If you are a self-learner, especially a computer programmer or developer, keep the following things in mind. I think keeping these in mind will help you. And save you a lot of time.
I made a lot of mistakes during my learning period. I wasted an excessive amount of time, and I mean it.
These are from my perspective, and you might disagree.
Consistency
Consistency is so important. Though being consistent isn’t easy. This world is full of distractions. Be self-aware. So that you can see how many unnecessary times you are wasting for nothing. And don’t focus on so many things at a time. And be consistent.
Track Your Progress
Tracking your progression gives you the satisfaction of progress. It motivates you. Without it, you might feel like you are not going anywhere or not doing anything. There are many ways to track your progress.
Get Out From Tutorial Hell
This one is dangerous. I wasted most of my time in this space. One of the best solutions is, learning by doing projects. When you get the basic idea of a topic or decent knowledge of a topic, you can try to create projects on that. This part is so significant for a self-learner. You will learn best when you learn by doing. Make mistakes and learn.
Don’t Just Rely on Video Tutorials
I am not against video tutorials. I am a fan of video tutorials. If you only depend on it, you will only get one stream of knowledge. To get in-depth knowledge, try to learn from Books, Docs, Blogs, Articles, etc. You can also learn a lot from reading others’ codes. Practice a lot.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism isn’t always good. For me, perfectionism is one of the main reasons for procrastinating. Sometimes it’s become an alternative to delaying. Perfectionism comes from doing more and making more mistakes.
Self-learning isn’t easy at all. You have to be persistent. Not just self-learning, it’s one of the main things if someone wants to achieve something big.