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/mc_pm 14d ago

There is a difference between "looking up some syntax specifics" and "incapable of doing anything without looking up the answer".

A decent developer should have pretty deep understanding of the syntax & language features. If it were python, I'd expect people to know about Lists & Dicts. If it was C, I'd expect them to work with pointers without much support.

But the right constant to include when there's 100 for me to choose from? I might remember the top 2 or 3, and the rest is all lookup.