You can, and it will certainly help, but as the old saying goes "unfortunately no one can be told what the Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself". In some contexts no amount of reading will give you the insight that experience does.
And vice versa, too (granted my own learning style leads me to implementing what I read in little test projects, but I digress)
Overall though, I'm finding the more unique sensory info you give your brain, the better it gets at solving problems in general. Even if that info isn't very related to your goal.
It's a bit like trying not to be a hammer that sees everything as a nail.
