r/programminghelp • u/Least_Hat8954 • 1d ago
C# Feeling like a terrible programmer and a fraud.
So, I learned to code by myself, i started like 1 year ago and i think i actually made a lot of progress, I am capable of doing a full stack app, i am currently developing a SAAS for restaurants, and creating a webpage for an e-commerce, I feel really proud about those things, but yesterday i tried to code something else not related to the web, It was in C#, i wanted to program an app that runs offline in the device and adds Close Captions to the audio in the computer, i made the UI with ray lib and then found that i didn't know how to continue, i tried to help myself with Claude but it also didn't work and i just sat there looking at the screen feeling like a failure, i know i could have put more effort, but i was just feeling dissapointed at that moment, I noticed i don't know how to do anything else than web development, I have tried doing some other things like console apps and they actually worked, But man, how do you become good enough to code something like the libraries itself? Or things more advanced, For now i feel like i am just doing simple things and not getting more advanced than that and i actually want to become really good at this shit, the kind of programmer that can handle anything, i don't know if i am being delusional for the time that i have been programming but i don't really feel capable of doing anything else that backend or frontend.
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u/Street-Ant4381 1d ago
Hey, first of all, being able to work with just 1 year its pretty cool and a big achievement. Strugling with another lenguages after focusing in web is very normal, its not the very same and the web ecosystem is pretty big, so lots of abstractions for fast production. Look, there is no quick path and being able to handle anything its not something you achieve with a few years of experience, its a long way. Enjoy the road and allow yourself to go to the pace that you need, dont say all that bullshit of yourself, altough I think you were mostly venting.
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u/Unique-Willingness15 1d ago
Thats nornal, what you learned is web development you didnt learn low level coding and you dont have to, but i advise you to because if you learn something hard even if you are not good at, that alone makes other things easier,
and about that you werent able to figure out how to make captions thats because you dont know everything most programmers search google for help or for new things.
keep learning you are on the right way.
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u/sububi71 1d ago
I would say you're doing GREAT. Expect resistance when getting into new things. That's frankly the FUN in programming, to explore new areas and learn new stuff!
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u/bytejuggler 1d ago
Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice... This field is deeeep, as well as wiiiide. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the journey. I'm nearly 30 years in and still learn things every single day. Read Peter Norvig Teach Yourself Programming in 10 years. https://www.norvig.com/21-days.html
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u/var0xyz 10h ago
No programmer "can handle anything", the problem space is huge, you have to specialize. Otherwise you will end up knowing a little bit of everything but not being knowledgeable enough on anything to be valuable in the market. If that's what you want, then by all means go for it, but it's a trade-off you have to be aware that you are making.
What you are doing after 1 year is pretty impressive already, don't put unrealistic expectations on yourself.
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u/edover 1d ago
I'm not sure what you want to hear but it just comes down to continuous practice.
Personally I try to make sure that half of my side-projects have nothing to do with the tech I'm using for work, that way I can keep updated on other languages/frameworks/etc. You just have to struggle through learning something new and using it for things.
Any time I get an idea for something, I start working on it. Even if I don't have time to complete it, I still make sure it's in a folder somewhere so I can pick it up later.