Why learning from Documentation is better than watching YouTube Tutorials ?

If you are someone who prefers to learn from a YouTube video than from the documentation, Then you must read this.

So in very short answer if i say whether Documentation is better way to learn new technologies or Video i would say it completely depends on what you are trying to learn in either way you are learning so why does it even matters?

Let’s say you want to learn React

Then i would say it will be much better if you learn it from the documentation because you can trust me on this it’s one of the best documentation i have every read. It’s designed in a way for new people to learn it, the only thing you need is the willingness to read the entire documentation and try what you are reading simultaneously

But what is wrong in learning from YouTube, There is nothing wrong or right, it’s just the efficiency with which you are learning is quite less in YouTube Videos than from Documentation. Secondly as of my experience i think a 30–40 min YouTube Video’s cannot teach you the complete thing, it’s mostly the basics of the technology which they cover in a single video.

If you are learning from Documentation the thing is you wont be able to read the documentation in one go, as for most of documentations it’s too long which might take around a week or two to read it completely. It’s doesn't mean you should only read it and never try to code before completing (Maybe i will also write about how to Read a documentation) But at the end you will have the complete Knowledge of that technology as i don’t think i have seen someone knowing more than what is written in documentation.

But This is only applies to Good Documentation

There are many libraries and languages which does not have a good documentation, neither they have a proper learning way from where we can start ex PostgreSQL, They don’t have a very good documentation for a person who is starting.

In that case i would prefer to start with a YouTube video to build up a base for that topic for this a 30 min video will do a great Job by giving a brief introduction about the topic, on which i can build up concepts by reading the documentation.

So just to summaries only watch video’s if and only if the documentation is not written in a proper way, Otherwise There is nothing better than the documentation.