Will it pay off?

That's almost always the question when we're trying to learn something new. Sometimes the payoff is immediate, like when we pick up a new hobby just to relax. But sometimes the payoff isn't immediate—or immediately clear.

In those cases, I tend to just follow my own curiosity like a Bloodhound following a scent. It usually works out.

Here's just a few examples of things I've done that I had no idea how much they would pay off:

• Watching a four-hour tutorial from freeCodeCamp on SQL about five years ago. I still can't really write SQL from scratch, but I can interpret the syntax, and it's made it a lot easier to fix things on WordPress sites.
• Taking the time to learn the WordPress Command-line Interface (WP-CLI). When I'm working on a build, I usually work in the editor and in VS Code. Having access to WP-CLI makes it easy to clear caches and do all sorts of useful things without having to dig through labyrinthine menus. Plus, with Claude, I can run complex commands and SQL right there in the terminal. I'm intentionally keeping this post short, but it suffices to say that WP-CLI has transformed my dev experience.
• Completing the CSS curriculum on freeCodeCamp. It took me a few months to get through every module and lesson, but every minute has paid off in spades. So much of the web development work I do is about making things look right and be responsive, and actually understanding CSS is 1000% essential. I knew the course would be useful—I had no idea how much.
• Vibe coding an MCP server for Basecamp. The whole point of this project was about learning what MCP servers can do, and now I see that MCP connections are part of the future of how we'll interact with and leverage LLMs. I vibe-coded it as a exploratory project, and it gave me so much insight into how API design affects the utility of MCP servers and how they work under the hood.

In each of these examples, I had no idea where the learning would lead. I learned it because it seemed worthwhile. Each instance had some early wins, but the true value has been compounding: greater efficiency, more thoughtful problem solving, an expanded toolset, and deeper contextual understanding.

If you're curious about learning something, but you're not sure if it will be worth it, just go for it. Curiosity is often a good indicator of where you should go next. And remember, it's about the journey, not the destination. The process of learning things has always been more valuable than just obtaining the raw skill. The mindset shifts, mental discipline required to become develop competence in a new area—that's where the real value lies. Just get started and you'll be surprised at the doors that open.