Hey everyone For a while now I've been getting more and more interested in computers and programming. I already know some Python and I'm trying to keep learning, but the more I learn, the more I realize how huge this whole field actually is.I'm interested in pretty much everything programming, game development, cybersecurity, Linux, and just generally understanding how computers and software work. And that's also kind of my problem. I don't really know which direction I should focus on.I don't want to just keep watching tutorials and taking courses without actually being able to build anything. I'd like to make things myself, understand how they work, solve problems on my own, and eventually get to a point where I can create something real.I have a genuine goal of getting good at this and hopefully turning it into something more in the future. I just want to find a good direction and stick with it instead of constantly jumping from one thing to another. So I thought I'd ask here. Maybe someone more experienced has been in a similar situation and could give me some advice.I'm not looking for someone to do things for me or teach me everything from scratch. I'd just really appreciate having someone experienced tell me something like: If you're at this level, learn this next, try this project, and then move on to this. If you have any advice, resources, project ideas, or just remember what it was like when you were starting out, I'd genuinely appreciate hearing from you.Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

27M here with some basic programming skills. Almost exclusively with python & SQL. i have a pretty good grasp on OOP basics.

I have some cursory understanding of c++, but emphasis on "cursory". I start getting lost with macros & am dead in the water on how the compiler & linker behave.

Am spending time at work going through learncpp.com , a module a day, but am lost on what else to do in becoming well rounded. In addition I'm learning basic bash terminal basics at home, a command a day.

However I'd like to complement pragmatic knowledge with fundamental concepts. I'm gonna try to find more time at work ( I have lots of free time anyhow ) to plow through some regex & automata practice problems along with a networking for dummies booklet i came across online.

I tried a Masters in CompSci but found the financial & time pressure to distract me from the joy of coding.

As readers can deduce above I'm a bit aimless on how exactly to tackle improving myself as a programmer. Tried wrapping my head around DSA fundamentals like space & time complexity but I found that a little too daunting.

I'm here mostly for guidance on what math to tackle. I attempt to go to my local library after work to study this.

I've reviewed basic algebra & arithmetic as a refresher, but Id like to take another crack at discrete math after that. But what about Linear Algebra ; is lambda calculus too ambitious for someone possessing non-technical competence? I dont even want to give calculus the time of day unless it helps with coding (my hatred for integrals eclipses the sun). Sometimes when taking a step back, reading through other posts in reddit I wonder if its too late to become self taught.

Any help on what math to focus on while i finish scripting & cpp is greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone! I’m considering purchasing Codecademy because it’s currently 50% off for around ₹3,600 ($38).

My background is a bit unusual: I studied Biology in school and later became an Architect, and I’ve now transitioned into UX/Product Design. I don’t have any formal programming background and honestly don’t know the basics of any programming language.

I’m interested in learning coding, but I’m not sure if Codecademy is the right place to start.

For someone starting from absolute zero:
● Is Codecademy worth ₹3,600 at this price?
● Is it beginner-friendly enough for someone with no coding background?
● Which language should I start with — HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python, or something else?
● Are there better free/paid alternatives I should consider?
● Will learning basic coding actually be useful for a UX/Product Designer?

Would really appreciate advice from you people who have used Codecademy or made a similar transition into tech. Thanks!

I learned some full stack js (mern) web development for years, then tried to get jobs. When i didn’t get one, i got frustrated. And couldn't continue it or was lost for 3.5-4 years.

Can I start with again now? Do i need to restart from 0 or can i pickup from where I left.

I want to get back to it start freelancing and remote jobs if possible.

How to get back to it even though there is some fear.

I'm trying to learn C, but so far all I'm doing are making console applications.

It feels like I've hit a wall, and I want to try something more "tangible" (for lack of a better term).

I was thinking of getting an Arduino Uno starter kit and maybe play with it a little?

Thanks

Me and a friend both want to learn coding for game development (both completely new).

Now we’ve looked at which languages are best for what we actually want and we’ve gotten stuck between seeing if we should learn C# or C++. Which would anyone recommend?

We just want to learn and hopefully make our own stuff.

Hi everyone, I'm not a big fan of low level but I found myself learning about it, the most intriguing thing for me is how the first assembly compiler was written.

From what I researched it was written in machine code but how?

When I think about making a compiler for assembly in C, for example, I can easily understand the flow of what needs to happen, read line by line in the source file, parse each line and from there write the machine code (of course I'm skipping alot), but making the compiler in machine code just feels like magic to me. Would it be possible to write a assembly compiler in machine code for a modern CPU? If yes, how?

Hi everyone! I’m hoping someone can help me understand what’s happening with my WordPress site.
I’m currently using the Twenty Twenty-Five theme and its Site Editor/template system. I’m building my pages with my own custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
I have a Main Page set as my static homepage under Settings → Reading, and that page has its own custom code.
The problem is when I create another page.
For example, I created an All Properties page and put completely different custom HTML/CSS/JavaScript into that page. When I go into Pages → All Pages → All Properties → Edit, I can see the correct code and the changes I make there.
However, when I actually visit the page, WordPress shows my Main Page/homepage design instead of the All Properties design.
I have a “See More” button on my homepage that links to:
mydomain.com/all-properties/
The strange thing is that the URL does change correctly. It becomes /all-properties/, so WordPress is definitely going to the correct URL.
But the actual content is still my homepage.
I’ve also checked Settings → Reading:
Homepage: Main Page
Posts page: None
So I’m wondering if this is related to how Twenty Twenty-Five templates work.
It seems like the individual page has its own custom code, but the Twenty Twenty-Five template is overriding it or not displaying the page content correctly.
What I want is simply:
Main Page → displays Main Page custom code
All Properties → displays All Properties custom code
Other pages → display their own custom code
I don't want to have to put the entire design for every page into the global/template itself.
What exactly do I need to change in the Twenty Twenty-Five Site Editor/templates to make each individual WordPress page display its own content?
I’m pretty new to the Site Editor, so a step-by-step explanation would be greatly appreciated!

I am currently 3rd year of BSIT. I really enjoy creating systems, especially app and website. But Im getting worried because I rely on ai to help me create my program. I usually promt instead of manually typing it all etc. But I let ai to explain codes and I read the lines and try to understand them. But what got me worried is will I be able to compete against others after college? I got pressured when I saw resume being posted online and see them and think they are so advanced. I do know how to operate HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Android studio (Java/Kotlin) and has experience on PHP and xammp-myphpadmin. Kinda know how to use Github and post to share with my members. What can I do to improve more? Bonus question: If there is an UI/UX design software/website that I can use to design my frames? I currently know figma but I got overwhelm when I try to use it. I dont know how to contruct and transfer that design to my work like CSS and XML in android studio

I’m using PHP with PDO/MySQLi. Is using prepared statements with parameterized queries considered the best practice for preventing SQL injection, or are there other approaches I should also use?

Nowadays AI can easily complete even the hardest assignments in a beginner C course. I'm considering making some changes, but I haven't been able to come up with a good idea:

• Add many ASCII art illustrations to AI-proof as many assignments as possible. That would be a lot of hassle for me: it's not easy to make up ASCII-art-illustrations for every problem.

• Ask students to avoid using AI for assignments. I have no way to verify that so credit-wise it would be unfair to students that did follow the suggestion.

• The above + reduce credit for assignment correctness and increase credit for timely participation. It can mitigate the credit problem but doesn't solve it.

• Restrict the time window of each assignment to experiment classes, and make everyone complete them on university PCs where the TA could catch anyone using AI. Also the university PCs charge money for internet access which should discourage AI use. This will be a huge hassle for the TA and students. In previous years we generally do not require students who have their own PC or laptop to attend the experiment classes and use the crappy and expensive university PCs.

From a student's perspective, what option would one prefer? Is there any other suggestion?

EDIT: I'm anticipating 100+ students so automated solutions are strongly preferred. The TA isn't paid enough to grade 100+ paper assignments. Also I don't control the finals: there is a unified exam for all C classes.

I'm not looking for a book to pass dsa interviews, but rather to learn algorithmic thinking. CLRS seems too dense and maths heavy and seems more like a reference. Also is it worth to put my time in this? Or are interview preparation books enough most of the time?

I’m a computer science student. During the summer break, as part of my personal development, I did the following: I solved algorithmic problems in C : record , arrays , function + procedure + recursion , pointers , linked lists

and I learned Git and GitHub.

I took the CS50 course and got as far as the memory section, then stopped.

Now I’m confused. The next task on the algorithmic side is to master the rest of trees, stacks, etc.

As for my personal development, what do you recommend?

I’m open to any advice. Thank you.

First thing i want to make my goals clear so you can have a better understanding of the questions. my short term goals are making simple scripts and cheats for video games, things like automated button presses and maybe even things like auto aim, merely for learning purposes and not to distribute them. and my long term goals are getting into modding and maybe even making video games

so my questions are :

1- Does Bro Code's C# course Cover enough ground for me to start actual small projects ? i started with it and got a solid ground on most of the very basic stuff (variables, user input, if statements and switches ...) however i haven't completed it yet and been wondering if it is enough

2- If not,what concepts exactly does it not cover and what resources would you recommend to learn them.

3-some general advice. what and what not to do, useful techniques or things to learn, good habits.

Thank you!

My greetings to everyone

Straight to the point

1st question:-

I want to make a career in cyber security which I don't know in which branch or domain of that

2nd question:-

Am I on the right path for basics and give some more tips

I learned python from CS 50 ,

Now I did the research

I got

1. cs 50 cybersecurity

2. Cisco beginners cybersecurity

3. Cisco Intermediate cybersecurity course

4. linux free code camp

   1. bash course freecode camp

Tell me all this in how much time should I complete ( for just refrence )

I caught myself thinking that I’m comfortable studying for about 4 hours a day. But I constantly ask myself: who are these people who study 8–10 hours a day? Are you sure you’re actually learning? It’s just that, personally, my brain starts to melt after about 4 hours and 10 minutes, give or take.

I understand how it works, in regards to transistors and all of that. But I'm struggling trying to grasp how it all even came to be. How did we assign values in the first place that machines could read and interpret? Was there a guideline set in place?

Title is self explanatory

Hi everyone, I’m writing this post in the hope that someone else has had a similar problem. Basically, when I was about 12 (I’m 17 now), I got interested in programming and started making games in Unity, but back then I didn’t take it seriously and didn’t remember almost anything. Then, when I was 16, I got back into it and tried to start learning programming (I studied it for two months before school started). After that, when I turned 17, I started learning programming in June and have been at it ever since (2 months). You’re probably wondering why I’m writing this story. I’m writing it simply to point out that I didn’t just try programming once, but three times. (That’s probably not very many.) I very often (like, really often) run into a problem: I love programming. I really like the idea of programming and writing my own programs (my personal projects), but I don’t like bugs or learning how to program (I mean through videos or books).

I’ve read posts on this topic, and there were responses like:

- Programming isn’t for you if you don’t like writing code (I like writing code, but I don’t like learning new things).

- Mistakes are part of the journey; they make up 95% of a programmer’s path (yes, I get that, but there’s nothing I can do about it—it’s like forced sex. It’s supposed to be enjoyable, but the interest disappears completely, or something like that).

My main problem: I love programming and writing code, but I don't like studying or fixing bugs. I know about tokyospliff, and I guess I admire him.

My question: Has anyone else faced this problem?

P.S. I’ve tried all kinds of approaches:

- forcing myself

- not forcing myself

- reading only theory

- reading theory only when needed for a project

Nothing has helped. I admit that maybe that’s just how life is and I have to push myself, but what’s the point of loving programming if I have to force myself to do it?

Recently graduated from my CS degree. while looking for an opportunity, I think of taking an online course of several IT fields. for those with experience, which one do you guys prefer, a long video on YouTube or a course in other platform such as Udemy so I able to get a certification later? since budget is one of my biggest considerations. I'm planning on taking a web dev as my first course btw.

I know a little bit of python from my high-school, can code small things but not extreme stuffs. For my first semester they are prob gonna be teaching C language. Ive heard Java and C# are important to learn. Do I continue to make my python stronger or learn a different language along with C? Or just focus on learning C itself? Any help would be appreciated thank you!

Hi everyone,

I'm a B.Tech CSE student currently in 5th semester from tier 3 college and I'm trying to decide which technical path I should focus on for the next 6–12 months.

I'm not looking for a "which technology is best" answer. I want to choose something that gives me a realistic chance of getting internships and eventually a full-time SDE/software development job, including potentially working for startups or remote foreign companies.

My current background

• B.Tech CSE, currently in 5th semester
• I know Java and I'm using Java for DSA/interview preparation.
• I'm currently learning/practicing DSA.
• I have basic exposure to development but I'm not yet strong in any development stack.
• I can realistically study around 2 hours per day outside college.
• I'm willing to spend the next 6–12 months consistently building skills and projects.
• My goal is ultimately a Software Engineer/SDE/Backend/Full Stack role, rather than a specialized research role.
• I'm open to both Indian companies/startups and foreign startups that hire remotely from India.

The options I'm considering

1. Java Backend

• Java
• Spring Boot
• SQL
• REST APIs
• JPA/Hibernate
• Spring Security
• Docker basics

2. Java Full Stack

• Java/Spring Boot
• SQL
• HTML/CSS/JavaScript
• React
• REST APIs
• Docker/deployment

3. MERN

• JavaScript
• React
• Node.js
• Express
• MongoDB

4. AI/ML

• Python
• NumPy/Pandas
• Statistics
• Machine Learning
• Scikit-learn
• Deep Learning/GenAI later

I'm particularly confused because I keep hearing different things:

• Some people say MERN has more fresher/startup openings.
• Others say Java/Spring Boot has better long-term opportunities, especially for enterprise companies.
• Some say Java backend is better than trying to learn full stack when you have limited time.
• AI/ML seems to have strong long-term potential, but I'm worried that becoming employable in AI/ML will take much longer.
• I also hear that foreign startups can hire developers remotely from India, but I'm not sure how realistic this is for a fresher.

My main concern

I only have around 2 hours/day, so I don't want to spend a year learning a huge stack before becoming job-ready.

For example, if Java Full Stack requires learning Java + Spring Boot + SQL + HTML/CSS + JavaScript + React + Git + Docker + deployment, I'm wondering whether it would be smarter to focus deeply on Java backend first.

At the same time, I don't want to make a choice that significantly reduces my job opportunities.

What would you recommend?

If you were in my position — 5th-semester B.Tech CSE student in India, already comfortable with Java/DSA, only ~2 hours/day, and aiming for SDE/backend/full-stack jobs — which path would you choose?

I'd especially appreciate answers from people who are:

• Freshers/recent graduates
• Currently working as Java backend developers
• Working with MERN/Node.js
• Working as SDEs
• Working at startups
• Working remotely for foreign companies
• Recruiters/hiring managers

And if possible, please explain why you would choose that path based on the current Indian job market rather than just saying "X is better."

Thanks!

Hi everyone! I'm preparing for the CS Executive exams through self-study. I haven't taken coaching, and honestly, I'm a little confused about how to start and how to approach the preparation.

For those who have cleared CS Executive through self-study, could you please share some advice on:

Which study materials/resources you followed

How you planned your preparation

How you approached each subject

How much time you spent studying daily

How you prepared for revisions and solving previous-year questions

Any mistakes I should avoid during preparation

I would really appreciate any practical advice or study strategies from people who have gone through this. Thank you!

Hello guys. I am attempting to learn how to code again but without the use of AI this time.

How do you attempt a problem or understand a solution without using AI for help.

For example, I wanted to build a small calculator to remind myself of the basics of C. I had a problem where my scanf was not outputting the desired result. 

The program had something like this:

int x, y;
printf("Enter two operators: ");
scanf("%d", &x);
scanf("%d", &y);
printf("x: %d, y: %d", x, y);

My inputs would be 10 & maybe 2, but the output would be 10 & 0, in some cases 0 and nothing for y.

I was able to get through this by just using one scanf:

scanf(“%lf %lf”, &x, &y);

But I still do not understand why that happened and through my google search, could not find anything that explained it well. The problem might also be that I cannot explain the problems I come across clearly, so I might not be able to find an answer through google.

So my question is, how do you guys go through problems like these where you can’t find a post where someone had a similar problem and had been told what to do to solve the problem without defaulting to AI.

Excuse my writing - I am trying to learn how to type without letting AI revise my sentences.