A couple of weeks ago, I found this on Reddit:
Me after completing Codecademy JavaScript course: I now know everything about JavaScript. You can ask me anything..
Another person: Really? What are prototypes?
Me: Um… They are…Um… (Source)
Does this sound familiar? Unfortunately, this is common. You found the perfect course, you feel you understand everything, but when you have to apply what you saw in the course, you find out that you actually learned nothing. And that can be very frustrating.
Why does this happen? First of all, coding is a skill. And like any other skill, the best way to develop it is by doing. Practising is the best way to learn how to code.
Also, in a tutorial, you’re basically following instructions from the instructor. But when you’re coding on your own, you are the one who must decide what to do. Practising helps you get better at it.
You should practice doing tasks or projects that are slightly challenging. It should not be too easy, and it shouldn’t be too hard. If the tasks are too easy, you won’t progress and it will get boring. If it’s too hard, you might feel overwhelmed and you may quit.
If it’s hard for you to come up with project ideas to practise, you can read this article I wrote about the topic: How to Get Project Ideas to Practice JavaScript.