Overcoming Tutorial Hell: My Experiences and How to Escape It

How I managed to break free from tutorial overload and effectively learned new skills.

Introduction

Hey there! In this article, I will cover what I experienced while diving into online courses for my Development role. Just note that even though this is written through the eyes of an engineer, this applies to any courses/skill you are trying to learn. Therefore, “You are welcome,“ as I wish I had seen an article on this before I explored these resources to obtain new skills.

Tutorial hell

Learning Hell, Tutorial Hell. Whatever you call it, it all boils down to one thing. You do a ton of different courses, but it feels like nothing seems to stick. You eventually reach the point where you are 5 courses in, yet still feel lost.

What to look out for:

  • Feeling overwhelmed when trying to get a foothold after the course?

  • Are you frustrated because it feels like the course content didn’t stick?

  • Having to re-visit the course too many times?

  • Did you buy another course covering the same content, only to end up in the same predicament?

So if I struck a nerve, and believe me, been there… At least I have a few points to share.

What tutorial hell was like for me

I completed my Ruby on Rails course. It ended up yielding quite a few Github projects to get me going. All the course projects evoked a sense of pride knowing I did them. Then it was time to try my hand at what I had learned, no training wheels, just me, myself, and I.

I proceeded to fire up my Terminal, ran the rails g new {{insert-awesome-app-name-here}}, and there it was. The boilerplate application is ready to be turned into any application I could think of. (If you are lost on this developer comparison, how do I usually explain this to a writer? Imagine opening a new Word doc, with the serotonin flooding your brain at the thought of the endless possibilities of what you can write.)

Then like a ton of bricks, it hit me, “Where do I even begin?“ Almost ironic, given that I just finished a course that was supposed to teach me exactly that! Despite that, I was still stuck at the helm of my empty application. I can visualize my vicious cycle like this:

Dealing with tutorial hell

Luckily the internet and my personal experiences helped me summarize what worked for me.

Admit you're in tutorial hell

While this isn’t the 12-step program for your sobriety, we have to start somewhere. Since you know this is a challenge others have faced, cut yourself a little slack. We’ll get through this!

Stop the course-binging

If you reach this point where you are considering buying yet another course on the same topic, unless the first course was terrible, rather re-visit key parts in the course you already have. Just be careful of getting too dependent on having the course open for you to be able to do anything.

Just dive in

Sometimes you have to put your worries aside and go for it. So what if you don’t know what you are doing? What better way to learn than to make mistakes and improve them? In development, this is especially useful, because the fundamental mistakes and errors you get in the beginning will shape how quickly you can deal with them in the future.

The internet is full of resources

There are loads of online forums along the likes of Quora, StackOverflow, Reddit, Github Discussions, etc. The odds that someone else asked your question beforehand are high. Don’t be afraid to google.

And honourable mention, since my original draft of this article, AI tools popped up everywhere, especially with ChatGPT and Claude.ai at your disposal. Therefore, no more excuses!

Stay motivated

Take it slow, don’t get frustrated with yourself for not getting the little things. It takes time, which is one of our most valuable resources. Get yourself an accountability partner and try to keep your chin up. Maybe even create a discord server with friends where you all join a channel in silence and study together.

Don't follow tutorials blindly

When you do online courses, be sure to follow along as much as possible, but to garner the level of independence, I would suggest that you:

  1. Watch a portion of the course content

  2. Try implementing what the portion explains on your own

  3. Refer back to the course if you hit a snag

  4. Rinse and repeat

I’m emphasizing this because you must remember that the course instructor won’t guide you through what to do on your projects. That part is solely up to you. Train yourself into that mindset.

Ensure your heart is in the right place.

Please don’t just chase certificates. Make learning a part of your journey, not just a destination. Ideally, you want to be able to apply whatever you have learned, either personally or professionally. If a PDF for LinkedIn is all you want, that might be all you get.

Take notes

Summarizing your course content into notes can help you when you are in a pinch. I used Notion to house all my course summaries and reference the notes more than the video contents nowadays.

Conclusion

Some of the points I’ve outlined may seem obvious, but sometimes things need to be repeated for them to stick. Tutorial hell can feel like an endless loop, but by taking small, deliberate steps and staying committed to the process, you’ll eventually find your way out. Focus on doing rather than just watching, allow yourself the space to make mistakes, and remember that progress takes time. I wish you all the best and hope you emerge victoriously from Tutorial Hell. Stay motivated, and you'll get there!