posted 16 years ago
First, you must read books, like Spring in Action.
Second, you must do the exercises on those books.
Third, yes, if you dont use it on your day job, I do also make personal applications, just to play with ALL the new things I learned in the book. Just like you plan to do, I do this using 1 single application. I keep changing it to incorporate new knowledge, may it be spring, struts, hibernate, etc.
And lastly, isolate your learning. If you are studying spring, give yourself a break and study only spring. studying 2 things at the same time is asking for headache- like spring and hibernate together. Yes, the same time of course is okay and unavoidable, but keep them isolated when reading, and practicing code.