I stopped counting tutorials as progress

I used to feel pretty good whenever I finished a tutorial or a chapter.

It felt like progress.

But a few days later, if someone asked me to explain the idea, I would often get stuck.

That made me realize that finishing something and understanding it are not always the same thing.

So lately I've been measuring learning a little differently.

Instead of asking:

"Did I finish it?"

I ask myself:

"Can I explain it in my own words?"

"Can I use it without copying everything from the example?"

"Do I know where I would actually use this?"

Honestly, it feels slower.

Sometimes it even feels like I'm making less progress.

But it feels more real.

This helped me a lot while learning Java. I stopped trying to memorize every keyword, method, or pattern. Instead, I
focus on understanding one idea well enough that I can explain it simply.

Not mastery.

Just understanding.

For me, that's what progress looks like now.

How do you know when you've actually learned something?