I tried watching coding tutorials vs reading documentation and one was WAY faster

I spent my first 3 weeks learning Python watching hour long YouTube tutorials and felt like I was getting nowhere fast. Then I forced myself to just read the official Python docs for 2 hours and I actually understood loops and conditionals way better. The tutorials kept skipping over small details that the docs explained clearly. Don't get me wrong, videos help for seeing the big picture but the docs are where the REAL learning happens for me. Has anyone else found that reading docs clicked better than videos for certain topics?

2 comments

2 Comments

derekp708d ago

Isn't it funny how we spend years being told "show don't tell" and then find out sometimes the written explanation is what actually gets through? I've noticed the same thing with cooking. Video recipes make you watch someone chop for three minutes but skip explaining why you brown the meat first. The written recipe spells out the actual reasoning. It's like our brains process words and images totally different for learning.

allen.amy8d ago

That's exactly it. I've been telling people for years that watching a video doesn't actually teach you why things work, it just shows you the steps. You sit there watching someone chop an onion for what feels like forever and then they flash through the actual important part in five seconds. Really makes you appreciate a good cookbook. The written one will tell you "brown the meat to build flavor through the Maillard reaction" and suddenly it all clicks.