[jordanpg]

Some baseline level of knowledge is always needed. It may or may not be the case that you have enough knowledge needed, as a beginner, for any given project.

For a simple website, it may be possible to just poke around in a tutorial and glean everything you need. For a complex web service or server process, maybe not.

Why advocate for this "learn no more than is necessary" position? People learn in different ways; none of them are right. And you wouldn't say that about calculus, would you?

The enthusiasm for minimizing formal, up-front learning coming out of the Peter Thiel school of thought strikes me as very short-sighted and suitable only for relatively simple projects. It is a reflection of SVs obsession with short-term profits.

[hellomrperez]

First off, I appreciate your response. Your points are very valid.

I don't think one should ever stop learning. I do believe however that one should take on projects as soon as they can. Adding that hands on experience is what puts the learning in context.

My point in this article is to get people to take their heads out of the courses, and actually take on projects. Yes, at first you may only do simple projects. However, as you keep learning and keep taking on more projects, the complexity will gradually increase.