Everybody is in a hurry

Learn JavaScript in 21 days. Check! Find a JavaScript job in 14 days. Check! Create an amazing website in 7 days. Done! Now sell that website in 1 day and rake in the millions of dollars. Done! Now you can forget everything about JavaScript because you don't need it anymore. Let's learn Android.

When I say it like this, it sounds like a satire. But, buying "Android in 48 hours" means exactly that.

Of course it takes time to learn these things. But for some reason, everyone is in a hurry to learn these very complex subjects. The interesting thing about JavaScript, which takes 30 days to learn by the way, is that so far I have been using it for over 5 years and I am not done learning yet. I have used it extensively in those years and I still have ways to go.

I didn't study it for a quick project, I was in for the long term. I am hoping on my death bed I will be posting a JavaScript question on Stackoverflow just to clear things up.

You don't learn JavaScript just to use it for a trip in the Bahamas. When you learn it, it's for the long term. The same goes for every language you will decide to learn. It's not like there is one known problem for JavaScript and you learn it just for that. The day you get started, you realize that you can solve all sorts of problems with it.

Why are we such in a hurry to learn anything? Our society is slowly drifting further down the microwave mentality hole. According to Google if a website takes more than 5 seconds to load, a huge chunk of us leave to never come back.

Reading a couple of articles about the subject before the interview will not make you sound knowledgeable in the field. Following a recipe on the web will not make up for the fact that you never cooked before. Owning a smartphone does not instantly make you a tech enthusiast (I had to throw this one in there).

Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway. — Earl Nightingale

On YouTube, you are encourage to make small videos to generate more views. This sounds plausible because, obviously people can watch your two minutes videos as opposed to a 30 minutes one someone else made. Two minutes is a short time. Before your viewer realize you are boring, your video is over.

To put it simply, this is the best way to create a video or an article: Make it insightful and in depth. Base it on a story, a goal, and an achievement. Put some effort into the editing it, but don't go overboard and make it look like an ad.

[...] And, there is zero correlation between how long the video is and how popular it is.

But if you watch a video tutorial on how to build a JavaScript framework. Sure the two minutes version will have more views but we know that it's not enough time to learn how to build a framework. The longer version may have less views, but it will probably cater to the people who are most serious about learning, as opposed to those who just need a JS framework for their trip to the Bahamas.

I don't have time to learn this, I just need to know how to do it.

Learning takes time, period. If you don't have time for it, the time will pass anyway. Next time you want to learn something, think about this. When I learn this skill, how long am I going to use it for? If it is only for the next five minute, then sure, watch that "how to tie a Windsor knot" video. However, if it is something you will need for the rest of your life, invest all the time in the world to learn it.

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