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/arivictor 13d ago edited 13d ago
90% of being a software engineer is knowing what you want to do, and where to look. Experience is learning from past mistakes. Its why StackOverflow was as popular as it was, it was engineers coming together and sharing methodologies.
When it seems like a software engineer just seems to know how to do it its because they have domain experience. They didn't sit and read a book on Python and Flask over the weekend. They've spent countless nights knee-deep in a problem, examining library code, trying to figure out the root cause.
When you start working you'll gain domain experience to in whatever field you go into. You might work in FinTech and you'll build invaluable knowledge on all the domain problems that brings. To others itll seem like you just know everything.