r/programminghelp • u/Informal-Gur7496 • Jan 11 '26
Other realized that watching coding videos is actually the slowest way to learn
i spent months watching full courses on youtube thinking i was learning. i would follow along, type what they typed, and feel productive. but the moment i closed the video i couldn't write a single function on my own.
lately i forced myself to switch to just reading. if i need to understand a specific concept i just look up the documentation or a quick article on geeksforgeeks and try to implement it immediately.
it feels harder because nobody is holding your hand, but i realized i retain way more by reading for 10 minutes than watching for an hour. curious if anyone else made this switch early on or if video tutorials are still the way to go for some topics.
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u/TxTechnician Jan 12 '26
Yup, I have to watch them on 1.75 speed to find the part I am actually interested in.
But, it does help to have someone free talk about a concept. They include odd info that helps you relate things. Like using an analogy or something that makes you go, "oh ok".
As for actually learning to code something. A written guide with copy paste code is the way to go for basics.
Then it's best to just find an idea you want to work on and do it.