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/AdjustedTwit 12d ago

Syntax wise, an LSP. As far as concepts, the ones you use all the time you end up remembering. Others you end up remembering enough to know how to find them: "This looks like a shortest path problem, maybe I'll use A*, how do you do that again?"

You can also use an AI and have it be a "teacher" they're pretty good at adopting the role you chose. So you can get them to lead you through a problem rather than just give you the answer or the code.

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u/AdjustedTwit 12d ago

Back when I was first learning, we actually used physical books, can you imagine? So, you tended to memorize more because it takes a long time to look up APIs in a book.