How to Escape Tutorial Hell and Start Building Your Own Projects

Introduction

Have you ever felt like you're stuck in a never-ending cycle of following tutorials, but never actually learning how to code? If so, you're not alone. Many aspiring developers find themselves in this situation, which is often referred to as "tutorial hell."

Tutorial hell is a frustrating and demoralizing experience. It can be hard to stay motivated when you feel like you're not making any progress. But don't worry, there is a way out.

In this blog post, we will share some tips on how to escape tutorial hell and start building your own projects.

Create a roadmap

This is a very crucial first step. Having a structured guide can help you escape tutorial hell by providing you with a roadmap to follow. A good guide will break down the learning process into smaller, more manageable steps. This will help you to stay focused and avoid getting overwhelmed. Are you looking to become a front-end developer? Create a roadmap that breaks down what you need to learn and do not skip any material, even if at some point you have read about said material.

A structured guide will also help you to learn the material in a more efficient way. By following a step-by-step process, you will be able to build on your knowledge and skills as you go. This will make it easier for you to understand and apply the concepts you are learning.

There are many different structured guides available that set a clear structure to follow. Some of the most popular roadmaps and websites include:

• The Odin Project: This is a free, open-source curriculum that teaches you the skills you need to become a full-stack web developer.

• freeCodeCamp: This is another free, open-source curriculum that teaches you the skills you need to become a full-stack web developer.

• Developer Roadmaps: A resource full of roadmaps for all kinds of roles in web development.

If you are struggling to escape tutorial hell, we recommend finding a structured guide that works for you and sticking to it.

Set realistic goals

One of the biggest problems that leads to tutorial hell is setting unrealistic goals. When you start learning to code, it's tempting to want to build the next big thing. But if you don't have the skills and experience yet, you're setting yourself up for failure.

Instead, start with small, achievable goals. For example, you could set a goal to build a simple website or a to-do list app, but always make sure it follows the road map you’ve created. Once you've completed a few small projects, you'll start to build up your skills and confidence. Then you can start working on more ambitious projects.

Don't be afraid to pause and build

The best way to learn is by doing. So don't be afraid to pause your tutorials and start building your own projects. This will help you solidify your knowledge and skills, and it will also help you discover your own unique coding style.

When you're building your own projects, focus on the particular tutorial you're working on. For example, if you're currently working on how to build tables using HTML, focus on building things that involve tables using HTML.

The most important thing is to just start building. Don't worry about making your projects perfect. Just focus on getting something working, and then you can iterate and improve it over time.

Don't be afraid to ask for help

Finally, it's important to remember that you're not alone. There are many other developers who have been through what you're going through. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. There are plenty of resources available to help you learn to code.

If you're stuck on a particular problem, don't be afraid to ask for help on a forum or in a chat room. There are many experienced developers who are willing to help beginners. We've recently moved to Discord to help bring together developers of all levels to help you out in your developer journey, you can join the Discord channel here.

Reading more about other people’s experiences will also help you. You get to take in the experiences of people who were in similar shoes and have succeeded. We regularly interview aspiring developers on our blog, like this one from Andrew J Hughes.

Conclusion

Escaping tutorial hell is not easy, but it is possible. With hard work, dedication, and the right resources, you can learn to code and start building your own projects. In general, it also to helps to:

• Find a learning style that works for you. Some people learn best by reading, while others learn best by watching videos or listening to podcasts. Experiment with different learning styles until you find one that works for you.

• Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes when they're learning to code. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes and keep practicing.

• Stay motivated. Learning to code can be challenging, but it's also very rewarding. Stay motivated by setting goals for yourself and celebrating your accomplishments.