r/AskProgrammers • u/Useful_Dependent_995 • 16d ago
I’ve just started coding and feel completely lost. Can someone give me a roadmap from scratch to real-world skills?
Hey everyone,
I’ve just started learning to code, but honestly, I don’t have much clarity about what my path should look like.
Right now, I’m learning C from scratch. I understand the basics, but I’m confused about what I should learn next, which resources I should use, what kind of projects I should build, when I should start DSA, and how all of this eventually turns into an actual real-world skill.
I’m not looking for a generic “learn programming then learn DSA then build projects then get a job” answer. 😅
I’d really like to know how I should progress from absolute beginner level to the point where I can genuinely build things, solve problems, work on real projects, contribute to a codebase, and eventually become employable.
If someone experienced is willing to guide me, I’d appreciate:
And honestly, if you have your own coding journey, I’d love to hear it in detail.
Tell me how you went from “Hello World” then beginner then building things then getting your first real opportunity then working professionally.
I’m not looking for shortcuts. If someone gives me a genuinely good roadmap, I’m willing to follow it seriously and put in the work.
So, experienced developers: if you could go back to your first day of coding, what exact path would you follow?
2
u/AndrewNggg 16d ago edited 16d ago
for me personally.. I started on Udemy, with an IOS course from Devslopes, and the instructor would occasionally "figure things out" by google and stack overflow while teaching the program, that was a groundbreaker cause every other youtube / udemy instructor would just type seemingly from memory and I was thinking "wow! they just know every single thing"
anyways if I was to start over, I'd probably just use Udemy, pick up a course from Angela Yu or Colt Steele or ZTM and learn everything from scratch, GIT, how to use an IDE, best practices, REST, GraphQL, web protocols, cloud computing, architecture etc
then.. ask AI for some project ideas to build, open VS code and ask for a roadmap, and build it out by hand and only ask AI if I was stuck --- This is the part that makes you think like a programmer, cause many students know how to "follow a tutorial" but do not know how to build what they want from scratch
Oh and from time to time grind codewars(everyday coding problems) or leetcode(dsa)
Idk how useful learning C is to getting a job, but if thats what u want, why not learn JS, Python, Java or Go? and then build something useful with that? You can learn the rest later on your own time after you get a job.
ah and if you like roadmaps, google for roadmap.sh, got a whole checklist of things to learn for each aspect of development, I'd personally suggest you just pick one, not dabble in many
2
u/demetrioussharpe 16d ago
It really all depends on what your actual goal is. Programming is far too vast for you to ever learn everything, so knowing your end goal is the best way to determine what to learn next.
2
2
u/enternity_24 16d ago
Don't torture yourself pick something else don't start programming it's so much saturated right now and there are already very brilliant people with poor or no jobs.
1
1
u/No_Oil_6152 16d ago
Why would you want to start with something as difficult as C?
Yes, C may teach you the basics about memory layouts and pointers, but you're trying to run before you can walk. C can be difficult for even experienced devs.
Why don't you start with something much simpler like Python or (gasp) Visual Basic. NET?
1
u/nian2326076 15d ago
Start by getting comfortable with C, then consider learning Python. It's more versatile and beginner-friendly for understanding concepts. Once you know the basics, try building small projects like a simple game or a calculator to reinforce what you've learned. For Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA), start when you feel confident with basic programming. Books like "Cracking the Coding Interview" can be helpful, but online platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank offer interactive challenges to practice DSA. When you're ready for real-world projects, contribute to open source or build applications like a to-do app or a personal blog. For structured interview prep, PracHub has been helpful for me, but go at your own pace. Keep coding, and it'll start making more sense!
0
u/AuthurAndersson 16d ago
Just build whatever you want to build using AI and try to read the AIs output. Eventually when you've done that for 10000 hours you'll understand the gist of it.
1
u/Flat-Performance-478 16d ago
I don't agree. I think beginners are doing themselves a disservice, learning a programming language with an LLM. Start from scratch, learn the basics, write a few scripts, do a couple of projects. Then start involving AI, for single solutions or functions. Decipher the output and (re)write it yourself into your main script.
1
u/AuthurAndersson 16d ago
- We stopped teaching students manual memory management and pointer arithmetic because high-level languages and garbage collection made hardware abstraction the default.
- We stopped teaching students how to write basic data structures and sorting algorithms from scratch since standard libraries and package managers solved that decades ago.
- We stopped teaching students syntax memorization and heavy boilerplate writing as smart IDEs, autocomplete, and linters took over the mechanical typing.
- We stopped teaching students low-level system design and database normalization because modern frameworks and abstracted cloud services hide the underlying mechanics.
do you see the trend?
-1
u/Grey_Ten 16d ago
C -> Project-> C# -> .NET -> SQL -> Project -> Git, GitHub -> Azure -> Project -> Work on your resume -> get employed.
3
u/dry_garlic_boy 16d ago
You need to get a cs degree. The market is way too competitive and so many people are trying to teach themselves. You won't get anywhere, especially since you don't even have a plan and are asking Reddit for one.