I'd like to focus on the "secret weapon" part of your question :) I teach students, and I've seen all manner of people, and one thing that distinguishes those

I'd like to focus on the "secret weapon" part of your question :) I teach students, and I've seen all manner of people, and one thing that distinguishes those who get better vs those who don't is: consistency. Show up every day to practice, to improve. Put in the effort. Try to do, try to be active. Listen to more experienced/accomplished people. In the early days, it matters less exactly what you do. Most things will help, tutorials, courses, building your own thing. The difficult part is sticking with the process. If you do these things *consistently*, you'll grow quickly. PS: The second most important thing in my opinion is, managing discomfort/negative feedback.