What is better? Theory or practice in learning IT? I'd argue both. When I teach I try to blend both. I think where people get hung up is on too much theory. Don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of students and working professionals have no theory and sometimes it hurts. When you start to ask deep questions or are required to articulate, without the deep theory you can falter. It can come in handy in troubleshooting, mainly from a critical thinking aspect.