need senior/practical programmer's suggestion

Posted by fluffball23@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 10 comments

long story Short , i am at this stage where i understand syntax of python and java , i understand the projects , complex projects take a lil more time to understand , but i can't create anything from scratch I don't know but when i start to follow a project on yt it feels like I don't know anything most of yt seems like skipping information/explanation , i have two questions 1. what to do at this stage to improve myself i want to go ML , and be proficient in programming first then move to ML 2.what's the effective way to make projects and learn from them , need some suggestions from seniors in this field having practical knowledge , regards sorry for bad english appreciate each and every response

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10 Comments

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NationalOperations@reddit

Here's my method of learning new languages/platforms to be able to make things and learn new things from tutorials. Find a smaller goal project you want to do right down key features you need to make. If this is a YouTube video watch it and write down bullet points you need to do. Don't go to specific broad strokes that make sense to you. Then start the project from scratch and use those bullet points to look up specific answers. Eventually you will get better at asking the right bite sized questions on any platform to reach your goal.

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fluffball23@reddit (OP)

thanks for the insights, Noted all the tips , grateful for them , i will work on it , any more tips based on my scenario , like knowing fundamentals yet still unable to make em work in a big project , note : i haven't done projects that much but when i start i feel like i know nothing 👀 and project i search are already made i want the feeling of building something from the ground ups by my self

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NationalOperations@reddit

Knowing and having a understanding of are two different things, but I know what you're saying. The key is doing lots of your own projects, to quote Day9 "Learning anything is going to be 100 hours of suck". Doing those projects and having those bullet points, and struggling (feeling like you know nothing) will build the understanding you are looking for

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fluffball23@reddit (OP)

you got my point it's not that i dont know what a variable , loop conditionals , breaks , continues all these basic stuff things i know what they do , and how they do they work and i can make small time projects but when i try following a big project there's this ton of new concept that overwhelms my previous knowledge and pushes me to a thought circle wtf have i been learning there's so much more i dont know and i end up following halfway the project's, i am well aware that I have not even a single big project even followed uptil now , only done mini projects , is that the reason im stuck ? the basics im confident on them , but failing even a single time i quit , gotta work on that i guess I'm putting less efforts and zero practice and building my self while trying would be the go to answer i guess

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NationalOperations@reddit

Yeah it's just doing, there is always (at least for me) ups and downs of imposter syndrome and feeling like it never ends. But the upside is there's always more to learn! A opportunity to face new puzzles even if annoying at times. I think you're getting it. You won't know all the concepts and how to's when working on projects. Chances are you'll still have questions when making things work. But if you just keep making things that are out of your comfort zone you'll pick up more and more. Learning to learn is a tough thing to do

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QuePasa_next@reddit

this sounds like exactly what I need to do. Thank You!

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desrtfx@reddit

You can *read* a book, but you can't *write one*. This is quite normal if you only have learnt through videos and mainly learnt vocabulary and grammar (language keywords and syntax) and neglected what is *really* the key to learning: acticvely programming - not following tutorials - creating programs on your own. That's why courses like the MOOC [Python Programming 2023](https://programming-23.mooc.fi) or [Java Programming](https://java-programming.mooc.fi) from the University of Helsinki are so far superior to other resources. From day 1 they focus on having *you* actively program, activey *think* how you can solve problems. Programming is not learning vocabulary and grammar. Programming is learning to analyse, dissect, and solve problems in an algorithmic way that *then* can be implemented in a programming language. You have memorized a dictionary, but have not even really started to write essays. You absolutely need to program. The **FAQ** have plenty **Project Ideas** on all (including extreme beginner) levels.

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fluffball23@reddit (OP)

that's a nice explanation , but i still don't get it should i not learn syntax and programming fundamentals? and get familiar with them first? was i wrong doing that? and regarding making something absolutely from scratch any leads to that , I think you mis understood a Little i know the programming fundamentals which incl things like loops , conditionals and reat all the basics i know how they work , basics that can be shifted to any language , but regardless of knowing how they work i can not make something absolutely unique , that no one made before or something i want to make using programming

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desrtfx@reddit

If you know how the fundamentals work you have a large part of the deal. I did in no way say not to learn the fundamentals. I did say that it doesn't much sense to *memorize* the keywords and syntax without using them. You need to learn to write your own programs. This is a different skill from learning *a programming language*. You need to learn to take a problem, analsye the problem, dissect it into sub problems, and then develop step-by-step solutions (algorithms) for each of the sub-problems. Once you have these, you can implement them in any programming language you know. While learning, you cannot strive for "something absolutely unique that no one made before". Strive for well trodden paths, simple things that have been made countless times before so you can take inspiration (not solutions). A great, and fairly simple example is [Conway's Game Of Life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_Game_of_Life) that can be entirely programmed with knowing arrays, loops, conditionals, and basic input/output (doesn't even need GUI, textual works just as well).

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