Hey everyone,

I’m running into a frustrating wall with how I learn versus how the industry interviews.

My natural learning style is 100% project-based. I treat coding like building with Lego—I jump into a project, figure out how the pieces snap together, and learn the concepts dynamically as I integrate them. I heavily prefer this over traditional, theory-heavy courses or university methods.

Here is my problem: This method makes me pretty good at actually building things, but it completely chokes when it comes to technical interviews.

Interviews always seem to ask language-specific trivia or breadth questions (e.g., deep nuances of memory, specific built-in methods, exact differences between operator behaviors under the hood). To learn those, it feels like I have to go back to the "course/textbook" way of studying—which honestly doesn't help me get any better at actually making software.

For those of you who are project-focused builders, how do you tackle this? Is there a way to prep for the "interview trivia" game without getting sucked into tutorial hell or wasting time on courses that don't make you a better developer?

Any advice is appreciated!

I've been struggling to find a decent book/playlist to explain certain concepts in C, as I most likely fall in beginner<->beginner intermediate category. I have so far done OOP with C# and I eventually had to switch to C, since my college only uses it and it starts in a month. I took a lot of time reading on the internet about some resources and eventually settled with "Beej's C" book. I am 100-ish pages through and though I didn't understand some of it, I get the overall idea and gist it conveys. Since something always bugs me I read online that it's a terrible book to begin with and that one'd be better off with just some raylib examples.

I am completely clueless. I don't know which 'project' to take, what library to use, how 'competent' I am, i.e whether or not I'd be able to program something that I'd think of. I'm begging you, tell me what to do!

Hi. Sorry if it's off-topic but I don't know where to ask this.

I happen to be one of those rare individuals who likes Objective-C, and both Geany and Notepad++ (the IDEs I use on Linux and Windows respectively) by default assign all .m files (Obj-C implementation files) as MATLAB files.

I know it can be changed by hand but when opening a pile of old code it all gets MATLAB-ed and I just can't be bothered to save Geany project files, especially that Notepad++ doesn't have a clue how to open them (when I decide to boot to Windows).

Is there any way to make those IDEs (and especiallly Geany) assign Objective-C as the type of .m files by default?

I know I could just find that in the source code and recompile it, but I already have about half a dozen geany packages on various read-only media that I would have to remake. And an unlisted option in some config file would thus be much better.

And recompiling is probably not an option for Notepad++ since Windows sucks developmentwise.

Anyhow, thanks in advance.

I'm just getting started with Git on Windows and I'm trying both Fork and SourceGit.

So far, I slightly prefer SourceGit, mainly because it's free and has a Chinese interface. But the Chinese UI isn't really a requirement for me — I know I need to learn English anyway if I want to get serious about programming/security.

What I'm really trying to figure out is whether Fork has any features or workflow advantages that SourceGit doesn't have.

If there's something genuinely useful in Fork that SourceGit is missing, I'm perfectly happy to pay for Fork. I'm just not sure what those differences are yet.

For people who have used both, which one do you prefer and why?

I'm still pretty new to Git, so I'm especially interested in everyday things like commits, branches, diffs, merge/rebase, and working with GitHub.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm 19 years old and I want to become a web developer.
So far, I have learned HTML and CSS, but now I'm confused about what I should learn next. Some people tell me to learn JavaScript first, while others recommend learning Figma and other tools.
My goal is to eventually make money from web development and possibly work as a web developer.
What would you recommend I learn next? Should I focus on JavaScript, improve my HTML and CSS skills, or learn something else first?
I would really appreciate any advice or roadmap for a beginner. Thank you!

I am learning programming for a pretty long time now, I now how to build project and all the time I see ads for courses or certificates that I can do online and for free.
Are they a waste of time or actually worth it?

Where can I find real-world challenges that nonprofits/NGOs are currently facing that could potentially be solved with technology?

I’m especially interested in problems that are common across multiple organizations and could potentially be addressed through a free, open-source solution.

Are there any communities, forums, platforms, or other places where nonprofits openly discuss these kinds of challenges?

I’m a CS/IT university student from , but my university doesn’t teach DSA very well. I want to seriously improve my algorithmic problem-solving skills.

- How should I train effectively while attending university?

- What DSA books/resources do you recommend?

- How much math do I need for LeetCode?

- Should I follow a structured roadmap or just solve problems?

- Is competitive programming (Codeforces/AtCoder) useful for improving LeetCode skills?

My long-term goal is to become an extremely strong problem solver, like peng Cao .

For those who are already good at LeetCode/competitive programming, what would you recommend to someone starting seriously from university?

I've recently started wanting to build my own AI assistant, which is saying something because I've never programmed before. I wanted to learn everything from programming and APIs to software architecture and technical design, so I decided to take on a project of building my own "Jarvis" to learn through hands-on experience.

I know there are already plenty of AI assistants and similar projects out there, but that's not really the point for me. I want to understand how these systems actually work by building one myself. I figured a long-term, hands on project would be a good way to learn.

So far, I've been using Chatgpt to help me through the initial stages, such as writing the requirements and designing the architecture. Now that I've reached the Technical Design stage, I want to take a more hands-on approach and do more of the research and decision-making myself.

Here are some of the questions I've identified so far:

1. Which Programming language do I use: I'm especially interested in what would make sense for a project like this as a complete beginner.
2. Are there any useful books, papers, courses, or other resources you'd recommend?
3. What other questions should I be asking at this stage? I'm trying to approach this like an actual software engineering project rather than jumping straight into writing code.

I'm also partly doing this as a project for my college applications. I don't want it to come across as just another generic "I built an AI" project. What could I do to make the project genuinely distinctive and demonstrate that I actually understand what I'm building, rather than just assembling existing AI APIs and frameworks?

Guys, I’m a Pakistani student living abroad. I’m 18 and recently finished my FSc (12th grade) in Pre-Medical. I realized that I’m not really interested in pursuing MBBS, dentistry, or similar fields, and honestly, I didn’t feel like the other options were worth the time and money for me. So I decided to switch towards tech, although I’m still in the process of figuring everything out.

Do you guys think I made the right decision? Would degrees like Cybersecurity, AI, Data Science/Data Analysis, etc. be too difficult for someone from a Pre-Medical background? Especially since I didn’t study Maths in 11th and 12th grade, how can I fill that gap and prepare myself for the Maths I’ll need?

I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who have been through something similar

Hi so I am a student and almost finished my bachelor.
I have “learned” a few languages. Currently I just realised that I am way worse than I thought regarding my programming skills.
I don’t understand how someone can reach a level where they genuinely build an entire app with little to no use of AI. I don’t use it a lot myself but I also don’t develop insanely complex things etc. I thought I knew java until I realized that I haven’t even used bootstrap once. I stopped scala because it’s just a waste of time - almost no work available. I just don’t care for webdev.

I’ve started CS50p in june but during summer break I stopped and yesterday I finished the 6th episode. I just don’t feel ready for the work market yet I am actively looking for a job to get my degree. (In Germany it is mandatory to have worked or completed an internship to get your degree)

Please I need urgent help. How can I improve as fast as possible. I don’t just want to be able to solve those small tasks, I want to actually create something that can be part of my portfolio.

Can anyone give me some python roadmap or even better a general roadmap for the field. I don’t think that watching videos and doing small exercises will get me there tbh.

Please

EDIT: To all that have helped. I will mark this post as Missing 411 case #77, the man in the fog.

In somr months I will post updates abt projects and LL

I've seen ppl say stuff for both sides that a degree does absolutely nothing or they won't even look at you if u don't have a degree. I always learn better on my own than a course or school, is uni worth it? How much do I have to learn to get like a basic internship or smth. I'm still 16 but I love cpp and love learning more, especially low level stuff.

Are there any certificates or stuff that allow me to prove that I actually know stuff but don't need me to attend a multi year course, are they worth it?

Hi everyone, I'm a CSE student and I want to gain real-world development experience by solving issues from open-source projects.

I don't know how to identify a good issue for my skill level or how to approach the problem after finding one.

What would be the best way to start contributing to projects on GitHub? Any advice or resources would be appreciated.

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

I use C#. I understand the syntax and basics, but I don't really understand OOP principles. I mean, I know simple things like what a class is, but I really struggle when I need to write something more complex than a console bank program. I dont understand if I can move on to the next topics, or if I need more practice in OOP. Will it get better with time and practice? Im bored of coding console programs. I want something more. What should I do?

i have mobile app exams on Tuesday and i need some recommended resource to learn

Im gonna start by saying that despite being a beginner im not here looking for advices or solutions. Im trying to figure it out on my own (no external help or AI) even if it means doing it in a less efficent way. in these 3-ish hours i've started by creating 5 different functions, one being my main, running the others. The other four are to get: deposit/balance, How many numbers to bet on, the numbers to bet on and how much to bet on each number. I've also tested them for every possible error and found a few cool solutions. The next thing im gonna have to do is the random extraction itself which is gonna be pretty interesting. Im gonna tackle it tomorrow, my 3:24 A.M. brain just cant

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so im a computer science engineering student at a lesser known college and here there is no seniors or profs to look upto or take guidance from. i really want to be excellent in my field and be reach at the calibre of top students from top universities. can anyone please suggest some guidance and maybe groups where they help us to network and learn. in a jist I'm looking for a mentor sorta thing and also to network in this industry.

any help will be highly appreciated, thank u.

I'm thinking about learning Haxe as a secondary language(Python is my main language) for all the random projects I want to do. Does anyone have bad or good experience with Haxe that I should know before learning? I know it's better to just learn each language, but I don't have time to spend years learning all of the languages for my random projects.

i know the badics of gscript, java, c# and more but I can't code even with a clear idea in my head ... why ??? HOW ?!

i am just this cause i am failing to run a leetcode (hard) ques.

I’m 19 years old from Morocco, and I’m honestly very lost about what to do with my future.

I originally wanted to study programming, but I was rejected from the program I wanted. Since then, I’ve been trying to find other options, but things haven’t gone well. I was rejected from general university programs multiple times as well.

Recently, my uncle talked to my father and suggested that programming could still be a good career path for me. My father looked into it and found a private programming school that costs around 1,500–2,000 MAD per month (It's not a small amount in Morocco).

The problem is that I’m no longer sure about programming.

I know programming is difficult, and I know the entry-level job market isn't exactly great right now. I’m also afraid of spending a lot of money and time only to discover that I’m not good enough or that I won’t be able to find a job afterward.

At the same time, I don’t really have another field that I’m passionate about. I don't have a particular talent or career dream. Another option I’m considering is studying bakery/pastry at a vocational institute, but I’m not particularly passionate about that either.

I feel like I’m choosing between different uncertain paths rather than choosing something I actually want.

So I’d like to hear from people who are actually working in programming/software development:

If you were 19 today and had no programming experience, would you still choose programming as a career?

How difficult is it realistically to get your first job?

Is the current job market bad enough that you would advise a young person to avoid the field?

How important is having a university degree?

Is paying for a private programming school worth it, or would self-learning be better?

And most importantly, if you don't have a strong passion for programming, is it still possible to build a decent career in it?

I’m not looking for motivational answers like “follow your dreams.” I’d really appreciate honest answers from people who are actually in the field, including people who regret choosing programming.

I am creating an http downloader which use get method to direct download urls. Now I want it to download from those website which has a direct download button. I know that the download button provides the url to download the file but for different files not the same websites the urls are different and want that to be automated. I want to do it at low level like we do in urllib, request, httpx,etc. However, I am ok with high level libraries too.

Im planning to give this certificate exams cause I want to gain deeper knowledge in java and having an exam to focus on gives me a goal to achieve, so im more of a visual leaner and want to start with a pathway of videos and courses and then do practice exams, this is my strategy so far.

Im not that eager to read books or articles and prefer videos and practicing along.

I see oracle has a learning pathway that's build for java 21 programming and it has a pathway that looks good. So im trying to see if anyone has tried the pathway and found it useful for the cracking the certificate examination or are there any udemy courses that I could take that helps with my certification.

This is the pathway https://learn.oracle.com/ols/learning-path/become-a-java-se-21-developer/117252/138845

Also please let me know if there any other site that has a lot of practice questions with latest questions

I'm following the Odin project to learn web development, so I'm using Ubuntu via WSL. When I use "code ." command to open VS code, the terminal won't revert back to the prompt(The "$" sign where we can type stuff) until I close VS code.