I'm a self-taught beginner and have been using Anki flashcards alongside tutorials to learn programming. I've been struggling with imposter syndrome after several months of learning on my own, and I find that I only remember a portion of what I learn after a couple of weeks. To tackle this memory issue, I decided to incorporate Anki into my routine. I've been following a React Native movie app tutorial and have created two projects: a copy of the movie app and my own project called ClimbingVideosApp.
My current learning routine looks like this:
1. I first review Anki flashcards until there's nothing left to learn (around 15-30 minutes).
2. Next, I meticulously copy and understand the code from the video tutorial word-for-word.
3. After understanding, I create new Anki flashcards for crucial pieces of information, such as identifying components.
4. After completing each chapter (like adding Bottom Navigation), I implement the feature from the Movie App in my ClimbingVideosApp and adjust it to suit my needs.
However, I have some fears and questions for experienced developers:
1. Am I overcomplicating my approach? Using Anki for syntax memorization feels exhausting, especially as the complexity of the application grows.
2. Is the "copy & tweak" method I'm using acceptable? I'm worried about junior interviews—will they ask me to code a Bottom Navigation Bar from memory, or is it more likely they'll ask me to explain what a piece of code does?
4 Answers
You might be over-optimizing your study method. Anki is great for memorizing things like definitions or formulas, but coding is more about problem-solving than it is about recalling syntax. Most developers don't remember every syntax rule; they just google it when they forget. Your approach of copy, tweak, break, and fix is spot on—that’s how you’ll really learn. As for interviews, they usually focus on how you approach problems rather than whether you can reproduce a specific UI component from memory.
Honestly, I think you're overthinking the flashcard approach for syntax. While it can help you remember some concepts, coding isn’t really about memorizing every line of syntax. You'll naturally retain what you use frequently, and for everything else, you can always look it up. Instead of focusing so much on memorization, try to embrace learning through experience. When you write your own code, you learn by doing, and that's where the real understanding comes in.
It sounds like you're blending two very different aspects of coding here. In real-world development, you'd be leveraging tools that handle syntax for you, while interviews might still require the ability to code something simple. But don't stress too much about memorizing every detail. Focus on understanding what your code does and why it works the way it does. That kind of knowledge will serve you far better in the long run.
I agree with the others here. While flashcards can help with concepts or theory, programming really comes down to understanding and applying what you've learned, not memorizing it. And the interviewing process rarely revolves around recreating a component from memory. Instead, they’ll want to see your problem-solving process. You seem to have the right approach by taking features and implementing them in your own projects, so keep going with that!

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