How I actually learn new tech

I used to follow tutorials step by step, building the exact thing the instructor built. I could reproduce it fine. Two weeks later I couldn't build anything on my own.

Here's what actually works for me:

Step 1: read the docs, not tutorials

Documentation is written by people who understand the thing deeply. Tutorials are written for beginners. Start uncomfortable.

Step 2: build something useless

My first WPF project was a custom clock with way too many features. Nobody needed it. It forced me to solve real problems: custom fonts, timer accuracy, resource dictionaries.

Step 3: delete and redo it

Once something works, delete it and rebuild from memory. The gaps show you exactly what you don't understand yet.

Step 4: read other people's code

GitHub is full of production code. Reading how experienced devs structure a real project teaches things no tutorial will. Find a well-starred C# project and read it like a book.

This loop — docs, build, delete, read — is how I went from "following tutorials" to actually building things.