Learning New Technologies: My Framework
CareerLearning
I’ve learned Qt, Kotlin, TypeScript, and Kafka in the past year. Here’s my systematic approach.
The Framework
Phase 1: Survey (1-2 days)
Goal: Understand what the technology does and why it exists.
Actions:
- Read official “Getting Started” guide
- Watch 1-2 intro videos
- Skim documentation table of contents
- Read “Why X?” blog posts
Output: Can explain the technology in 2 sentences.
Phase 2: Tutorial Hell (3-5 days)
Goal: Build something that works.
Actions:
- Follow official tutorial
- Build the “Hello World” equivalent
- Deploy it somewhere
- Break it and fix it
Output: Working project you can demo.
Phase 3: Deep Dive (2-3 weeks)
Goal: Understand core concepts.
Actions:
- Read key chapters of official docs
- Build a real project (not a tutorial)
- Read source code of popular libraries
- Join community (Discord, Reddit, Stack Overflow)
Output: Can solve real problems independently.
Phase 4: Mastery (Ongoing)
Goal: Become an expert.
Actions:
- Contribute to open source
- Write blog posts/tutorials
- Answer questions on Stack Overflow
- Read advanced books
Output: Others ask you for help.
Example: Learning Kotlin
Phase 1: Survey
- Read: “Kotlin for Java Developers”
- Watched: “Kotlin in 100 Seconds”
- Learned: “It’s Java with better syntax + null safety”
Phase 2: Tutorial
- Built: Simple Android app
- Deployed: To my phone
- Learned: Coroutines, data classes, extension functions
Phase 3: Deep Dive
- Built: REST API with Ktor
- Read: Kotlin stdlib source code
- Joined: Kotlin Slack
Phase 4: Mastery
- Contributed: Fixed bug in Ktor
- Wrote: This blog post
- Answered: 20+ Stack Overflow questions
Learning Resources by Type
Documentation
- Best: Official docs (authoritative)
- When: Phase 1 & 3
Video Courses
- Best: Udemy, Pluralsight, YouTube
- When: Phase 2 (hands-on learning)
Books
- Best: O’Reilly, Manning, Pragmatic Bookshelf
- When: Phase 3 & 4 (deep understanding)
Practice
- Best: Build real projects
- When: All phases
Time Management
Don’t:
- Try to learn everything at once
- Get stuck in tutorial hell
- Give up after one week
Do:
- Focus on one technology at a time
- Build projects, not just tutorials
- Commit to 30 days minimum
Conclusion
Learning is a skill. Use a framework, be consistent, build projects.
Key Takeaways:
- Survey → Tutorial → Deep Dive → Mastery
- Build real projects, not just tutorials
- Teach others to solidify knowledge
- Focus on one technology at a time
What’s your learning framework? Share your approach!