[jpoesen]

tl:dr: contribute to opensource -> learn tech and tools in the real world, forge relationships and expand your network, all while learning.

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One approach is to pick one (or a handful) of opensource projects that use tech you seem interested in, and start contributing in small ways: correcting typos, testing if patch or merge request X does indeed seem to solve problem Y and report back, etc.

Many projects tag issues that are well-suited for beginners, and many welcome first-time contributions.

Doing this exposes you too a specific set of tools and processes, teaches you collaboration and making things happen, and can create friendship for life.

Also, don't dismiss writing about what you learn. Either as a dev journal blog or helping with documentation, writing tutorial-style forces you to be technically correct and unambiguous, and in turn forces you to learn about things at a level of detail you wouldn't otherwise have bothered to research.