I want to make sure that you get the most out of this course, so, please allow me to suggest a few key points that I think are necessary for you to take FULL advantage of this course.
To get the most value from this course, you will need 3 things:
- The correct mindset.
- Be willing to read the lessons (more than once if needed).
- Practice what you learn according to my recommendations, or even more.
What do I mean by the correct mindset?
I assume you have a good reason for wanting to learn SQL.
Whether it is because you want to get a better job, pass a college class or something else, you need to keep that goal in mind as you take the course.
Whenever you are about to open the course, don’t think about the instructor or the lectures, but about the great things that could come to you as a result of learning this new skill. Imagine yourself getting that great job, or passing that university exam with ease, and feel proud because you are taking action to make it happen.
But remember that average developers abound. What I’m suggesting to you is that if you want to get better opportunities than most developers, you have to know more than them, so every time you start learning a new topic, try to make a commitment to learn it completely. If you find something particularly interesting, or intriguing, try it out and experiment with it, and ask questions if necessary, until you master the topic.
Remember that every master was once a beginner. If you put continuous effort in learning and practicing, I can guarantee you that you will completely dominate this beautiful language.
You need to be willing to read the lessons with full attention
Don’t hesitate to read them more than once if you feel you need to. Also, if you feel like testing or trying something in the middle of a lesson, stop reading and go ahead.
Don’t put too much pressure on you. Take the course at your own pace and be sure to enjoy it.
Remember that your goal must be not to finish the course, but to learn SQL. Yes, I expect you to finish it, but don’t rush it. As long as you don’t stop, you are moving in the right direction, even if you move slowly.
If you really want to learn SQL, you need to practice
There is no way around it. But, anyway, reading is a lot less fun than firing SQL commands and watching how the database does what you want!
So, practice, practice, and then practice some more, and be sure to enjoy your journey to SQL mastery.
There is an additional recommendation I want to make: You will write a lot of SQL statements to solve the practice task in most of the lessons. I would recommend saving all those statements along with an explanation of the problem they solve or what they do, so in case you need to solve a similar problem or use a similar technique in the future, you have an easy way to review what you did in the course, and see how you can adapt it to your new requirement.
A very convenient way to do this is by using the “MY SCRIPTS” feature in LiveSQL, which allows you to save your scripts and access them from any device with internet access. That’s what I do, and it has worked very well for me.
So, please, remember to save your scripts.