Let’s talk about those 60+ hour Udemy-style courses. You know the ones—massive, sprawling, intimidating beasts promising to turn you into a full-stack developer if you just grind through every single second. Add a second course (say JavaScript and ReactJS), and now you’re staring at 120 hours of video content like it’s your part-time job.
Here’s the deal: for a beginner, finishing these monsters at 100% is damn near impossible. And honestly? That’s not even the goal.
The Problem With Extending It Forever
If you stretch these courses out too much—thinking you’ll “chip away at it over months or years”—you’re setting yourself up for failure. Why? Because your brain doesn’t work like a long-term storage unit. Learning needs to be tight, fresh, and consistent.
The longer you drag it out, the more likely you’ll:
- Forget key concepts from earlier sections.
- Feel overwhelmed by how much is left.
- Lose motivation to finish entirely.
And here’s the kicker: learning to code isn’t just about watching videos. It’s about taking that fresh knowledge and immediately applying it—whether it’s building apps, tackling coding challenges, or prepping for interviews. That’s how you make progress.
The Game Plan
So, how do you handle these massive courses without burning out or stalling? Here’s my no-BS advice:
1. Focus on High-Level Concepts, Not Every Detail
You don’t need to memorize every Web API or remember all the methods of .map() and .filter(). Trust me, you’ll revisit these in practice, again and again. Take notes if it helps, but don’t obsess over perfection.
2. Prioritize Practice Over Passive Learning
The beauty of self-paced courses? You can rewind, pause, and rewatch whenever you need. But don’t just sit there passively watching. Pause the damn video, and actually try the code. Experiment, break things, and fix them. That’s where the magic happens.
3. Maintain Momentum
Momentum is key. Treat it like leveling up in an RPG game: you need to keep progressing daily. Even if it’s just 30 minutes or an hour a day, that consistency matters. Your end goal should feel close—like “finish this course by the end of the month” close. Setting a vague goal like “in 3-6 months” is a trap. It’s too far out, and you’ll end up wasting time on Netflix or scrolling TikTok.
4. Build While You Learn
Don’t just consume content—create. Build small apps or features as you go. These will not only solidify your knowledge but also serve as portfolio pieces when you start job hunting. Trust me, interviewers love questions like:
- “What’s a feature you’re proud of?”
- “What was the last project you worked on?”
Be ready with real answers, backed by your own work.
5. Phase 2: Prep for the Real Deal
Once you’ve got a foundation, shift gears into coding challenges and interview prep. Keep building apps, but mix in LeetCode problems or mock interviews. The more you practice solving problems and coding under pressure, the more confident you’ll feel when it’s time to land that job.
Don’t Just Finish for the Sake of Finishing
Let me be clear: I’m not saying to skip sections or rush through videos without practicing. That’s the worst thing you can do. If you’re going to commit, commit fully. But stay focused on progress, not perfection.
Final Thoughts
This whole learning journey? It’s about movement, not stalling. Treat it like a marathon, not a Netflix binge. You don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to keep moving.
So get out there and crush that f*cking 120 hours. You’ve got this.
Good luck! 💪🎯
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