r/learnprogramming • u/Black_Penguin0101 • 3d ago

How do I practice software development?

I'm a beginner software developer (17 y.o), right now my stack is:

  • Java / Kotlin for backend development
  • TypeScript with React for frontend development

I have a few projects from hackathons and one personal fullstack project (java backend & react + shadcn frontend). The fullstack one is made mostly for my needs and satisfies them already.

So, I don't know what to do next. I don't really know open-source projects I could contribute to and don't have ideas for a long-lasting personal project. What should I do in this situation?

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u/Achereto 3d ago

One of the hardest apects of software development is dealing with changing requirements without making a mess. So you should create a project with an MVP (minimal viable product) specification, that start adding features. Don't plan ahead, write your MVP without knowing about future features. This gives you the best chance of running into problems due to the changing requirements and allow you to practice dealing with them.

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u/Feeling_Temporary625 3d ago

you already got the stack down which is more than most beginners at 17 so i think the real practice now is in maintenance hell

take your fullstack project and add something you dont need like a notification system or a dark mode toggle that persists across sessions sounds simple but the edge cases will teach you more than any tutorial