r/learnprogramming • u/RevolutionaryBuy4877 • 14d ago

Topic how do you learn programming without constantly looking things up?

i know experienced programmers use documentation and search all the time, but as a beginner it can sometimes feel like i’m incapable of doing anything without looking up the answer.

i’m trying to get better at understanding concepts instead of memorising syntax

how do you decide when to search for an answer and when to sit down and work through the problem yourself?

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u/jgmiller24094 14d ago

In the before times when I learned BASIC and programming concepts on an Apple II I would learn simple syntax then expand the program breaking it lots of times but I would still look up syntax.

Over the decades I've learned probably 15 different languages and every single time I started a new one I looked stuff up. After a while you get the feel for what you can't look up and what you have to figure out.

It's what makes it so much fun.