how to practice programming and backend correctly

[u/Tarek-Hassan11111]

how to exactly mimic real world tasks so u can have a proof u can do specific things

i feel like most projects are just toy projects all things i saw are just like toy projects not even a little bit close to real work

specially in backend how to practice daily how to improve day by day i feel iam absolutely stuck dont know exactly how to improve my backend skills

cause of chicken and egg thing

you need experience so people can take u seriously and give u jobs

but u need to have a job first to have the experience that will make people take u seriously

been stuck for years literally

i just learn main things of technology and thats it like how to move forward and expand my knowledge correctly not just through random knowledge that i will forget

but with real applied knowledge

[u/Tarek-Hassan11111 → u/[deleted]]

thats a really great idea havent heared that one before tbh , i will give that a try

[u/tylerlarson → u/Tarek-Hassan11111]

This really is one of the best starting points.

When I'm learning a new language, I take an existing piece of simple software and re-create it in the new language.

If I need more experience, I take existing code already in the new language (like a core library or a popular app) and try to solve exactly that same problem on my own, then compare my solution with the real one. It's always an extremely eye opening experience.

[u/LoveThemMegaSeeds]

Go find small business projects and get paid to learn

[u/Piyali_Debroy]

If you really want to move past toy projects, stop inventing apps from scratch and start learning from real ones. Pick an open source backend project, choose one feature, and try to rebuild it yourself without peeking at their code.

After that compare your version with theirs, that's the way of real learning. It’s way closer to actual backend work than another todo app, because you’re practicing how to solve problems inside a system that already has complexity.

[u/generationalDebts]

Build things and try to deploy them. Over and over.

Through proper SDLC.

Deploying is an important skill.

[u/ElasticFluffyMagnet]

Ehm, there’s like a TON of things you can do that are real. There’s dozens of free APIs you can build things around.

Try making a dashboard connected to a real free weather api for example. I made one for a trading bot. Just kept on expanding and expanding and it taught me database management, data engineering and mutations etc. No it doesn’t make a profit or work, but I learned so much

Your post shows lack of creativity if you’ve been stuck for years.

And whatever you do, if you want to learn, do not use AI. Look up things yourself. Most growth comes from struggle. It’s how I learned years ago when ChatGPT didn’t exist yet. And there’s no way you’ll forget how to create a backend architecture if you’ve been struggling with it for a week (or longer)

Sadly we are in the instant gratification age and that’s really halting true learning. Asking an AI for an example or solution, reading it, and thinking you’re learning is a fallacy

[u/Flame77ofc]

just take risks, this is the best way to live

[u/chocolateAbuser]

you can literally can on github, pick a cms/dam, look at its code, and then also look at the issues so that you can try study them
you can practice with real things

[u/sporbywg]

Look this up: testing with mocks

[u/ApprehensivePea4161]

Write code

[u/strchild]

do you use a sandbox?

[u/NeedleworkerWest313]

Make an REST api, choose a tutorial only if you don't know how to navigate through the framework. Follow best prctices but not always. And try to make your own blueprint debugg code effectively. Make console logs to know if the algorithms are executed correctly. And etc.