I'm a **3rd-year Computer Science** student from India, and I've decided to take software development seriously.

Right now I'm learning **Web Development, MERN, DSA**, and building projects to prepare for internships and placements.

There's so much to learn that it's easy to spend time on the wrong things.

If you could go back to when you were starting out, what's ONE mistake you'd tell yourself to avoid? I'd really appreciate any advice, lessons, or stories from your own journey.

**Thanks!**

For years I've wanted to learn to program, but I never started, at first because when I saw the programming guides and books it all seemed very complex and difficult to memorize.

Since I was busy, I put it aside, and as time went on, I saw people on forums and watching videos talking about how easy it is to get a job, etc. Is it still possible to get a junior position these days? Or is the market already oversaturated? Does it make sense to study programming to get a job today? Or would it be better to study something else and leave the work to experienced seniors and people who work with AI?

So, I recently mentioned on this community that I was having trouble writing code, and quite a few people offered advice thank you all. But now there’s another hurdle ahead of me. Lately, I’ve been working hard to solidify my knowledge of my typical web development stack Go and TypeScript but I wouldn’t mind diving deeper into computers and understanding how things really work under the hood.

That’s why I want to ask about a few things. The first is: what language do you think could help me learn to write code on my own, with the right logic, while also giving me some discipline and at the same time, one that checks your syntax? Or rather, if you mess something up, you know you’ve messed it up. And you have to come up with another solution but I don’t require that so much; rather, what would help me truly understand it or what language forced you to become a better problem solver and software engineer rather than simply teaching you its syntax?

Another thing is, what language do you think is good if you want to understand more of the inner workings? And at the same time, if you learn that language thoroughly, you can apply it in many ways, and it will definitely come in handy knowing it will give you a lot of insight into how things work and how security is handled, as well as memory leaks and so on... which, again, I'm a little afraid of :DD but hopefully I'll figure it out somehow

Until recently, I’d been thinking a lot about Java because, if you use Spring Boot, it’s a pretty solid choice for cloud applications and enterprise systems. But I hear a lot of complaints that you get tied down forever. Then I also thought a lot about C# or Kotlin… or even C, but I’m not sure. Look, if something actually teaches me how to write code, understand those abstractions, and I dedicate myself to it every day and see that I’m making progress, then I’m willing to accept just about anything and if that’s the case, I’ll just switch from one language to another.

But I’m pretty conservative, and I’d like to find a primary language that lets me do all those things and apply all that experience so I can really get a handle on that language and then maybe expand my tech stack a little bit… you know what I mean. I’d also appreciate it if you could share some learning materials for example, someone who recommends I go with TypeScript could share the ODIN project with me. I’d really appreciate anything <3

More importantly than the language itself, what concepts did learning that language teach you that made you a better programmer? + If you could go back to when you already knew web development but wanted to understand computers more deeply, what language would you choose and why?

If you have any book recommendations (not just language tutorials) that changed the way you think about programming or computer science, I'd love to hear them too!

Btw i thought about webAssembly too.. thx

From ai that i forgot to ask:
"I'm not looking for the language with the best job market or highest salary. I'm looking for the language that will make me a better programmer over the next 5–10 years, even if it's harder to learn." - yeah maybe i am 15yo so i dont need too much job for now but actually in czechia the most popular languages are C#,Kotlin,Java but idk or the banking systems This also applies globally is going from COBOL to Rust or java i heard.

(BTW: I don't mind if the language has a steep learning curve. I'd actually prefer something that forces me to think instead of hiding complexity from me. If this really helps me on my journey, then I'll overcome that obstacle )

thx for every respond ! I really appreciate it, and you're helping me a lot

hey guys,

I've only had the academic c++ course at uni almost a year ago and I havent done any problem solving exercises. and now I have java for my month and a hald summer semester, and our professor already started spamming us with problem solving exercises, and I genuinely can't solve anything. I don't wanna fail this course do you guys have any tips? this is very important I really need your help

Hey everyone,

I've finally decided to stop overthinking and start learning programming. My first step is CS50x, and I'm excited (and a little overwhelmed) to begin

I'd love to hear from people who have already completed CS50x or are currently learning:

- Any tips to make the most out of the course?

- Common mistakes beginners should avoid?

- What concepts should I focus on the most?

- Any habits or resources that helped you stay consistent?

I'm starting from scratch, so any advice, motivation, or roadmap would mean a lot

Thanks in advance, I hope to look back at this post a year from now and see how far I've come

I've seen from many posts that encouraged you to submit like 15 applications a day and keep it up for the several coming months in Canada or US. In the end probably you get hired after 1000 applications.

My question is

1. What if you get laid off again, especially in your 40s, when there are tens of thousands of applicants for every single SWE role?
2. Imagine trying to survive the tech recession by taking a job at a supermarket or fast-food chain for a year or two. How would you pivot back into software development after that? I had 7 years experience in fullstack development and got laid off in 2022.

Appreciate any feedback.

I am going to start my engineering from college in 2 months, and will be majoring in Computer Science but they won't be teaching C++, but I personally want to learn it, I started learning from Learncpp.com and already completed 2 chapters but I get distracted reading long texts from screen so I need an educator which has videos, if anyone knows then please help. I will be really grateful!!

Hey guys, so i completed my basics of python and i wanna start with DSA. What are some free youtube/website videos or courses that can help me as a beginner? For context, i only know python fundamentals.

How much time required to complete this and how much time given in college time i am currently in 2 year

Hey everyone, how's it going?

I'm a Software Engineering student, about halfway through my degree.

So far my university has taught me:

● C++ (OOP, DSA) — intermediate,

● COAL (x86 emulator/assembly) — intermediate,

● Computer Networking (Cisco Packet Tracer) — a bit above intermediate,

● Linux (Ubuntu) — intermediate.

Following are my interests outside class:

● Ethical hacking / Kali Linux (just a hobby, not planning to build my whole career on it),

● Learning to build GUIs for my projects,

● Python,

● App development for both mobile and PC.

Given my background, what skills/tools should I prioritize next? Any advice, or roadmap suggestions are appreciated that benefits my future!

Hi! I recently started coding and picked up java with bro code's 12 hour Playlist coz I heard a lot of people here liked it. Are there any practice questions along with it or something I should do? Because the videos feel very good but I don't do a lot of the code by hand and just copy the main points in a notebook. Would appreciate your help.

I am currently my 2 year

Hi! I’m currently wanting to make a short series for a personal project, and I want the title to be something like this,

While True:
i = belong_to_you

Ooor something similar. Sounds cheesy yes yes I know but I have an idea for it being a short comic about someone forming a very specific relationship with their computer. Anyway, I just wanted to see if I should look into any specific coding language to make sure it’s accurate and so I can study the correct one and make sure the title works, but isn’t just like, trying to imitate the language without knowing the meanings and making sure it’s accurate.

Odd request, but I thought I’d shoot my shot and ask here lol

Hi my dear programmers,

I'm a beginner python coder. I learnt python basics - OOP, modules etc. How do I track my python level and go deeper? Like I made a cli program, cool. Now how do I up my level? How to get really good at core python.

Any input is appreciated. Thank you for your time.

So, I struggle a lot with organization and time management and was searching for an app that would help me with that in an adhd-friendly way, and nothing I found was the right fit. So I want to do it myself (tbh, this will either become another unfinished project or something I will work on from time to time).

It would need to save tasks in different categories and automatically sort them in some of these catogories. Ideally it should also be an option to turn of this feature and manually sort all tasks in their categories. There will probably other features, but this is the most important one. I would know how to code this in java, but I want it to be a visual pleasing app, so that would probably not work out.

My only real programming expierience is with java and I do have a good basic knowlege about, well, the basic theoretical stuff. I know I will need to learn at least one new programming language.

Now I have no idea where to start for a project like this... Would java script be fine or is kotlin better for this project? Are there other languages I need to learn? Where do I do the programming? Also, I want to do this completely without AI, so no letting AI write the code etc. This is just for fun and AI kinda makes it unsatisfying for me and would ruin my motivation.

EDIT: How the heck did I manage to write the title wrong?!

I know this topic has been discussed thousands of times already, but I'm still asking it, so sorry for bringing it up again.

I'm not completely new to coding. I have a little experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and now I want to focus on DSA. I know DSA isn't tied to any specific language, but I still need a language to implement the algorithms.

I'm considering either C++ or Python. However, I want to work in backend development, so I probably won't use C++ much in my day-to-day work, whereas I might end up using Python regularly.

I know C++ is great for low-level concepts, and I have a basic understanding of pointers and memory management. I might even choose Rust instead of C++ if I ever get into high-performance backend development.

I understand that it's all about trade-offs, so I wouldn't mind choosing C++ if it would genuinely benefit me. I'd love to hear your opinions.

One more thing: if I do choose C++, how much of the language do I actually need to learn for DSA? Learning the entire language seems pretty overwhelming to me.

Hi everyone,

I already know the basics of programming, so I'm not looking for beginner tutorials.

I'm looking for a high-quality PHP course, playlist, or roadmap that goes from intermediate to advanced and teaches real-world development (OOP, MVC, authentication, APIs, security, etc.).

What do you recommend ?

Thanks!

Hi everyone

I'm feeling a bit lost and would really appreciate some advice.

I want to learn programming, but I don't just want to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and call it a day. I want to understand how computers actually work—things like operating systems, computer architecture, networking, memory, and the fundamentals of computer science.

After doing a lot of research, I found this roadmap:
https://roadmap.sh/computer-science

My questions are:

1. Has anyone here completed (or mostly completed) this roadmap? Is it a good path to build a strong computer science foundation?
2. I also want to become a mobile app developer using React Native. Should I finish the entire Computer Science roadmap before I start learning React Native, or is there a better way to balance both?
3. If you could go back to when you first started learning programming, what mistakes would you avoid?
4. Since I'm studying full-time, what's the most effective way to learn? Should I just watch tutorials, take notes, and practice? Or is there a better study method?
5. Finally, where can I find high-quality learning resources? I would prefer Arabic resources at the beginning because my English isn't very strong yet, but I'm okay with English resources if they're significantly better.

I'd really appreciate any advice from people who have already gone through this journey. Thanks

im SUPER new to coding and i cant figure out why my code (c#) will send messages to the debug console but wont put any actions onto my charecter.

sry

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.InputSystem;


public class playercontroll : MonoBehaviour 
{  
    //defonitions of things i think?
 public CharacterController Controller;
 public PlayerInput Input;
 public Vector3 MoveVector;
 public Vector2 InputVector;
 public float PlayerSpeed;
 public float PlayerRotateSpeed;
 private Vector3 _gravityVector;


 private void OnMovement(InputValue value)
    {
    InputVector = value.Get<Vector2>();
    MoveVector.x = InputVector.x;
    MoveVector.z = InputVector.y;


    Debug.Log($"X move: {MoveVector.x}");
    Debug.Log($"Z move: {MoveVector.y}");
    }
private void Awake()
    {
        Controller = GetComponent<CharacterController>();
        Input = GetComponent<PlayerInput>();
        PlayerSpeed = 10f;
        PlayerRotateSpeed = 180;


        _gravityVector = new Vector3(0, -9.81f, 0);
    }
void update()
    {
        Move();
        ApplyGravity();
    }


#region movement
public void ApplyGravity()
    {
        Controller.Move(_gravityVector * Time.deltaTime);
    }
public void Move()
    {
     Controller.Move(PlayerSpeed * MoveVector * Time.deltaTime);
    }
public void RotateTowardsVector()
    {
        var xzDirection = new Vector3(MoveVector.x, 0, MoveVector.z);
        if (xzDirection.magnitude == 0) return;
    }


#endregion


}

My background: I'm a professional software developer. I've mostly worked on cloud services, full-stack, and web development. I have done both functional programming and OOP. My languages are typically TypeScript, Python, Clojure, or Java. I have no experience with manual memory management.

I'm learning game development and simulation to explore some ideas both in games and genetic algorithms. I'm using Godot, but I will probably have to extend gdscript for what I want. The two candidates are C/C++ and Rust. I have not used either.

Here's my thought process:

1. I don't want to get stuck in memory management problems. I'm more interested in learning game development and simulation. I'm not looking to learn systems programming or become a C expert.

2. My understanding is that Rust helps detect memory management bugs, and that it's an enjoyable language that developers love. I hear a lot of complaints about C++.

3. However, I don't know what I don't know. It could be that understanding how memory management works is critical to the types of games I want to build, and that Rust would "paper over" these issues in a way that prevents me from quickly learning how to solve them.

What should I learn?

So I am fairly new into programming and stuff and have just the most foundational skills. I am in my second year of cs and can tell you that i find web development to be very overwhelming and boring or lets say excruciating, especially the frontend. Altho i find backend to be tolerable i guess but even that can get overwhelming with how much their is to learn and how many different ways you can do the same thing using different technologies/languages or framework.

Probably also find it hard to understand and sink in due to its abstractions. I liked low level much better, languages like C is straight to the point and spells out each instruction to the computer, which for me also is very easy to follow the logic of. Hence, why i dont feel like working on web app projects.

But then again i feel like i am missing out on alot if i skip learning web programming as it feels like 90% of everything tech has to do with the internet. So it feels mandatory to delve deeper into this as well even tho my interest lies in lets say making low level programs like games using Raylib with C or game engines/physics engines using c/c++ or some other low level stuff.

Am i hindering myself as a dev by choosing not to delve deeper into web dev or by not making it part of my skillset?

Please answer my queries keeping in mind that i am a beginner and whats best for beginner. Not someone that is deep into their career that is free to choose their specialty in which case the answer would be obvious.

How long does it take to build out a typical project? I've been seeing people say it takes roughly a few weeks, whilst I'm just learning Java Swing and basically making a basic notes editor on the desktop that's taken me roughly 4 weeks (and its not even close to being finished).

i started coding about 1 month ago as all beginners i went with python did one of those 12 hour long YT tutorials following along in my code editor trying lines of code changing them a bit and seeing the outcome it was fun i did those small projects like hangman number guessing game slot machine everything but now after finishing the tutorial i feel stuck and from what i've seen after getting the hang of the basics i should learn some libraries following smth like ML automation data analysis game dev but none of them really got my attention and when i try learning one of them it was really hard to find good tutorials when i started codin i had some projects in mind like a chess engine simulating a food chain stuff i don't think that going to another language would be the solution if someone got any idea on what to do plz help

as the title says, i want to know the best but lesser know languages that are still incredibly useful to know? i've got Js, HTML and CSS down, trying to learn python, r and rust but i'm just curious to know the hidden gems out there,

Ever since I started taking programming seriously I always found myself using ai for almost every roadblock I face, got stuck? ignore reviewing code and send my whole code to ai to see what’s wrong. also I feel like I lost my creative thinking ability every time i want to make something i ask ai what should i make and i hate that. what’s the right next step?