Lately I have seen a lot of posts on social media regarding a concept called “Tutorial Hell.” One glance at YouTube and you will quickly see that the service has been inundated with computer programming tutorials. This is a great resource for both new and experienced programmers alike but it does have its pitfalls.
Some people end up in a position where the follow a bunch of tutorials but find they cannot start and complete projects on their own. Some even go as far as to create portfolios filled with projects created via tutorials.
I find that simply following tutorials can lead to a false sense of achievement. I remember following a quite complex tutorial, feeling proud upon completion, then realizing that I actually did not learn much. All I was doing was watching, pausing, writing code as seen on screen, the resuming. I would get frustrated at how often I had to pause and rewind to catch some code because the instructor was going too fast.
Some instructors do not actually instruct. Their tutorial comes across as more of a ‘follow me’ or even ‘look what I can do.’ These are the guys who record a tutorial where all they are doing is speeding through a project without explaining things.
On the other hand, there are a lot of great tutorials out there. Some guys and gals just have a real knack for coding and teaching. They explain concepts in a manner that not only teaches you how but also why.
Tips and Advice
A good way to learn from tutorials is to stop and take notes. Actually, even better is to watch the entire tutorial without coding. Just absorb the information and watch the coding. After that, go back and take notes. Then watch the tutorial again while coding along.
After that approach, you should have a better grasp at the concepts but don’t stop there. Go on an make tweaks to the project. Make it your own. Next step is to create your very own project using concepts learned from the tutorial. I find I learn better when working on my own project and encountering many, many, many errors and challenges along the way.
Conclusion
The world of tutorials does not have to be Hell. It is a great resource if used correctly. Remember, not all teachers teach the same way, just like not all students learn the same way. Some people are just really good at memorizing things, others require note-taking. Find the method which bests suits you and enjoy the wonderful world of computer programming!
Computer programming is actually part art and part science. I have learned that is is good to tell a story with your code. It will aid in readability for others who may work on your project as well as make maintaining your code a lot easier.
For more about telling a story with your code, feel free to read: https://www.g2i.co/blog/telling-a-story-with-your-code
