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Comment by mdgrech23 | Hacker News Reader

I learn a lot of stuff of my own but I have to admit for almost everything in hind sight I probably would of been better off doing it the proper way. There is no better setting than a classroom, that meets regularly, with an experienced professional who takes the art of teaching seriously showing you how to do something and being surrounded by other beginners and watching their mistakes.

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Well said.

During Covid I learned a good amount of Chinese sitting home alone.

When I had the chance to sign up for an evening class, the rate of learning exploded.

When I finally had the chance to visit China, there was no comparison to the immersion.

"Learning things by yourself" is amazing when that is all you have.

It means you're never completely limited.

But it isn't a substitution for an immersive learning environment.

True. But doing a class with no practice outside class is also pretty limited. Living in China is the best way to learn the language, but only if you put in the effort too. I knew plenty of westerners who lived in China but put no effort in to learn the language. You have to do both immersion and study by yourself.

The thing is that sometimes you don't have access to a classroom

I've been using online tutors to help with online courses and it's been a great pairing. It's unbelievable the level of academic expertise you can get online for a reasonable price.

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