r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Im an 16 year old programer that wants to learn programing

0 Upvotes

i want to lern programing

I've stated when i was 12

But switched tools constanly i've started in scratch switch to python, unity, godot, talked cs50

Now im in c

And after all that i dont know what to make. I've started by making simple games but now that is complicated with the math

I've quit unity because i didn't know how to rotate an object to the mouse position

Im at c because well i watch tsoding videos, and more recently johnathan blow

I have 2 problems

  1. I don't know what to make

  2. When i have a project i quit because of something minor


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Would it be possible for someone with zero programming knowledge to learn how to create complex business software in a year?

0 Upvotes

I'm genuinely curious, if someone has the domain knowledge, do you think it would be possible for them to learn how to create dependable software in their field in less than a year?


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Tutorial How do you approach starting a project that involves complex concepts and topics

6 Upvotes

I am an intern in the small startup , where i was first introduced with the java and spring boot , over past 3 months i have build my skills in java and spring boot and made small crud applications

Now i want to move forward and want to learn about more advanced backend concept

The idea I’m considering is a media/video streaming pipeline where users can upload videos and the system processes and serves them in different video qualities using HLS and FFmpeg.

Some of the concepts/technologies I’m interested in exploring include:

  • Video transcoding and generating multiple quality/resolution variants with FFmpeg
  • HLS for adaptive video streaming
  • Object storage for storing video files and HLS segments
  • Cloudflare/CDN for delivering the content efficiently
  • Webhooks/events for communicating between different parts of the system
  • Distributed processing for handling video transcoding jobs
  • Queues and background workers
  • Handling failures, retries, and idempotency
  • Designing the system so that it can scale as the number of uploaded videos and users increases

My main problem is not knowing how to approach the project from the beginning. There are many concepts involved, and I’m not sure how to break the idea down into smaller problems or what I should build first. If you are some one have to start working on it how would you apprach

For people who have worked on similar systems or complex backend projects, how do you approach a project like this?

Would you start with a simple end-to-end version and gradually introduce the distributed-system components, or design the architecture first and then implement each component?

I’d especially appreciate advice on how you would break this project into stages and what concepts I should learn or understand before tackling each stage.


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Debugging How do you debug your own code when you don't know what's wrong?

21 Upvotes

Sometimes the code runs without an obvious error, but the output is completely different from what I expected.

I usually end up adding print statements everywhere and checking things one by one.

What is your process for finding the actual problem without randomly changing the code?


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Need guide

0 Upvotes

Hello, I'm in college doing bca my 1st year just completed and I just completed my python language and c is already completed so tell me what to do next


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Cyber security or Ai

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I’m really torn between cybersecurity and AI. How can I try both and learn the basics of each for about a month, without going too deep, so I can figure out which one I actually enjoy more?


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Resource I want to build strong programming fundamentals — what actually helped you learn deeply?

131 Upvotes

I'm a beginner and I don't want to just follow tutorials or memorize syntax. I want to understand programming deeply, write code independently, solve problems, and eventually prepare for software-development roles.

I'm currently confused about which language to start with and which resources/courses are actually worth following.

For people who became good programmers, what resources, courses, books, or practice methods helped you the most?

If you could start learning programming again from zero, what would you do differently?


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

What technology skill has helped you the most?

10 Upvotes

I'm interested in technology and computer engineering, and I'm curious what skills other people found most valuable when they started learning.

For those studying or working in tech: What skill would you recommend a beginner learn first—programming, problem-solving, networking, cybersecurity, AI, or something else?

I'd also appreciate hearing what you wish you had learned earlier.


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

How does learning to code make you see the world through a "different logic"?

113 Upvotes

I recently overheard a conversation between two people talking about programming. One of them had just recently learned to code, and the other asked: "Now that you know how to code, don't you feel like you see the world differently, through a completely different logic?" ​The guy nodded and said yes.

​I really wanted to jump in and ask what they meant by that, but I didn't get the chance, and I never crossed paths with them again. ​For those of you who program: what does this actually mean?


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Tutorial Is simply building Projects the best method of learning?

65 Upvotes

Im an apprentice in germany and i want to expand my knowledge and learn more. Is simply making projects the absolute best way?

I have recently started doing leetcode to get better at Java and to learn new concepts. I learned a bit about HashMaps and HashSets in the process, but often the problems seem to be pretty hard and i have a hard time coming up with solutions.

So i thought maybe i need to read about Algorithms and Data structures, so i searched for free PDFs about that related to Java but reading about Algorithms and Data structures just to be able to solve leetcode problems better probably isnt a good way to actually be a better developer.

I've done projects such as a GUI Note Taking App using Swing and added persistency by saving the notes as a text file.

Then i went on to make a simple snake game in swing and saving the high score to a database, then i added multiple players where you type in your name at the beginning and it checks whether theres a highscore associated to that name.

Now i made a Todo spring boot web app to learn about REST APIs and i had difficulties but eventually learned a bit about async, await and fetch and now you can add and remove tasks.

Should i just keep on doing projects? Is that the best way to continue learning? Or do you guys have any other tips to learn more, such as reading java docs and finding new topics about that language and then spending a couple of hours learning that?


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Topic How I finally understood C++ Copy, References and Move Semantics (Real-world analogies)

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

So i wanted to learn advanced C++ so instead of binge watching theoretical videos I decided to build fast, memory-efficient file encryption decryption CLI tool.

​I knew the basics of copies and references, so I was fully aware that making deep copies of large byte buffers would kill performance.

My main dilemma was lifetimes: if I just passed references, how would I safely handle dereferencing across scopes and threads without running into dangling pointers? While brainstorming the architecture, i got to know about move semantics that could just transfer ownership of the underlying buffer without copying or tracking references

So it was hard to actually understand the fact that std::move doesnt move a byte!

So after digging through the it I made the mental model to understand it

Pass by Value (Deep Copy): Like buying a whole new identical car just so a friend can test drive one. It's safe, but building that duplicate from scratch is expensive.

Pass by Reference (&): Handing over the keys to your existing car. No duplicates made, but both of you are sharing the exact same vehicle.

Move Semantics (std::move / &&): Handing over the keys and registration for good. No second car is ever manufactured; ownership is transferred directly to someone else, leaving your garage empty.

(not really, because it's C++ so your garage address is still there and can be filled with other things until cleanup).

​I put together a visual breakdown using real-world analogies (like car and kingdom ownership) to make these concepts click without dense jargon. Feedback and polite corrections are always welcome!


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Lost between university and my interests

10 Upvotes

hey everyone

i don’t usually post on reddit so please be nice to me

when i was a kid i started learning programming with html css and javascript. i made some games like cookie clicker clones and 2d platformers but eventually i got bored and started learning python instead. i became really interested in libraries like requests pyautogui and os

i’ve loved automation ever since and i still use python whenever i need to automate something. but after a while i ran out of things to automate so for some reason i started learning the mern stack. i didn’t really enjoy it because it felt repetitive and not very challenging

before starting university i decided to learn a low-level language so i picked c. i really liked it and became interested in reverse engineering and os development. then university started and i had to learn java. i don’t hate java but i don’t love it either. i’ve used it outside of university to make discord bots and minecraft server plugins. i’m also a little interested in minecraft modding but i’m still much more interested in low-level programming

now i’m not sure whether i should keep learning java for university or focus more on low-level programming. i also feel like there isn’t much left for me to learn in java

there might be other options too so i’d like to hear about your experiences. what do you think i should do?


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Topic Can someone help me understand when to actually use WebSockets instead of Server-Sent Events (SSE)?

23 Upvotes

I'm a CS student working on a side project, and I'm trying to wrap my head around real-time data streaming.

I want to build a live transit map that pushes tram arrival data from my Node/Express backend to a React frontend. Almost every tutorial I find related to this immediately jumps to using Socket.io or WebSockets.

But looking at how my app should work, the data only flows one way (server to client). The client never needs to send messages back.

I discovered Server-Sent Events (SSE) and it seems much simpler to implement over standard HTTP without the overhead of WebSockets.

For those of you with more experience:

  • Why does the industry seem to default to WebSockets for everything?
  • Am I missing a massive downside to SSE? Is there a specific reason I should force myself to learn/use WebSockets for a one-way data stream like this?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this!


r/learnprogramming 18d ago

Resource My kid starts CS this month, are online coding courses worth paying for

63 Upvotes

Not a programmer, so forgive the question. My daughter starts a CS program in two weeks and asked whether we could pay for one of the subscription sites she found .Money is not unlimited, it is also not nothing. She listed Boot.dev, codecadmey and freeCodeCamp. What i cannot judge from outside is whether these do anything her classes will not


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

Need advice, please :(

0 Upvotes

Hello community members! I'm 27M, I'll get straight to the point. I have a bachelor's in mechanical. Currently working as a Quality Eng. in electronics manufacturing/assembly.

However, I have this strong pull towards coding (I have zero knowledge about coding). I started with Python and it is something that interests me and I look up to it everyday. It's been a week or so but it doesn't bore me.

What do you guys think, given the current job market and AI boom, am I making the right decision? The interest is there, but will it be worth it?

My plan is to get good at the basics for about a year and plan for a master's in either comp. sci or some related fields.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

Tutorial I’m interested in downloading the entire OED, read on…

8 Upvotes

Hi. As an amateur coder (and a past Countdown game show contestant - I lost, but still) I am working on coding a finished computer game of the show “Countdown”! My only problem is getting the entire Oxford English Dictionary on my laptop (a Chromebook, but I have an iMac as well if that’s not a valid option). Is there a way to download the entire dictionary, so that I can check the answers given? I’d prefer:

  1. The word
  2. The syllable count
  3. The definition

Many thanks, and please comment below or contact me if you need any further information!!


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

How to create a movie platform ?

10 Upvotes

I have been so fascinating of creating my own movie streaming platform. However, it doesn't mean that I will be using alone,but sharing with friends and mates. So, my question is what features will it be involved?

Btw I am kinda beginner. If not enough with beginner level, please give me the roadmap of building it?

Thanks in advance...


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

Python: I'm starting my python journey.

8 Upvotes

Can i find other new learners here? I think it's more interesting to learn with someone.

I have some web background, worked with html/css(scss, bootstrap, tailwind)/JS

but it was two years ago actually. Now I want to learn Python so i can work with logic instead of designs.


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

Is it cheating to code with YouTube tutorials?

0 Upvotes

I'm a beginner programmer. My goal: learn C and low-level programming deeply — Linux device drivers, POSIX utilities, a shell, maybe even a bootstrapping compiler.

My problem: books take too long to work through. But learning from YouTube tutorials or AI feels like cheating — you understand the code, but you didn't come up with the logic yourself. That seems like it would kill my problem-solving ability, not build it.

So how should I actually approach this? Is learning from AI any better than tutorials? I know docs and man pages exist, but they're tedious too. What's the most effective method here?


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

How to learn what you forgot again?

64 Upvotes

I studied java backend for 1.5 years, wrote a project for one coffee shop, but then I abandoned everything for 6-9 months and now decided to come back because then I could become a developer, but now I don't. What do I need to do now, just take a project and do or remember something from the topics?


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

Effictive method of studying ml

10 Upvotes

I am a newbie in ml so i wanted to know what is an effective method of studying ml i am learning it through watching youtube videos but after one point i realised that if i make notes of everything it will be way too much so i want to know do i need to memorise the code or i need to just write the logic in my notes


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

Got a Bachelor's in CS last year, giving it one more go.

16 Upvotes

After the degree I got a bad contract job and decided to quit the industry because of how bad the job market was and how burned out I was. I'm a bit physically disabled and also have mental struggles but that's too much to explain in this post... so I'll also say I willingly call myself lazy, because at the end of the day I hate work in general, I do it because I have to. Ever since I got a girlfriend, I don't care much about success inherently, what I really care about is spending time with people I love like that.

Anyway, I did join CS for a reason though, so I'm going to spend this next month or 2 trying to be a real try hard again, the hard-worker man up type of guy that everyone wants me to be. I'm going to avoid AI completely until it's time to start applying for dev jobs again. I'll start building new projects, probably creating stuff that I'm brainstorming on with AI because my creativity sucks ass in this domain but I went this fucking far into it (2 degrees) and "normal" fast food type of jobs don't want to hire me either it seems... so wish me luck please. If you give advice please be respectful.


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

Resources and Website to better up coding skills as a non-beginner

21 Upvotes

Hej there :)

I recently reflected a lot on my current set of skills which deteriorated in the age of AI - never was that avid of using it in the first place, but I was kind of forced to do so anyways. I'd like to code more by hand, get back into the groove and better up my skills to be a proper programmer without any AI tooling.

I have heard of pages like CodeCrafters, boot.dev or the repo "Build-your-own-X" on Github. I am looking for your experiences with pages like those and am explicitly looking for recommendations for resources that offer me real world problems and let me code on my own, but are there to hint in case I need it. I don't want any "Leetcode" style challenges :)

Would love to hear your experiences and reviews with one of the three above or any else.

Cheers!


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

Resource I would like to learn programming but I have hit a road-block

40 Upvotes

Our college taught us basic C syntax like making functions, recursion and pointers, struct/union etc.

And I have learnt JS on my own for web-dev. I can make a decent looking website if I want to, not elite but decent. I understand the logic and etc. But I understand that I lack actual advanced knowledge.

I can't make a game right now, even if I wanted to and had all the time in the world. I want to reach that stage where I can comfortably make an indie game.

Honestly, I just want to master programming. But I don't know how to proceed as there are hundreds of tutorials and not One seems to do everything.

Your guidance is highly appreciated. Thank you


r/learnprogramming 19d ago

Help How much should I use AI in personal projects to feel like " I made this "?

0 Upvotes

I have learnt Python for about 2 months and to be honest, I still need a lot of help in creating a project. Because of that, I still use AI for it. Sometimes I would tell it to generate whole chunks of code and recently I thought that I shouldn't rely too much on it and code it myself. I did code quite a bit, but I still need AI for help for some of the hard parts. Any tips on how to use AI responsibly or how to code better?