Trying to Learn Skills vs Trying to Earn, What Should Come First?

Geralt of Rivia

Geralt of Rivia

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Hi everyone,

I am new to making money online and a bit confused about the right approach.

On one side, people say focus on learning a skill first (like SEO, writing, design), and money will come later.
On the other side, some suggest starting with simple earning methods and learning along the way.

Right now, I feel stuck between:
  • Spending months just learning without earning
  • Or trying to earn early without proper skills

I do not mind putting in time, but I want to move in the right direction from the beginning.

For those who have already started earning:
  • Did you focus on learning first or earning first?
  • What helped you get your first small income online?

I would really appreciate practical advice from your experience.
 
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With no skills, you have nothing to offer. What you'll end up doing is the odd jobs of IM. You can make money doing that but you can never scale.
If you have a lot of free time, you can do both. But don't get too comfortable once you see money hitting your bank.
 
Some people learn skills on the job, you can do that. But learning a few skills beforehand will give you a head start for sure.
 
Markets change, Products slow down, industries emerge, Money fluctuates, Skills stay forever.
 
I wasted a lot of time “learning” without doing anything.

Progress only started when I actually tried to make money, even if I sucked at it.
 
make money first , even if pay $20 to rent smm child panel u can start making some peanuts money

rather than you've to waste months to be familiar with entry level skills which AI can take over your place like opus 4.6 can definitely read API docs & code faster than you
 
As you see on the topic, opinions differ a lot.
I would say try to learn something atleast at a level that you are comfortable of offering a service at a "reasonable" level.
Cause if you get traffic but you are not ready skillwise to deal with the tasks that they will request you it is kinda pointless.

It's better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war.
 
Geralt of Rivia said:
Hi everyone,

I am new to making money online and a bit confused about the right approach.

On one side, people say focus on learning a skill first (like SEO, writing, design), and money will come later.
On the other side, some suggest starting with simple earning methods and learning along the way.

Right now, I feel stuck between:
  • Spending months just learning without earning
  • Or trying to earn early without proper skills

I do not mind putting in time, but I want to move in the right direction from the beginning.

For those who have already started earning:
  • Did you focus on learning first or earning first?
  • What helped you get your first small income online?

I would really appreciate practical advice from your experience.
Click to expand...
learn and along the way put that into practice and earn.
 
Geralt of Rivia said:
Hi everyone,

I am new to making money online and a bit confused about the right approach.

On one side, people say focus on learning a skill first (like SEO, writing, design), and money will come later.
On the other side, some suggest starting with simple earning methods and learning along the way.

Right now, I feel stuck between:
  • Spending months just learning without earning
  • Or trying to earn early without proper skills

I do not mind putting in time, but I want to move in the right direction from the beginning.

For those who have already started earning:
  • Did you focus on learning first or earning first?
  • What helped you get your first small income online?

I would really appreciate practical advice from your experience.
Click to expand...
Hi, welcome

I was in the same situation before, and honestly the best approach is both at the same time — but in a smart way.

Don’t spend months just learning without action.
Don’t try to earn blindly without any basic skill.

What works best:

  • Learn a basic version of a skill (1–2 weeks max)
  • Then start offering small/simple services immediately
  • Improve while working with real clients
Example:

  • Learn basic SEO → offer simple gigs (keyword research, on-page fixes)
  • Learn writing → start with small blog posts or product descriptions
What helped me get first income:

  • Starting small (cheap offers at first)
  • Taking action early (even when not fully ready)
  • Learning from real tasks, not just courses
Think of it like this:
You don’t need to be “fully ready” — you just need to be slightly ahead of a beginner client.

If I could restart, I’d:
→ Learn fast
→ Start early
→ Improve while earning

That’s the fastest path out of being stuck.
 
First earn a bit, then learn. Start with one solid offer, run cheap traffic, track ROI every day. If the first payout looks decent, scale the winner and study what you tweaked on the landing. Don't wait months to test.
 
You can start earning by offering what you already have (skills/products) then just learn gradually as you go on.
 
You don't need more than 3-4 weeks to learn the theory of any of these... I was an SEO myself... as soon as you're done, check real job posts on any of the freelance platforms to see the skills, requirements, and common experience clients are asking for. Actually, doing the latter first can help you know what to actually focus on as you learn.

Now, use those same real job posts to build a mock portfolio - you're basically using the job post as a brief so you have something to show when you start reaching out to companies.
 
josephkevogo said:
make money first , even if pay $20 to rent smm child panel u can start making some peanuts money

rather than you've to waste months to be familiar with entry level skills which AI can take over your place like opus 4.6 can definitely read API docs & code faster than you
Click to expand...
How can I earn online now
 
Do both at the same time, but on a very small scale

People waste years learning without ever selling anything. Others try making money with zero skills and quit after failing for 2 weeks

Best approach imo:
  • pick one skill
  • use it immediately on real projects
  • earn tiny amounts while learning

My first online income was honestly small and ugly, but it taught me more than 6 months of tutorials
 
WPGads said:
Do both at the same time, but on a very small scale

People waste years learning without ever selling anything. Others try making money with zero skills and quit after failing for 2 weeks

Best approach imo:
  • pick one skill
  • use it immediately on real projects
  • earn tiny amounts while learning

My first online income was honestly small and ugly, but it taught me more than 6 months of tutorials
Click to expand...
Okay how can I start now
 
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