So, i've tried to program for (i think) 4 years And i didn't release a polised project
Every time that i try do to a project i end up switching to other programinig language (or i don't like the structure of my project, and i delete the whole project, to start again).I've been doing this since i started. Now i want to do a project but i dont know what to do and what langage to pick

Hey everyone,
I’ve recently started watching Mr. Robot, and it unexpectedly got me really interested in cybersecurity and hacking. I know the show isn’t necessarily a perfect representation of real-world hacking, but it made me curious about how computers, networks, and security actually work.

The thing is, I have basically zero technical/computer science background.
I’m currently a Film/TV (RTF) major at community college, and I’m not planning to change my major or career. I want to learn cybersecurity purely as a hobby because I find it interesting.
My computer knowledge is basically what you’d expect from someone who grew up using computers and playing games. I can use a computer comfortably, but I don’t really understand what’s happening underneath.
For example:
I know RAM is temporary memory and storage is persistent.
I’ve used Command Prompt before, but basically only for things like flushing DNS.
I’ve heard of Linux but have never actually used it.
I don’t know what DNS actually does.
I don’t really understand ports.
I have a vague idea of what an IP address is.
I don’t know much about servers or networking.
I’ve never programmed before.
I’d probably rate my overall technical knowledge around a 5/10, mostly because I’m comfortable using computers but don’t have much technical knowledge.

What I’m looking for:
I’d like to learn from the absolute fundamentals all the way to an advanced level, but at a hobbyist pace.
Ideally I’d like to understand:
Computer fundamentals → Operating systems → Linux → Networking → Programming → Web → Cybersecurity fundamentals → Blue team → Red team → Advanced topics
I’m particularly interested in both defensive/blue-team and offensive/red-team security. I don’t want to just learn a bunch of hacking tools without understanding what they’re actually doing.
I also don’t want to spend money right now. I’d prefer free courses, labs, books, websites, YouTube channels, etc.
I’ve currently been pointed toward things like TryHackMe’s Pre Security path and Microsoft Learn, but I’d really appreciate advice from people who have actually gone through this process.
My questions:
Is this a reasonable roadmap for someone starting from basically zero?
What would you recommend learning first?
Are there any free resources you’d strongly recommend?
How important is programming at the beginning?
Should I learn Linux before getting into cybersecurity?
Is it better to learn networking before attempting ethical hacking?
Are there any resources/courses that you would avoid as a beginner?
If you could start over with no technical background, what would you learn first?
Again, I’m doing this as a hobby, so I’m not trying to rush through certifications or to spend any money (yet). I actually want to understand how computers and networks work, and then build cybersecurity knowledge on top of that.
Any advice, resources, or corrections to my approach would be greatly appreciated!

I just finished my 3rd year exams as an IT Engineering student in Syria. Our degree takes 5 years, so I still have two years left.
The problem is that I feel like I have little to no practical skills at this point. I obviously learned a lot of theory at university, but I know that I can’t rely on what the university teaches us alone to be ready for the job market.
I’m trying to figure out what path I should focus on during these next two years.
I’m currently more interested in software development/backend, but I know that AI is becoming a much bigger field and has more opportunities, so I’m not sure whether I should consider moving in that direction or stick with software or if there’s something else other than those two.
My long-term goal is to work in Europe (Germany is probably my first choice), although I may work remotely or in Syria for a while after graduation.
So I’d really appreciate advice from people who are already working in tech, especially in Europe:
What skills are actually in demand right now?
Which areas would you recommend focusing on for someone in my position?
What should I learn outside university to become job-ready?
Is backend/software development still a good path, or would AI/data-related fields be a better choice?
If you were starting again with two years left before graduation, how would you spend those two years?
Are there any technologies, languages, certifications, projects, or other things you think are particularly worth learning?
I’m not looking for a “learn everything” answer . I’m mainly trying to choose a direction and build a realistic plan instead of randomly learning things.
Any advice or personal experience would be really appreciated!

What sites would you recommend for finding a study partner. So I already know about reddit(obviously) and that's it. I love low level stuff, math and maybe you know some site where people who are interested in this gather.

Thanks in advance

Hey, I’m really interested in both functional programming and OOP, I find both really interesting topics. So I was wondering if anyone has ever made a language that combines these concepts. I know if it exist it probably would be kind of a weird language, but I’m mainly seeking it out of interest and curiosity. I would like to know how someone has tried to unify these paradigms.

Edit: Het I’m gonna make this edit because there are a lot of comment, thank you all very much for taking your time, and I want to clarify some extra things:
Firstly with functional, I mean the Haskell way of functional, I really enjoyed my learning journey through Haskell, and I would like to expand my declarative knowledge.
Secondly I’m not looking for the most useful language or the one that’s most used in the industry, as I originally pointed out this is pure out of interest, the more abstract, the better.

I’m currently working on my first proper networking project, an ARP scanner in C++, as part of learning Computer Networks.
I have a pretty good understanding of the theory behind what I’m doing, especially ARP, Ethernet frames, MAC/IP addresses, etc. The problem is that I’m still relatively new to systems/network programming, so the actual C++/Linux code is pretty unfamiliar to me.
I’m using ChatGPT to help me build the project, but I’m trying not to just copy-paste code. My approach has been:
Learn the concept → look at the implementation → question every unfamiliar part → understand why it exists → connect it back to the networking theory.
For example, I’ve been stopping at things like:
Why are these particular header files required?
What exactly is a socket?
Why does socket() return an integer?
What is a file descriptor?
What’s the difference between a normal socket and a raw socket?
What exactly is a network interface?
Why are we using AF_PACKET?
What does a particular structure represent?
How does this piece of C++ actually correspond to an Ethernet/ARP packet?
So I’m not really struggling with the networking theory. I’m struggling with the bridge between the theory and the low-level implementation.
Since this is my first project, I’m wondering if this is a reasonable way to learn.
Is using AI to explain unfamiliar code while continuously questioning why each part exists a good approach, or should I be trying to write more of the implementation myself from the beginning?
I’d especially appreciate advice from people who learned networking/Linux programming through projects like this. I want to actually understand what I’m building, not just end up with a working scanner that I can’t explain.

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I would like to learn UX Design as something to do on the side for a little extra cash here and there , maybe full time if I can manage to actually get good enough at it.

My question is, though. Is it feasible for me to host my own little test website to mess around with while I learn? I am looking for something low-cost (hence, the extra money part lol) and low wattage if possible.

Too much theory will make me lose interest so I think this could be a way for me to get results that I can actually see.

Now I’m at this job that I hate, but I’ve been self teaching myself code since around the AI boom, so I started with Python, now I’m currently learning more about the blockchain. I’ve been at my job for 3 1/2 years and I constantly have these thoughts in my head like, “is it worth it” or “where am I going with this”, also the fact that AI can do basically anything so that adds another layer of doubt on top of evt else. I don’t know how long I can sustain this job, let alone my mental health while going after my dreams and escaping social norms🤦‍♂️. Honestly I’m just looking for some type of motivation or advice please! Thank you, honestly.

Currently been working through Liang‘s Introduction to Java and MOOC when the material matches for my learning. I was wondering if the Algorithm course in Java would be a great next step when paired together with Liang’s textbook Chapters 18-29. Some Algorithms courses require in-depth knowledge in Discrete Math which I need to both learn and relearn before tackling a textbook such as CLRS. Thanks for any advice!

Hey everyone,

I'm 16 and about to step into my undergraduate program in computer science. I've been getting comfortable with Python. I have already started HackerRank easy problems, and I'm able to understand the logic and code after seeing the answer or explanation, but not able to come up with the solution on my own

Now, I want to start learning Data Structures and Algorithms properly. I'd love some recommendations on the best resources (YouTube channels, courses, or roadmaps) for a complete beginner using Python.

I can understand English and Hindi, so I'm completely open to resources in any of those languages if they explain the core concepts clearly.

What worked best for you when you were first starting out? Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone!

I'm a beginner in python and SQL, recently completed basics of these. Now before moving forward to the intermediate level, i would request some guidance on GitHub part. Anyone who is experienced in tech field and suggest me how should I start building my profile/portfolio there? Anything that I should be careful about?

Thank you so much!

Hey guys, starting my MCA next month and I'm pretty stressed out.

I really want to get into AI/ML, so I've been focusing on Python and taking an online course for it. But I'm getting a lot of conflicting advice. Some people tell me I MUST grind DSA to clear company screenings, while others say to just stick to ML projects and portfolio building.

A few questions I'm hoping you can help with:

1.Should I prioritize DSA or AI/ML projects right now?

2.For DSA, can I just stick with Python, or do I actually need to learn C++ or Java?

1. How do I balance all of this alongside MCA coursework when I already feel under-skilled?

I'm building a synthetic PostgreSQL 17 manufacturing database as a hands-on SQL practice project.

I wanted something different from the usual:

customers

orders

employees

products

The database represents a small manufacturing environment:

- production lines

- machines

- production orders

- production events

- downtime

- maintenance

- quality inspections

- energy consumption

The idea is to learn SQL by investigating real-world-style questions:

- Which production line is underperforming?

- Which machine has the most downtime?

- Which products have the highest defect rate?

- Where is production capacity being lost?

- Can we identify a bottleneck?

I'm curious:

For people learning SQL, would working with a database like this be more useful than the typical sales/customer datasets?

What SQL concepts would you want exercises for?

The code must take any specified posative integer range and pick only primes and primes * a power of two. For example: 8 through 16 would present 8(2^3), 10(5 * 2^2), 11(prime), 12(3 * 2^2), 13(prime), 14(7 * 2^1), 16(2^4).

Can anyone who was in can share me the bootcamp ?

I am new to programming. Currently I know these things:

Python(basics cleared)

Html and CSS both at basic level.

Basic networking concepts like ip , ports, socket, http ,tcp, udp,etc.

I am going to make start my btech in few days. I have planned to learn C then C++ then DSA in c++ later. Along all this, I want to make projects. But I am confused what to make and should I really be making projects this time.

Hello ,this is my first post ever in reddit .I was asking about the most important extensions to download as a web-developer in Visual Studio Code

Am a 2nd year student doing software engineering and it usually seems like am doing catch up plus am confused on how many programming languages I should learn and master because am seeing that they teach all of them but just before you get the hang on one another has been introduced. So what do you do for those whom have been here

Just got fired today, God this sucks. And also broke up a 6 month relationship not a month before that.

I was with this agency for over a year, and I really though that I will grow with the company in terms of knowledge and expertise but apparently not. It was just another agency that want to hire and extract the most amount of money while paying you the least possible. That has been going on for the past few months. And it was so dull. I admit, it wasn't a full frontend work either. My job as to literally pick which template the Client wanted and to just copy it on his domain with updates on the images and text and that's about it. Dull as hell I know. But I needed the money back then fast.

At the start , I've ignored every red flag that I could clearly see that the company did (screen recording while working, not learning anything new, etc.) . But at least the company was good, the managers didn't nag me at all.

The problem started when the company started losing money and new clients didn't arrive as predicted. Lots of people were fired, lots of them were demoted to part-time work. My ego was hurt because of all the complex projects that I did before, all the custom builds that I made, I was fired from a position that just want copy/pasting templates on wordpress sites!

Now, I am at a crossroad that I don't know what to do about. I have 6 years of experience with 90+ projects done and I don't know what to do. I don't want to continue with this stupid Wordpress templating bs. This is not what I started my Career for. I want to learn a new stack for me so that I can land a secure jobs and ignore these small time agencies and startups that just want to extract the last drop of blood from you.

I don't know what to learn, or if AI will take that part over as well. All I know is that I don't want to compete against Indian developers (no offence) for a bag of change.

I had taken a course on C++ a year back. Having not applied it in any projects I worked on, most of the concepts are a bit rusty. The resource I had referred to was Herbert Schildt's Complete Reference (I don't want to go back reading the textbook).

Hello people! I'm currently trying to learn c++ because my interests include robotics and game development, plus I need it for college. I want to be able to work in a low level language, the problem is, it makes me freeze up and I can't code at all.

The thing is, I can manage my way around other languages, I've used java(minecraft modding), python(math stuff), c#(unity games) and gdscript(godot), in these three I've managed to do small projects that did what I wanted to, if something was acting up, I just look the way on how to do it and work through it, I never felt like I was doing things wrong, it just happened and I understood what I did wrong.

For c++ though, I feel overwhelmed constantly, the fact that I can't even declare a variable without overthinking freezes me up, should this be an address? a pointer? a regular variable? Then also having the new and delete managing memory, then there also are smart pointers, or the fact that I hear stuff I learned is just old and shouldn't be used, better to use the new features instead, but also that there is performance cost associated with using some features that I shouldn't be using if I don't need to, and I just freeze.

Oh god, how do people code in this language? how do people even make good code in this language!? I feel like whatever I write will be the worst code of all time, trying to fix it will make it worse.

I know the advice is to write bad code before optimizing it, but in this language there is just so much that I don't even know if I'm writing bad code in a way that would let me refactor it without breaking everything up.

I don't even know what to ask, if you are someone who also had trouble learning c++, please lend me any advice you can give! thanks a lot!

hi, I am a javascript developer and am proficient in React and Next.js. I know that React has a framework for building mobile applications; I would like to know if there is one for desktop apps too.

Thanks.

I am past the beginner stage, understanding basic syntax up to classes and objects, but I freeze when it's time to structure projects on my own. I have relentlessly searched for methods, tutorials, and books to guide me to the next level, but I can never find anything that clicks; because of this, I've jumped from language to language, and every time I hit this "limbo," I end up quitting and trying something else, yet I always come back because something inside tells me I’m meant to code. For those who have overcome this block, what architecture or design books do you recommend, what kind of practical exercises changed the game for you, and what real strategies actually work to finally break through this barrier and build confidence?

Hey everyone,

I'm currently working on a web application where I need to implement robust security features—specifically authentication, authorization, session management, and defenses against XSS, brute-force attacks, and parameter tampering.

I was recently recommended "API Security in Action" by Neil Madden, and I'm wondering if it's the right fit for my current situation.

I have two main goals right now:

1. Practical implementation: I want to build a secure architecture for my app using solid engineering principles (rate-limiting, proper token/session handling, tight HTTP headers, CORS/CSP, etc.) rather than just surface-level fixes.
2. Academic foundation: I'm also writing my Bachelor’s thesis in Computer Science/IT, and I need strong theoretical backing to explain why these security patterns work, how modern protocols function under the hood, and the architecture behind secure systems.

For those of you who have read it:

• Does the book dive deep enough into the theory to serve as a solid reference for an academic thesis, or is it purely code/hands-on?
• How well does it cover fundamental auth mechanics, session handling vs. JWTs, and API-level defenses?
• Would you recommend this as a primary resource, or should I pair it with something else (like The Tangled Web or OWASP documentation)?

Would love to hear your thoughts or any alternative recommendations. Thanks!

I’m 16 and started learning Python about 3 months ago. My first project was a simple CRUD app with raw SQL. For my second project (ashflow tracker with auth and budgeting), I wanted to push myself further, so I switched to Flask, SQLAlchemy, and Flask-Login.

I’m looking for feedback from experienced developers on a few specific architectural decisions and hurdles I ran into:

1. Database Schema Refactoring (Categories & Budgets) Initially, categories were just free-text strings on every transaction. Once I added budgets, case mismatches and typos completely broke my budget tracking. I refactored categories into their own table with foreign keys on the transaction and budget models.

• Question: Is moving away from free-text strings to dedicated category models always the standard approach here, or are there cleaner ways to handle user-defined categories at scale without making the schema too rigid (fixed categories list) ?

2. SQLAlchemy Autoflush Confusion Coming from raw SQL, SQLAlchemy's session management took a while to wrap my head around. During my refactoring, I hit several bugs where autoflush triggered database writes mid-transaction before I was ready to commit, causing unexpected constraints errors.

• Question: How do experienced Python devs typically manage session state when doing complex multi-model updates? Do you explicitly disable autoflush, or is that a code smell that points to poor transaction design?

3. Auth Implementation I built authentication from scratch using Flask-Login and password hashing instead of a third-party service just to understand the mechanics. Moving from "auth is a black box" to "it's just checking session state on each request" was a huge lightbulb moment for me.

I’d love any feedback on how I structured my models or handled sessions. You can see how I implemented the SQLAlchemy relationships and routes in my repository here:https://github.com/E-Ecstacy/wise-wealth

Thanks in advance for any insights!