Ways to NOT learn web development: A practical guide

Welcome back to another article.

In this one we'll talk about something I've seen around and that I think has happened to all of us in one way or another at some point in our development journey.

Since this is meant to be a practical post let's get into it right away...

Here are 5 effective ways that will get you nowhere when learning web development and trying to become proficient at it.

Treat it as an event and not a process

Go in thinking that web development is some sort of race or competition where the goal is to get to the finish line knowing more than anyone else. Learn all the intricacies of HTML, CSS, JS, and so on. That will get you far ahead than everyone else and you can maybe become the fabled 10x engineer.

You'll eventually reach that point where you can finally relax and chill. You finished the race so why put in that extra effort to learn new things or practice your already gained skills right?

Take mistakes as an indication of your personal worth

Mistakes are not a learning opportunity but instead an indication that you're doing it wrong and that you should be doing something else where you have more "natural talent".

We all have had that moment in time when something doesn't really click or we do something that doesn't turn out as we thought it would. That would be a sign that we are 'dumb' or somehow 'dense' for that particular topic. And if we aren't good for it then better to leave the space for someone who can do a better job right?

Try to learn everything there is to know in this area

Don't just focus on learning one language or one area in particular. You'll get much more points in the race if you go beyond HTML, CSS, Vanilla JS and learn things like Nodejs, GraphQL, React (or Vue), some AWS as well as Docker, some Python for Machine Learning, or some Rust because that's now popular, and microservices to go along with it.

But why stop there? Delve into AI, VR/AR, Blockchain, the more the merrier. Do a little bit of everything every day in the morning and evening so you'll get to the finish line faster. Is a competition after all right?

Think that the more hours you put in it the better it'll be

This goes along with the previous point. The more you put into learning all there's in this tech field the better. It's not about the quality of your time but just how many hours you put in. So do as much as possible and try to reduce the time doing other activities so you can put more time into this.

Bonus points if you also do it the whole weekend because you gotta know more than others out there and show them how great you're as a developer.

Forget taking the weekend to rest and enjoy other activities or having hobbies outside of coding. That's for the people who are not as committed and dedicated as you are. Don't believe that myth out there that you'll find burnout. That's for the people who were not prepared for the race. That's not you so keep on the hustle!

Take frustration as a sign you're doing something wrong

If you ever feel like giving up and taking a break from development, don't! That's the worst thing you could do. You'll be losing the progress you made with all the hard work and effort you put in. Keep pushing through your frustrations and difficulties instead of quitting and you'll get there much faster than others.

You might think that some of the languages out there are difficult to learn and you have maybe struggled with some in the past. That means you have to keep searching for the right tool or the right framework that will make all web development easy and you'll no longer struggle starting a new project or adding an extra tool to your stack.

You'll get bonus points if you do this on your own. Don't ask for help or talk to others about this, you're in a competition remember? It may take you more time and more effort to do it but no pain no gain right?

Wrapping up

Well, there you have it my friend. If you follow these simple steps you'll be well on your way trying to learn web development and having a hard time at doing it effectively.
< / sarcasm >

I hope this different kind of post gives you a different look into this journey of learning a difficult subject like web development is.

Whether is your first week or first year in it, remember to take it one step at a time. The journey is personal and we are all in different stages of it. Because technology is ever-evolving, there's always going to be something you won't know and that's okay. You can always ask for help from someone who is knowledgeable in that subject.

Get into some communities and make learning social, that will make the process more enjoyable and if you can help others with what you know is even better.

That's it for this post. Thanks for reading so far. If you want to add another "practical step" let's talk about it on Twitter.

Until next time...