I've been programming for about two years at university, but I've been coding since before then. I used to think that project-based learning was the best way to learn quickly—after all, it teaches you to build things in a "real" and fast way. But over time, I've come to realize that this approach has its downsides.

The Problem with Project-Based Learning

In project-based courses, you often end up building the same type of projects as everyone else, following similar tutorials and structures. This means you’re learning how to build the same things that thousands of others are building, rather than learning how to create new, unique solutions. It limits your creativity and doesn't push you to explore outside of what’s already been done.

Another big issue with this learning method is the lack of feedback. As new developers, we often don’t have access to experienced mentors or feedback loops that can help us improve. We finish projects without knowing if our code is efficient or if our design choices actually work for users in the real world.

A Real Example

One of my recent university projects really highlighted this issue. My team and I developed an interface that we thought was super intuitive and easy to use. We were proud of it, and it looked perfect to us. But when we released it and real users started interacting with it, we found out that it was far from intuitive. The way users actually interacted with our interface was completely different from what we had expected.

Why This Matters

Project-based learning can be a fast way to gain confidence, but it often lacks depth. It doesn't challenge us to create new things or question our approach, and it rarely gives us the feedback we need to improve. True learning happens when we step outside of tutorial-like projects and try things on our own, while also seeking out constructive feedback.

Conclusion

If you’re learning to code, remember that projects are a means to an end, not the end itself. Challenge yourself to create something unique, and find people who can give you honest feedback. It may be slower, but it’s the way to truly grow as a developer.