Hey fellow developers! I've been in the game for over three years now, and I'm still honing my process for mastering new technologies. I have my own system in place, but I'm really eager to hear how others tackle this challenge. Here's how I typically approach it:
1. I buy a course from an online platform.
2. I make dedicated Notion pages for each section as I go through the course.
3. I take detailed notes and screenshots along the way.
4. I quiz myself the next day on what I've learned, using AI with my notes as a reference.
5. I try to build something practical after finishing the course—like rebuilding my personal site after learning React.
Some challenges I've run into include:
- The process can take a lot of time.
- I often forget early material by the end (which I think is pretty common).
- Knowledge can fade with time (definitely normal).
- Sometimes weeks pass between learning sessions due to personal commitments (family, baby, etc.).
One tip that really helps me is trying to explain what I've learned as simply as possible, which lets me know I've truly grasped the concept. (For example, explaining recursion as a function calling itself until it meets a base condition helps me clarify the idea.) I'm open to any tips or different approaches you all might have!
5 Answers
When I want to learn a new tech, I skip the courses and jump straight to building something. For instance, if I’m learning Golang, I’ll start by creating a new backend API for an app I’ve already built in React. If I hit a snag, I check out a YouTube video or the docs.
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I read the docs and then work on a project while constantly referring back to them. If I encounter something not clear in the docs, I search for explanations and make notes in my own words. I often find that creating something complex, like a compiler for a toy programming language, really deepens my understanding of the tech.
Honestly, one of the best things you can do is read the documentation. It sounds boring, but you’ll find that well-written docs can answer most of your questions right on the spot. Just dive in and get familiar with them!
I’ve heard that a lot! I usually prefer courses, but maybe I should give the docs a shot next time.
I learn best by directly tackling building projects. I outline a problem, like creating a blog, and work on it using the new tech. This organic process helps me grasp key concepts naturally as I go along. After that, I review my coding practices against community standards and the best practices I see in others’ code on GitHub.
I journal my learning in a 'log' format—just one big note for the course with markdown headers for organization. I link to evergreen notes for those recurring topics and find that this method really helps with retention. The process is slower, but it solidifies my understanding more effectively!
That’s definitely the way to go!