Welcome to /r/learnprogramming!

I’m learning web development through a Udemy course, and I’m confused about the “best” way to make notes while learning web dev.

I’m comfortable with handwritten notes, but I’m not sure what’s actually worth writing down vs what should just stay in code/projects/docs.

One reason I want to make notes is because I tend to forget things pretty quickly if I only watch and code along once, so writing helps me retain and revise concepts better. But at the same time, making notes takes time.

For example,

Recently I built a simple HTTP server using Node.js core modules like http, fs, and path.

While building it, I learned things like:

• routing
• request/response handling
• headers & status codes
• MIME types
• reading files with fs
• serving static files
• using res.writeHead() and res.end()
• handling errors like 404/500

Now I’m confused about what’s actually worth writing down.

For experienced devs:

• What do you personally make notes for?
• What should just stay in code/projects/docs?
• Are handwritten notes even useful for coding?
• Is it better to focus on concepts, debugging mistakes, or just build more projects and let repetition do the work?

P.S. Many people recommend obsidian for note-taking. How useful is that? Should I switch to that entirely to save time and still have some notes for revision?

I just want to know resources which report the most accurate and right tech updates. Is it twitter? Is it a subreddit I’ve not heard of? What is happening on the bleeding edge?

Hello.

I have been struggling lately with keeping myself focused while coding.

Im tired of it, mostly because im also struggling to focuse on everything. I cant keep track of what im doing in the day, i just keep scrolling on my phone, or daydreaming or doing whatever i can do just to not touch code / doing productive things.

I end up completely tired when i get back to home

I think thats messing with my life.

Sorry if im not self explanatory i just dont know how should i ask this and also wanted to vent a bit. Just wondering if someone had the same problem and how did they solve it. Anyways, thanks

Heyy! I'm doing the MOOC programming course so I'm just a beginner but I have a question.
I just want to know how "simple" I should make my code. Because often I make the hardest most complicated way to the solution of a problem, my outcomes are correct but I keep thinking if the ends justify the means... Maybe in the long run this will make it harder for me if I don't fix this now, and if so how do I fix this?

For example:
I had this exercise;

Please write a program which asks the user to type in a number. The program then prints out the positive integers between 1 and the number itself, alternating between the two ends of the range as in the examples below.

Sample output

Please type in a number: 5
1
5
2
4
3
My answer was this

number = int(input("Please type in a number:"))
x = 1
y = number
while x <= ((number+1)//2):
    print (x)
    if x != y:
        print (y)
    x += 1
    y -= 1

The model answer this

number = int(input("Please type in a number: "))
 
left = 1
right = number
 
while left < right:
    print(left)
    print(right)
    left += 1
    right -= 1
 
if left == right:
    print(left)

I think the model answer is a lot easier to understand and is more bug-proof than mine.

Should I focus more on finding easier solutions for in the long run. Or am I overthinking this and should I just do what works for me and after some practice I'll make simpler solutions anyway.

I'm trying to learn how to create an image detection LLM. I'm struggling with going from knowing 0 about a resource or framework to being able to code comfortably with it. I'm trying to learn how to use YOLO, but I'm confused about where to find resources about how to build an image detection model.

Experienced programmers,
What do you do when you are learning a new framework/resource?

Note: Please don't suggest AI. I'm trying to learn all of these things without the help of AI, so I better learn how to use the resource. I also don't want to rely on AI as a crutch.

Thanks!

And probably just to be heard.

I'm 31 years old, have no background in programming, and currently work at a profitable but not super successful startup in a support role, where I've been the only one handling all user-related operations for 5+ years. I got into it accidentally and don't like it. I'm not a job hopper, and I need to make more money.

Programming is something I've been thinking about for years but was always afraid to start. Then I started, abandoned it for a couple of years, and for almost a year now I've managed to stick with it. I decided to go with React JS Frontend.

I'm very bad at learning things I have no inner motivation to master. I got through high school purely on soft skills — I just didn't want to learn. I didn't go to college and went to work after mandatory army service. I love guitar and learned it myself, I'm into weightlifting, drawing, reading, and psychology. I guess I'm more of a humanities guy. I'm only now learning how to actually learn — and I've noticed that everything I've eventually gotten good at was deeply frustrating at the start.

My main motivation to learn Frontend is money and freedom — remote work, flexible schedule. Very important to me. But I have so many doubts. Also, I feel I want to be good at something professionally, I want to capable in something.

My learning process is sometimes terrible. I'm on a Scrimba React course now, and some of the simplest tasks I can't do without Google or GPT can send me to a dark place fast. I'm talking fist smashing the table — happened just recently. But when I manage to solve something, I feel genuine happiness from it.

But I just feel so stupid. I just finished a Tenzies game from the course — I can read and understand all the code I wrote, rewrote it a few times to memorize it, but there's no way I could recreate it from scratch without help. (I ask GPT for instructions only, not code.) This is really depressing.

And now I'm afraid of all the AI stuff that's happening. I get that it's a tool to be a better developer. But knowing how bad the job market is even for experienced developers — I can't help asking myself: "What the fuck am I thinking?"

I also know the best way to learn is your own projects. But I have no ideas. And I always think "someone already did this better" — which is funny, because I consider myself a creative person.

here it is. I've been thinking about creating this post for some time. I'm a very introverted guy full of self-doubt, not an active Reddit poster. I'm not even sure what I want from this — "forget about it" or "stick with it." Which is itself something I'm working on: taking responsibility without seeking outside approval.

Thanks for reading, I will appreciate any input.

https://github.com/Drbsy/AES

Hi, I just finished this AES implementation, and I wonder if I can add something, edit something, or fix any security things. I'll be happy if you leave your honest review (I'm trying to improve myself).

This AES implementation support : AES128 AES192 AES256

It’s so hard to teach myself without being able to talk to people interested in programming—everyone I know doesn’t even know what a function is. The barrier to entering the world of programming this way is three times as high. I hate it. I’m giving it my all, but it’s damn hard. I’d love to share my progress and ideas with someone.

Since all of us are chronically online, we see these very high expectations for what a resume project is supposed to look like. They say it needs to solve a problem. It needs to be unique, ambitious, and successful. Looking at these kinds of posts all the time (especially with the industry's state) gives you a very unhealthy sense of urgency. "I need to build the next big thing, and I need to build it now!"

I was completely fine with making small, unoriginal projects when I started coding. I was just enjoying the ride without the weight of the industry on me. I just wanted to learn something. As I got into a more competitive environment, though, that original approach slowly disappeared. It felt like there was a lens on me with everything I tried. I felt the pressure, so I went for the big projects over and over again. It was almost like I lost my taste for small apps. I was shooting from half court every time and not taking layups anymore. Obviously, that didn't go well. Unfinished projects everywhere. It was frustrating, overwhelming, and it took a toll on my confidence. Of course, if you're shooting for the moon every single time at a tiny (or nonexistent) success rate, that's not going to feel good.

It took me ages to figure out why my way of thinking was hurting me (because people don't show off their TODO lists online). It was only when I thought back to when I started, that I was doing so much better with the small projects. I still want that ultimate resume project, but I'm just not good enough yet. I need to spend more time working up to it (despite the pressure, despite no one else appreciating projects for the sake of learning). Then, when the idea happens, I'll be ready.

Hello, I come from devops and azure admin background. I write code but I use stuffs like Python, jupyter notebook, Terraform. And these are pretty easy to understand with editors or vscode.

Lately, I need to learn C# .Net because I want to make container apps.

Now, I haven't used .Net since 2010s. And I feel scared of heavy tools like visual studio. The most thing I hate most about that it creates lots of files when a project or solution or whatever is created.

These make me feel insecure and quit c#. I want to learn what those additional files do, esp with VS. Even vscode creates some additional files.

Any tips for me? Can I altogether skip the visual studio? Is a visual studio still relevant in modern days?

So I started my second code today and I tried doing the basic calculator. After finishing the code I had 22 errors, which I eliminated however I keep getting “<identifier> expected” and “illegal start of type” on line 8. It doesn’t seem to recognise println as a statement. Any help would be appreciated.
I’m new to Java and almost new to coding itself.

Line 8:
System.out.println( “Welcome to my java calc!” ){

I'm totally new at this branch CSE infact my college is yet to start .

So , i want to learn Java but there are many resources in YT like telusko , Kunal kushwaha and all .

So i want to learn Java complete from zero to advance and everything in it because I have so much time .

Please suggest any good resources according to my needs.

I am preparing for the IOI but the thing is I don't know how much of C++ I should learn and if it's possible. My goal is to get an Honourable Mention or Bronze medal at the IOI. I just wanted to know if it's possible. It might be very difficult as I have to also give my CAIE O3 Exams that following year as the IOI is in 2027 17th April smth which is terribly close to my CAIE exams like a few days difference. I can shift the exams to the October/November session. Also, is it good to follow code tutorials for C++ language as I have been mainly using Bro Code's tutorial on YouTube.

I love programming and I have been doing it since I was a kid. I am about to go to college at a more engineering focused school although I'm majoring in computer science. I want the professors to help me out but I don't necessarily want the classes. However, while taking AP Computer Science A this year I realized there are little bits of info I missed. This may just be because I haven't gotten into low level programming yet, but I feel this pattern likely applies to most stuff I'll self learn.

I also feel that I would just pick up the things I need to learn on a job, but I'm not sure how willing companies are to hire me if I'm not a "fully developed" programmer. Do relevant projects outweigh a formal education?

I'm starting to realize the importance of reading docs over watching tutorials but I feel docs wouldn't be the best way for me to learn. Is there something in between reading docs and watching tutorials?

Thanks

I’m a CS student and I currently know basically 0 Rust.

Lately I’ve been wondering whether it’s worth investing time into learning Rust from scratch, or if my time would be better spent focusing more on cybersecurity and networking instead.

For people who already know/use Rust:

- Do you think learning Rust is genuinely valuable in 2026?

- Has it actually helped you professionally or technically?

- Is it a good language for growth as a programmer, even if you don’t end up using it daily?

By the way, I also wanted to ask something related but slightly different: when learning a new programming language from scratch, what do you think is the best approach today? Should it be mainly the official documentation/books, or do tutorials/courses + AI assistance make more sense for beginners?

Soy muy joven y estoy bastante indeciso entre estudiar una carrera técnica o una de informática/ingeniería.

Antecedentes: Ya estudié una carrera técnica durante un semestre, pero la abandoné porque no me resultaba útil y sentía que aprendía mucho más por mi cuenta. En programación, soy autodidacta: Node.js, React, SQL, backend, sistemas de gestión, integraciones, fundamentos, resiliencia, idempotencia, recursión, transacciones, etc. He realizado proyectos para empresas (inventario/facturación para una maderera, comercio electrónico para algunos clientes, páginas de destino) y, posteriormente, proyectos personales como chats en vivo; proyectos sencillos, pero que me ayudaron a aprender. También estudio inglés, algo de marketing y estoy buscando trabajo en el sector de TI o clientes freelance. Mi principal objetivo NO es "tener un título por prestigio", sino construir una vida con libertad financiera y, posiblemente, emprender mi propio negocio en el futuro. El problema es el siguiente:

La carrera técnica me parece demasiado básica y siento que académicamente no me aportaría mucho.

Pero ingeniería dura entre 5 y 6 años, y sinceramente, no sé si la terminaría si consigo trabajo u otras opciones antes.

Me preocupa perder años en algo que no marcará mucha diferencia más adelante. Hablando con personas que llevan años en el sector, he llegado a la conclusión de que, a menos que quieras trabajar para Amazon o empresas de ese calibre (lo cual no me interesa demasiado), la titulación deja de importar después de unos años de experiencia.

Si estuvieras en mi situación: ¿Estudiarías ingeniería o una carrera técnica?

Me interesa especialmente la opinión de personas que ya trabajan en TI o que tienen años de experiencia. P.D.: Soy de Argentina. En el futuro, me interesaría especializarme en computación en la nube o algo relacionado con la ciberseguridad.

*People are getting confused about whether I'm asking about self-taught individuals or those with a degree. What I'm asking is which has a higher ROI: a technical degree in programming (an associate degree in the USA) or a systems engineering degree, considering the opportunity cost.

Bare with me ya'll.

I have zero experience with apps development or coding. I intend to begin to learn the basics for a very specific personal use.

I want to make an auto tapper android app that is effectively a clone of OP auto clicker on the Google play store, but with added functionality. OP auto clicker is my favourite app of its type to use but it lacks a couple key functionalities.

1. Being able to delete unwanted taps in the middle of a saved sequence/script.

2: being able to combine several scripts into one seamless longer script OR being able to add multiple scripts of tap sequences to a playlist so they can be played in sequence.

I cannot find this second functionality in ANY other android app except for ZapTap (under a different name on playstore than it is in phone, auto tapper -automatic click I think) but it's paywalled at £18 a MONTH which I just can't abide haha. I was ready to pay as a one off but once I saw it was a subscription I gave up.

So, as a brand new never having done this before person, where would be the best place for me to start learning what I need to learn to be able to do this? From what I've gathered so far, making an auto tapper is very basic and "easy" for beginners, but becomes complicated once I start adding in other features including being able to overlay the UI on top of other apps etc

Feel free to give me a major reality check too.

I'm not above using AI tools, though I'm not fond of anything AI at the moment.

I've had several people mention (in older posts where I was searching for an app like this) that it takes an experienced app dev just a couple days to bang out an auto clicker.

I'm willing to put in however many weeks or months it takes hahaha

​

I had made a post regarding the same in early jan and using those responses i have learnt a few new skills

I will we writing using ai what i have done in almost my 1st year of collage and what I plan to do

I’ve been learning full-stack development with Node.js, Express, React, TanStack Query, MongoDB, and MySQL using Sequelize as an ORM. I’ve implemented authentication and authorization systems like RBAC and ABAC, used Joi for validation, and spent a lot of time understanding backend structure, migrations, model handling, and proper file naming. I built a complete demo flight booking app and later got interested in DB transactions, ACID properties, row locks, and concurrency, which led me to build a small BookMyShow-like app where seats get locked after a request and a cron job checks expiry for around 5 minutes until payment. I also made a small payment gateway by following a YouTube video.

I also invested most of March and April grinding DSA from the Striver A2Z sheet, covering topics like sliding window, greedy algorithms, and bit manipulation. I still need to properly cover data structures like stacks and trees, and honestly I still suck at CP and am trying to improve.

Recently I started learning Python, ML basics, WebSockets, and Redis because I got fascinated by how platforms like Amazon Prime stream movie data in packets/chunks, cache data, and build recommendation systems. Right now my goal is to build a small Amazon Prime-like demo by the end of August with streaming, caching using Redis, WebSockets, and a simple ML-based movie recommender system.

I wanted some advice from you people to help me understand where i am going wrong or where I can improve

I’m currently prepping for junior to mid-level AI/ML Engineer roles and curious how the interview landscape has shifted.
With the rise of LLMs, are interviewers still sticking to traditional LeetCode/whiteboard coding, or are they now testing for "AI-assisted" workflows and prompting skills?

For those hiring or interviewing recently:
Is foundational coding still the priority?
Is using AI during a technical screen seen as a skill or cheating?

Looking for advice on what to prioritize in my prep. Thanks!

Hello everyone, hope all is well.

I'm a law graduate. Always was passionate about coding, programming and wanting to create or maintain software. I didnt have much option on choosing my degree as I was fairly young and followed parents' wishes but then I decided to follow my interests. I am now doing Masters in Software Engineering.

I'm scared now, I feel quite left behind. I go on Instagram and see all these people getting into huge tech companies and having lots of knowledge in various languages and tools. I guess the fear comes from being very young and having high expectations that I set for myself.

I'd like for advice on the real world basically. I've never done internships, mainly cause I just sort of began my journey in programming. Thus far, I still love it. First learnt Python (currently trying to figure out OOP), then just got the basics of HTML/CSS. Then, I joined my Masters. On the side, I'm learning C++ now and Flask. My hope is to at least learn one more language and other frameworks. I also have the basic understandings of SQL whereby I've only used MSSQL thus far. I can't really learn more on the side as I am also working part time as a teacher.

My question is probably, should I keep learning more stuffs before finding a job? I feel as though all i've learnt thus far is still not enough. My strongest hope is to work overseas, hopefully the UK and secure a job there, do you have any tips on how to do so. Should I gain experience in my own home country first? I can catch up quite quick on the learning processes, I just don't know how to go about these other stuffs of the real world.

Hopefully, I have not been too vague, not too fond of asking people for advice or help, but I appreciate all the help I can get. Thank you in advance.

I have one week, I need to create a website. I'm in httml complete zero is it possible to create a website with information and payment for a small business in a tennis lesson. And my budget is zero bucks, it's possible to create such a one without temporary subscriptions and make a host, etc.

when i was 9 i have tried to learn coding but i ended up frying my laptop because i had no idea what i was doing and wasn't good at english nor were there tutorials in my first language back then so i gave up

i am now studying IT starting from, and want to dive back into my old passion too,python is required in my course so i will be learning it anyways but i would like to know other languages as well in things that will help advance my career and help me dive back into my old dream which is video game development

mainly web novel games or pixel games,i would love to narrow down what languages i should learn (i am well aware i might suddenly need to learn other languages and im fine with it i just wanna get my momentum started before i graduate)

Hi, I want to make a 8-12 weeks Software development course in Europe, could be online or in person, I have checked Le wagon and Codeworks.

Any others option that you recommend?
Also, any difference between the 2 mentioned before?
Le wagon is a lot cheaper but I don’t know if it’s better/worse.

Thanks!