Escaping the Tutorial Loop: Learning Through Projects

When learning to code, it's easy to find yourself in the "tutorial loop," where you're stuck in a loop of following tutorials without applying the knowledge to build something independently. This trap can lead to the false belief that you're not ready to venture out on your own, especially if there isn't a tutorial for what you want to build.

If you're in this situation, try to take a step back. Instead of jumping into another tutorial, consider what you can create with what you've learned. List everything you've learned from the tutorials — you might be surprised at your knowledge depth.

Think about something in your life you wish you could automate. When I was learning to code, I built a website that would keep track of upcoming movies and their release dates. That way, I didn't miss a single release.

If you feel like you haven't truly absorbed the lessons from the tutorials you've followed, let's imagine what you might have learned if you completed a tutorial to build a basic "To-Do List" web application. The following is a summary of what such a tutorial could cover, along with the practical coding lessons you would likely extract from it.

Hypothetical Tutorial: Basic "To-Do List" Web Application

  1. Project Overview: Creating a simple web application to add, mark, and delete list items.

  2. HTML Structure: Learning HTML to structure the webpage, including elements like a heading, input box, submit button, and a list display area.

  3. Styling with CSS: Applying CSS for styling the webpage, focusing on elements like the heading, input box, and button.

  4. Adding Interactivity with JavaScript: Using JavaScript to make the list interactive, involving coding to add new items, mark them as complete, and delete them.

Practical Lessons Extracted:

From a tutorial like this, you could potentially learn valuable skills such as:

  • HTML Basics: Understanding web page structure and HTML elements.
  • CSS for Styling: Learning styling techniques using CSS.
  • Basic JavaScript: Grasping DOM manipulation for dynamic webpages.
  • Event Handling: Learning to respond to user interactions.
  • Logic Building: Developing essential programming logic.
  • Debugging Skills: Gaining basic debugging skills as you build and troubleshoot.

Note: This is not a comprehensive tutorial but a conceptual outline to help you recognize the potential learning outcomes from engaging in project-based coding tutorials.

Building Something on Your Own:

After completing this tutorial, a beginner would have a good understanding of how web pages are structured and how to make them interactive. They could then apply these skills to build other simple web applications, such as:

  • A simple blog where posts can be added or removed.
  • A basic calculator.
  • A personal portfolio page with interactive elements.

You can even build on your To-Do List app and add your own twist, such as trying to gamify it so that users receive points or awards for completing tasks. The idea is to take what you've learned and build something on your own!

Conclusion

If you find yourself in the tutorial loop, stop following tutorials for a few days. Instead, try to build something on your own. If you get stuck, search the web for an answer or even look back at your previous code to see how you did it in the past. Working on this will help you hone your skills as a developer and build confidence that you know what you are doing.