You might think I am joking, but… No. I’m not joking. I learned about electronics and circuit boards as a kid, self-taught in less than a year. And trust me, if I can do it you can do it. I think some of you reading this may have children, and I highly recommend you tell them about this. This is an opportunity that will show them a whole new world of electronics.
How I got into electronics
So, you might ask how I got into electronics. Well, I got into it when I was using my laptop. I was playing video games and I suddenly started thinking about how the computer works. Then I watched a YouTube video and that is what sparked my passion for circuit boards and electronics. And using a free course by Paul McWhorter on YouTube, I learned about using the famous Arduino development board. This was truly game-changing for me. When I came home this was all I thought about and all I wanted to do. Every day after school I would pull out my laptop and go to YouTube and watch his incredible course.
I am going to give you a few recommendations on how you can learn circuits and electronics. These suggestions are going to be kid-friendly, so if you feel like showing this to your kid, then go ahead.
Start with Basics
Start with the basics. Trust me, I have made this mistake of jumping ahead, and not fully understanding. So you MUST start with the basics and then work your way up to harder pieces of work. There are going to be a few things that you have to buy to start this, but you shouldn’t spend more than $30. Of course, as you progress, you’ll have to buy more components.
Use Free Courses
When starting out with electronics, I highly recommend using YouTube. This platform has so many different videos and courses on circuits. I don’t recommend spending a lot of money on a Bootcamp or online class. YouTube is more than good enough for starting out with electronics and circuit boards.
Don’t Give Up
Don’t give up, please. I know that when you first start out, it may be boring, but as you progress and learn the foundations, then it will get much less boring. You will get to express your inner engineer and design and build your very own robots and machines.
Now, I know this might not be for everyone, but for some people (like me,) creating circuits is an amazing feeling. It is truly amazing what you can accomplish with a few components and a battery.