Trouble coding in my spare time
Posted by Tasty_Croissants@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 23 comments
Hello, so for some context, I'm a second-year computer science student, and I really love coding; it feels like my thing. I'm also genuinely interested in space, science in general, etc., etc.
The problem I'm having is that I'm constantly stressing over my future unemployment due to the lack of any relevant projects on my GitHub, for example, and it isn't that I don't want to code; it's more that most of the time I'm already studying for university really hard, so when I do have a little spare time, all I want to do is play video games to relax myself, not break my head over coding. This has been a real source of stress for me, because I love this field and I know that the market is really hard currently, and (from what I've been told) unless you're a remarkable coder, you'll have a hard time finding a decent job. I just need advice on this, or just to know if maybe I'm just breaking my head over nothing and everything will be fine.
Everyone in uni seems to already have a LinkedIn and cool things going on, and I simply have nothing, and I feel horrible because of it. It feels like I won't achieve anything.
Any advice is appreciated.
no_regerts_bob@reddit
Coding can be relaxing and more fun than video games to me. Maybe you're putting too much pressure on an outcome? If you can find a way to have fun writing code you'll get the benefits of "down time" while also gaining experience programming.
Maybe do less difficult projects until you become more capable? Even just redo a small project over and over improving one thing at a time
WhatTheFrick3000@reddit
Not OP, but thank you for your comment, I’ve faced a similar issue where I struggle to code for fun like I used to, partially due to pressure of finding a job and on the other hand due to my skills weakened over time due to taking a long break.
A good project idea definitely helps, at least the approach I have been trying to take is “solving a problem that bugs me” but so far I’ve only gotten one, and it’s pretty daunting haha
Tasty_Croissants@reddit (OP)
Probably yeah, I just want things that are fun to me but that also have “real” value yk, everyone seems to have a cool GitHub and stuff
no_regerts_bob@reddit
I get the desire to do something meaningful. But reality is that most programmers never do anything very important or meaningful. They still have nice careers and enjoy life, we just don't hear about the millions of "regular" programmers. Most employers just want to see competency, they don't need you to have discovered some important new application of programming. I think a step back and make programming fun again is a good approach
Tasty_Croissants@reddit (OP)
So just code whatever comes to mind? Feels like I’m that one awkward middle of knowing the some stuff but not knowledgeable enough to do actual complex stuff
no_regerts_bob@reddit
What would you do in a video game you just started playing? Me, I'd farm the simple stuff and try build up skills/abilities/whatever to get ready for the next part of the game. Do the same with code. If it feels put of reach, farm what is in reach
Tasty_Croissants@reddit (OP)
thats a good point! Just kinda feels like all ive been doing is simple command console programs or maybe some simple graphics stuff haha
no_regerts_bob@reddit
Do more, grind the XP my guy
grantrules@reddit
So build on that stuff. Add complexity bit by bit. If you learned graphics, make a simple game like space invaders or pacman
grantrules@reddit
If anything, the software I've written has has a net negative on humanity (I used to work for a company that helped ticket scalpers maximize profits)
no_regerts_bob@reddit
Yeah I've had some projects I didn't feel great about lol
WhatTheFrick3000@reddit
Not OP, but thank you for your comment, I’ve faced a similar issue where I struggle to code for fun like I used to, partially due to pressure of finding a job and on the other hand due to my skills weakened over time due to taking a long break.
A good project idea definitely helps, at least the approach I have been trying to take is “solving a problem that bugs me” but so far I’ve only gotten one, and it’s pretty daunting haha
melvinpamplona@reddit
Stop comparing yourself to other people. (e.g on LinkedIn, Github profiles, personal portfolios). Comparing your progress to other people's progress is just a waste of time and energy.
Instead, focus on what you can do to improve your own skills and knowledge. Build projects you are interested into. Take your time on researching and building it. If you don't have anything your interested in, explore different topics/projects, look for inspiration on other projects(but don't compare), and when you finally find something you want to spend your time with/build, start from there.
Consistency is better than intensity.
JGhostThing@reddit
Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It seems that you are using this to procrastinate.
Build a project around something else (non coding) that you like. For example, I like table top role playing games. In learning rust, I worked on a server to create fictional star ships for the game I was playing (Traveller).
Just-Pea-5165@reddit
I hope you don’t mind, but could you elaborate on that project? I’m starting to learn code and am scrambling my brain for ideas on what to work up to, and that’s piqued my interest.
JGhostThing@reddit
Basically, I accepted a JSON file which described a ship. The server took this information, and applied the rules, and output a different file which was the correct ship.
This is just a gross simplification of the server, but it worked. Unfortunately, there are a lot of border cases, which is what made the server a pain to get right.
Tasty_Croissants@reddit (OP)
That project sounds fun :)
bootyhole_licker69@reddit
pick one tiny fun project, code 20 minutes a day tops, ignore linkedin flex. finding work now is stupid hard anyway
Tasty_Croissants@reddit (OP)
What are some ideas of things I could code? Maybe my problem is not that I don’t know what to create but that I wanna create a nuclear reactor just starting haha, I know the necessary stuff already, data structures, etc etc so I should be fine
grantrules@reddit
Blows my mind when people can't come up with ANYTHING to code. I haven't notebooks full of ideas I'll never get around to.
You can come up with anything. It doesn't need to be practical, unique, useful.. you can do anything!
Come up with something related to your interests.
If all else fails, just Google beginner project ideas
https://github.com/karan/Projects
grantrules@reddit
Come up with a fun project that motivates you. The people who get back from class and write code instead of playing video games are going to have the upper hand.
Tasty_Croissants@reddit (OP)
I agree
TigerAnxious9161@reddit
pick tiny pieces of syllabus or project and do it time based