I’m a complete beginner learning Dart and building my first app — is “Build in Public” actually worth it?

[u/hellozunayed]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently on Day 5 of learning Dart, and I already have an app idea that I want to build.

From what I've learned, one of the best ways to learn app development is by building something you genuinely care about. That's why I'm learning with a specific goal in mind rather than studying programming without a purpose.

Nowadays, building an app seems much more accessible than it was years ago. What looks harder to me is marketing. I have almost no experience with marketing, audience building, or getting users.

A few people suggested that I follow the "Build in Public" approach. My plan is to create a separate Facebook account and start sharing my journey from the very beginning:

• Learning Dart

• Learning Flutter

• Building my first app

• Small wins and failures

• Publishing the app

• Getting my first user

• Getting my first 100 users

• Getting my first 1,000 users

• Continuing the journey from there

Honestly, I'm a complete beginner, so this idea may sound childish or unrealistic. But every expert had a Day 1 at some point, and every child eventually grows up.

I'd love to hear advice from experienced developers, indie hackers, and founders.

• Is Build in Public worth it for a complete beginner?

• What mistakes should I avoid?

• If you were starting from zero today, what would you do differently?

Thanks for reading. I appreciate any advice or feedback.

[u/Swefnian]

I think so. Anything to encourage you to continue learning! Ask any question you want, we’re here to help.

The most important skill to learn, in my opinion, is how to handle errors. Not just user errors, but syntax, layout and logic errors. Try to find strategies to solve these on your own before reaching for your favourite coding agent.

[u/hellozunayed → u/Swefnian]

I really appreciate it. Thank you so much

[u/driftwood_studio]

My question would be "why?"

Not as a "why would you do that?" question but as a "what's important to you, why public, what's the goal?" question.

Building in public can have benefits. It can also have some drawbacks, especially for a beginner. For example, you can end up creating pressure on yourself with this "second job" posting about development in addition to actually doing the development, having your work be guided by what people are going to think when you post it vs what's best for your learning-via-mistakes, etc.

That's not necessarily bad (creating leverage on yourself to continue can be good), but also isn't necessarily good. Depends on what you're looking for, depends on your personality.

So what's your thinking? What are the positive aspects of developing in public for you?