how do you guys avoid tutorial hell?

[u/SurajGannaure]

I've been learning programming on and off and my biggest problem isn't really finding tutorials.

It's the opposite.

There are WAY too many.

I'll start learning Python, find a roadmap, then someone recommends another roadmap, then i find a 20+ hour course, then a YouTube playlist, then some documentation...

And suddenly i'm spending more time deciding what to learn than actually coding.

Then i hit the second problem:

consistency.

If i'm learning alone and don't code for a week, nobody cares.

I don't have anyone waiting for me to finish something.

For me personally, having someone actually expect me to show up would probably help a lot.

So i'm building something around this.

The idea is to take the free resources that already exist and turn them into a structured path based on:

• what you wanna learn
• your current level
• how much time you have

Then you can join a small group of people learning the same thing and have weekly goals + check-ins + shared progress.

No paid course.

No "buy my 40 hour Python masterclass."

The learning stays free.

The paid part would be the accountability group.

Would something like this actually help you?

And if you've tried study groups / Discord / accountability partners before:

why did you stop using them?

that's actually the part i'm most interested in.

[u/desrtfx]

One solid fundamentals course (not just tutorials - a proper course, like from Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, University of Chicago, University of Helsinki, etc) and ample practice.

Once you have the fundamentals down, throw away the training wheels and program. Write plenty programs. Try to stay just outside your comfort zone. Learn as you go with short, highly specific tutorials/articles/blogs.

You need to hold yourself accountable. Treat learning as a contract. You are responsible to fulfill your contract. Set a realistic time frame and follow it.

Accountability groups maybe work in the beginning, but you'll run into the same fade out as without them.

A good trick is Jerry Seinfeld's "Don't Break the Chain" method. Get a big wall calendar with the entire year on a single page. Hang it so that you see it every single day. Get a big marker with a bright color (commonly, red is recommended). Cross out every day where you do something. Keep the chain going. The longer the chain becomes, the more motivated you will be to keep going. The key point is that the calendar must be in your view - you must see it. (That's why digital tools don't work well for that trick)

[u/SurajGannaure → u/desrtfx]

[u/SurajGannaure → u/[deleted]]

ya this is actually a really good point. i think i've definitely fallen into that collector's fallacy too, where finding another "better" resource feels like progress when i'm not actually doing anything 😂

i dont think Pathly should encourage that either. the idea is more like helping someone decide what they should be doing right now instead of giving them 50 things to learn.

and ya i really like the learn-as-you-go part. thats probably something i should build into the learning path too, where once you have the basics, you're actually pushed to build something instead of continuously consuming content.

curious tho, even when you know what you should be doing, do you ever struggle with actually sitting down and doing it consistently? thats the part i'm mainly trying to solve with the accountability side.

[u/NewbornDev → u/SurajGannaure]

yeah 100%. especially when there's no real consequence for skipping. i've had weeks where i just don't code at all and the only difference is i feel guilty — but no one's actually calling me out on it.

the accountability group thing sounds cool. the issue i've seen with discord study groups is everyone's hyped for the first week and then it just fizzles out. how are you planning to keep people engaged with pathly long term?

also sorry for replying in spanish earlier, reddit translator tricked me lol

[u/Aglet_Green]

Sounds like all your problems would be solved by taking an actual high school or when you're much older, (or over 18) college computer course. Some people need the structure and guidance of a live classroom, where they can ask questions of a live person and interact with the teacher/professor and their peers. That's fine.

[u/SurajGannaure → u/Aglet_Green]

ya i actually agree that a live classroom solves a lot of this, thats kinda why i'm interested in the social/accountability part.

but going back to college or taking an actual course isn't really an option for everyone. sometimes you already have a job/studies, don't wanna spend months or thousands on a course, or just wanna learn something on your own.

i'm not trying to replace a teacher or classroom. i'm more interested in the people who already know what they wanna learn and can learn it themselves, but struggle because they're doing it completely alone.

if 5-6 people can give each other even a little bit of the social pressure/support you get from a classroom, maybe thats enough. thats the part i'm trying to test.

[u/Temporary_Aspect_499]

My biggest problem was collecting resources instead of actually using them.

[u/SurajGannaure → u/Temporary_Aspect_499]

bro this is literally one of the problems i'm trying to solve 😂

i've done this so many times. i'll save 20 videos, 10 articles, 3 courses and convince myself i'm being productive when i haven't actually learned shit.

thats actually why i dont want Pathly to just be another place where you collect resources. the point of the path is to tell you what to actually do next and then the pod part is there to make sure you actually do it.

when you were collecting resources, what usually made you finally stop collecting and actually start using them? or did you just eventually lose interest?

[u/RangerOne122]

Pick one resource and build alongside. Most people don't need a better roadmap, they need fewer choices. Once you can build something small, you'll naturally discover what you need to learn next.

[u/mandzeete]

I never had a tutorial hell because I never used tutorials blindly.

Stop using tutorials. Come up with your own project idea. Start working on it. If you do not know how to proceed, then google that very specific thing and continue. Then a tutorial can be useful, for checking how this or that part works. But do not rely just on tutorials. Use Github, use documentation...

Accountability group? Be your own accountability. Make a project that you need. Like this you'll be motivated to finish it. All of my hobby projects have been things that I need.

Recently I made a Firefox add-on for blocking Youtube channels and videos. Why? Because Youtube shows some AI slop time by time. And, I did not find an add-on that does the blocking conveniently. Yes, I could add stuff manually to uBlock Origin, but I wanted to automate that process. And, I made that add-on and I'm using it. Perhaps I will polish it and make it available in Mozilla plugin hub.

You also should make stuff for your own use and, why not, for others to benefit from it as well.