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Ladislav Szolik
Ladislav Szolik

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Learning from dev courses...or from side projects?

I love to complete a good course on software development or design. It makes me feel that I learned something new and I feel confident about it. đź’Ş

This last until I face a project and I realize I either forgot some parts or I don't know how to use it here.

First I thought, the is a problem with my note taking technique or the course material...

Then recently a friend asked me to build a web app for her small business. It was all on me:

  • hosting
  • landing page
  • brand + UI design
  • database design
  • authentication
  • mails
  • i18n
  • etc.

In that half year of discussions, design and development I feel learned a tons and I thought to share with you.

Having a stake in the game changed the way I build knowledge.

If you haven't been responsible to build something for somebody else, I can highly recommend! Even more, I am always happy to collaborate!

Top comments (3)

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pelayomendez profile image
Pelayo MĂ©ndez • Edited

What works for me best is to combine both. Learn by doing at first, and then a course (or reading the documentation) on that subject to get a better understanding and fill the gaps.

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ladislavszolik profile image
Ladislav Szolik

đź‘Ť
actually these days I also code so that on one side the documentation and on the other side the code ( + the localhost somewhere :) )

yes, I wanted to share that the course did not triggered much of my critical thinking...once I got a problem to solve, it was easier to relate to it in the course or documentation.

Previously I would start with the course and except all will make sense...

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akshay67 profile image
Akshay Shivekar

I totally agree with you @ladislavszolik .
If you are not applying what you learnt then its waste.