React and Next.js applications. I still use tutorials when necessary, though.
Do I feel confident? Sometimes.
Do I still have imposter syndrome? Always.
But do I know I can figure things out? Yes.
Because if I can learn React and Next.js while my life was chaos, while selling jewelry between coding sessions, while attending university full-time, while barely sleeping,
I can handle anything.
What I’d Tell You
If you’re stuck in tutorial hell, waiting to “feel ready” before building something real, STOP. Like right now.
You don’t need another course. You need a project.
Pick something. Build it. Break it. Google the errors. Fix it. Ship it.
That’s how you actually learn.
Not perfectly. Not cleanly. But effectively.
And if some broke computer science student juggling school, a side hustle, and personal chaos can learn React without tutorials,
You definitely can too.
The Bottom Line
I learned React + Next.js in three months without watching a single tutorial.
Not because I’m smart. Because I didn’t have time to watch tutorials.
I had a deadline. A team depending on me. And no other option.
So I Googled. I asked questions. I broke things. I fixed them. I shipped.
And that’s the secret:
Sometimes the fastest way to learn is to stop preparing and start building.
P.S. Maybe one day I’ll write about how I started writing too. But that’s a story for another time.
For now? Just know that you don’t need to have it all figured out to start. You just need to start.
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Connect with me on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn. I’m always open to meeting people in tech and making new friends along the way.
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