It turns out all the "junk you don't need to know" are actually important fundamentals of programming that you absolutely need to understand. Building an app is a lengthy and difficult process that requires understanding of a wide range of topics. While I know sometimes it's frustrating that you can't just start cranking things out immediately, I promise that if you are patient you will see the "things you don't need to know" click into place and become essential once you start the actual process of building the app.