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For me, this book demystified these topics and allowed me to do your second and third step in the first place :)

It's okay to not come up with/reinvent from first principles every technique on your own. It's normal to stand on the shoulders of giants.

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I'd think of it as riding a bike vs reading about riding a bike.

I’d much rather have someone, or something, providing guidance as I learned to ride a bike. Of course you’re less likely to end up with a head injury writing an interpreter, but still, it’s not exactly a crime to learn before doing.

When you learn to ride a bike, someone teaches you how to do it.

You could go out and fall down a few times by yourself so it’s more fulfilling when you have instruction, but I wouldn’t say that’s the most efficient path.

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