This group not a classroom, it's more like the playground at recess where the students (all of us) chat about what we understood in class, what we tried, and what we got wrong. (and the other sex)
Often there's a clever guy, that understood the lessons, and if you're lucky he can help you pick it up. There are also pretenders that can send you way down the wrong track. They just like the sound of their own voice and short term adulation. And... there are some good tips from mid-level experts that have the right idea, but not enough experience. They're useful, but never listen to a single source as gospel truth. (that's why there were a few of them!)
Unfortunately, you must learn how to ask a decent question among the right 'crew', and do your homework... otherwise all the playground chatter in the world can't make your skill-set any better.
There are no exams or tests other than your own satisfaction that you 'got it right', but these can niggle at you for years because invariably you could have done better ! That's the curse of being a developer!
