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So I’m an on/off noobie but have been focusing on actually sticking with programming what I’ve been working on is Python but this question is for programming in general. For me it’s hard but I want to see how I can get better

Like are these good ways to get good:

Follow tutorials, then work on ways of adding your own twists or changes? Or trying to code it in something else?

Work on assignments from a resource you’re using like in my case Python Crash Course and attempt to redo the assignments without looking back?

Experiment with multiple libraries and library methods or built in methods?

Please share any other ways especially ones that helped you

Also when would be good to start a new language after learning one

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[-] 0x01@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

I've taught a few developers and have pretty extensive experience on the topic

Tutorials are fine, but don't get stuck on the idea that you need guidance through the whole process, it’s better to avoid tutorials entirely than it is to follow a bunch of tutorials.

For example, when I started out my most recent student we began with some challenges that I knew would provide some context for future projects, then immediately jumped into those projects. Depending on what you're passionate about, the best project for you can differ, but we did the following projects:

  1. A lemmy face wizard page, literally just a list of lemmy faces that clicking on will copy to your clipboard
  2. An invoice maker, since they needed to send me invoices because I was paying them for their time
  3. a react native sudoku app, this one was challenging and took them a couple months, but when they were done they took over one of my contracts for mobile development

And the challenges that led to these projects? Everything from basic algorithms to api interaction puzzles.

My advice would be to pick something that you love and come up with the tiniest project you can possibly think of, then cut the scope a little more.

For example, love pokemon? Maybe make a website that you can click on one of the types and it will highlight the strengths/weaknesses of that type. Love golf? Maybe make a golf score tracker mobile app, a big button to add a stroke and another to move to the next hole.

If you are passionate about something it gets a lot easier to get better at programming because the stuff you're missing will become obvious and you'll need to look it up to finish your project.

My very first project nearly 30 years ago was a windows 95 app that moved your mouse to draw in mspaint automatically.

I'd say starting a new language is a pretty big mistake until about 4-5 months after you feel proficient with your first language. Starting over with new syntax has actually caused more than one of my students to quit

this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2025
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Programming

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