Why I'm Committing to Learning in Public

I've been a developer for several years now, and I've always learned the same way: read documentation, watch tutorials, build projects... all in private. My GitHub contributions are mostly green squares, but most of that work has never seen the light of day.

That changes today. I'm committing to learning in public, and this blog is the first step.

What Is Learning in Public?

The concept is simple: instead of learning behind closed doors, you share your journey as you go. Blog posts, tweets, GitHub repos, YouTube videos - whatever works for you.

Shawn Wang (swyx) popularized the term and put it best:

"Pick up what they put down. Learn in public. Share what you learn, even if you're not an expert."

It's not about being the smartest person in the room. It's about documenting your learning process and helping others who might be a few steps behind you.

Why I'm Doing This

1. The Best Way to Learn is to Teach

When you try to explain something to others, you're forced to truly understand it. Those gaps in your knowledge become obvious real fast.

I can't count how many times I've thought I understood a concept, only to realize I was fuzzy on the details when I tried to write about it.

2. Building a Record of Growth

Looking back at your old code and cringing is a rite of passage. But imagine having a written record of why you made certain decisions, what you were struggling with, and how you figured it out.

That's incredibly valuable for reflection and for seeing how far you've come.

3. Helping Others (and Future Me)

How many times have you googled a problem and found a blog post from someone who solved the exact same issue? That's the power of learning in public.

Plus, I can't tell you how often I've googled something and found my own Stack Overflow answer from years ago. Future me will thank present me.

4. Building Connections

Some of the best opportunities in my career came from people who found my work online. A side project led to a freelance gig. An open source contribution led to a job interview.

Learning in public creates serendipity. You never know who might stumble across your work.

What I'm NOT Doing

Let me be clear about what this isn't:

Not trying to be an influencer - I'm not chasing likes or followers
Not waiting until I'm an expert - I'll write about things as I learn them
Not afraid of being wrong - If I mess up, I'll correct it and learn from it
Not doing this for money - No ads, no sponsorships, just sharing

My Approach

Here's how I'm structuring this:

Blog Posts

My main platform. I'll write about:

Technologies I'm learning (React Server Components, Rust, etc.)
Problems I've solved
Tools and workflows that work for me
Mistakes I've made and what I learned

GitHub

All my learning projects will be public. Even the messy, half-finished ones. Each repo will have a good README explaining what I was trying to learn.

Code Snippets

Quick solutions, utility functions, and "TIL" (Today I Learned) moments. Sometimes a full blog post is overkill - a gist or quick note is enough.

Weekly Reflections

Every week, I'll write a quick note about:

What I learned
What I struggled with
What I'm planning to learn next

The Fear Factor

I won't lie - hitting "publish" on this is terrifying. What if someone finds a mistake? What if I sound stupid? What if nobody reads it?

But here's what I've realized: the fear never goes away. Senior developers still feel imposter syndrome. Popular bloggers still worry about their posts.

The difference is they publish anyway.

What Success Looks Like

For me, success isn't measured in page views or Twitter followers. It's:

Writing regularly (even if it's just for myself)
Getting better at explaining technical concepts
Building connections with other learners
Having a record of my growth to look back on

If even one person finds a blog post helpful, that's a bonus.

The Challenge

If you're reading this and you've been thinking about sharing your work, consider this your push:

Start small - Write one blog post. Tweet one thing you learned. Share one project.
Don't wait for perfect - Your first post doesn't need to be a masterpiece.
Focus on helping - Write the post you wish you'd found when you were stuck.
Be consistent - It's better to publish one post a month consistently than five posts once and never again.

Resources That Inspired Me

Let's Do This

So here we go. I'm learning in public. I'll write about my wins and my failures. I'll share what works and what doesn't.

If you're on a similar journey, I'd love to connect. Drop a comment, send me an email, or share your own learning journey.

Let's learn together.