I used to think that learning was something you did privately, in the safety of your own environment, until you had something worth sharing. Study quietly, practice in isolation, then emerge with polished knowledge when you're ready. This approach felt safe, but it was also limiting in ways I didn't realize at the time.
The idea of learning in public goes against this instinct. It means sharing your confusion, documenting your mistakes, and asking questions that might seem obvious to others. It's uncomfortable, which is exactly why it works.
The Fear of Looking Stupid
Most of us avoid learning publicly because we're worried about appearing incompetent. What if I ask a question that everyone already knows the answer to? What if I misunderstand something basic? What if people judge me for not knowing this already?
These fears are natural, but they're also largely misplaced. The reality is that most people are too busy dealing with their own challenges to spend much time judging yours. And those who do judge? They're usually not the people whose opinions you should care about anyway.
More importantly, the very things you're afraid of revealing are often the things that make your learning journey valuable to others. Someone else is probably struggling with the same concept you're grappling with right now.
Why It Actually Works
Learning in public creates a feedback loop that accelerates your progress in ways that private learning simply can't match.
When you share what you're learning, you get corrections from people who know more than you do. This happens faster and more directly than it would if you were learning alone. Instead of spending hours going down the wrong path, someone can point out your misconception in a quick comment.
Writing about what you're learning also forces you to organize your thoughts. You can't just vaguely understand something when you have to explain it to others. This process of explanation deepens your own understanding, even if no one else reads what you write.
There's also the motivation factor. When you're learning publicly, you create a kind of gentle accountability. You're more likely to follow through on learning something when you've told others you're working on it.
What Learning in Public Looks Like
Learning in public doesn't have to mean starting a blog or giving conference talks. It can be much simpler than that.
It might mean tweeting about a concept you just learned, even if you're not sure you fully understand it yet. Or writing a short post about a problem you solved, including the dead ends you hit along the way. Or asking questions in online communities, forums, or chat rooms.
The key is to lower the stakes. You're not trying to teach people who know more than you do. You're just documenting your journey and sharing it with anyone who might find it useful.
Some of the most valuable learning content comes from people who are just one step ahead of where you are now. They remember the confusion and can explain things in a way that resonates with someone still in that confused state.
The Compound Effect
Learning in public has a compound effect that becomes more valuable over time. Each thing you share builds on the previous ones, creating a record of your growth that's valuable both to you and to others.
When you look back at something you wrote six months ago, you can see how far you've come. This is incredibly motivating and helps you trust the learning process, even when progress feels slow in the moment.
Other people also start to associate you with the topics you're learning about. This can lead to opportunities you wouldn't have encountered otherwise: job offers, speaking invitations, collaborations, or just interesting conversations with smart people.
The internet has a long memory for helpful content. Something you write today about a problem you're solving might help someone years from now, including a future version of yourself.
Getting Started
The hardest part is usually just starting. Pick something small you're working on or learning about right now. Write a few sentences about what you're trying to figure out, what you've tried so far, and where you're stuck.
Post it somewhere, anywhere. A blog, social media, a relevant forum or community. Don't overthink the platform or worry about having an audience. The value comes from the practice itself, not from the number of people who see it.
As you get more comfortable with sharing your learning process, you can expand into other formats: longer posts, videos, talks, or tutorials. But start small and build the habit first.
Learning in public isn't about performing expertise you don't have. It's about being honest about where you are in your journey and inviting others to learn alongside you. That honesty is what makes it powerful, both for you and for everyone who encounters your work.