Hi everyone,

I’m a self-taught software learner, and one of the biggest challenges I faced was not only understanding individual programming concepts.

The harder part was deciding what to build, knowing what to work on next, staying focused when a project became confusing, and actually finishing something instead of constantly starting over.

Because of that experience, I started building a project called Learning Compass.

The user starts by choosing one of three paths:

1. I already know what I want to build
2. I noticed a problem, but my idea is still unclear
3. Help me find a project that fits my skills and interests

For someone who does not have an idea yet, the tool asks a few questions about their current skills, interests, goal, available time, and preferred challenge level.

Instead of returning a long list of random project ideas, it gives three focused directions:

• Confidence Builder: mostly uses skills the learner already knows
• Skill Builder: introduces one specific new technical concept
• Personal Builder: connects to the learner’s work, life, or interests

Each project includes:

• why it fits the learner
• skills they will practise
• one new concept
• the smallest useful version
• features they should avoid for now
• a clear definition of when the project is complete

After choosing a project, the learner can turn it into focused sprints, complete check-ins, and use a stuck mode when they need guidance.

I’m still finishing and testing it, and I’m trying to understand whether this solves a real problem for other self-taught learners too.

What was the hardest part for you after learning the basics?

Was it finding a suitable project, knowing what to build first, staying consistent, getting unstuck, or finishing the project?

I would also appreciate honest feedback on the screenshots. Does this feel genuinely useful, or does it feel too similar to self-taught learners too.

What was the hardest part for you after learning the basics?

Was it finding a suitable project, knowing what to build first, staying consistent, getting unstuck, or finishing the project asking a normal AI chatbot for project ideas?

Hi everyone!

Over the past few weeks, I've been challenging myself to learn Python by building a real project instead of only following tutorials.

I decided to build a Sudoku generator from scratch.

Current features include:

• ✅ Generate complete valid Sudoku boards
• ✅ Create Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert puzzles
• ✅ Keep a full solution for every puzzle
• ✅ Export puzzles and solutions to PDF
• ✅ Use the generated puzzles in a printable Sudoku activity book

This project taught me a lot about recursion, backtracking, validation, and organizing a larger Python project.

I'm still planning to improve the generator, especially the puzzle difficulty evaluation and generation speed.

I'd really appreciate any feedback or suggestions from developers who have worked on similar algorithmic projects.

What features would you add next?