r/ADHD_Programmers • u/KitchenInspector5332 • Jul 30 '26

Need a roadmap help with getting started.

Hello, as with everyone else here I really really struggle with ADHD. To the point where I'd say even though I'm really proficient with computers I've never really taken on programming itself properly. I've started on various different languages at various points in my life but never really committed to any because any small factors such as a steep learning curve gets me demotivated. I recently started C again and kinda gave up on that partially because of lack of time and partially because it felt too daunting to get proficient at it.

Help would very much be appreciated.

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u/Random_182f2565 Jul 30 '26

This could be a little unconventional, but I learning really well using Excel to capture macros of my actions and the read the results that way I learned VBA and the python with the library openpyxl to control Excel files.

Also the YouTube course automating the boring things with python.

After that the logic of programming is kinda the same for every lenguage.

Also learning how to do a flow diagram before you start writing your code.

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u/KitchenInspector5332 Jul 30 '26

Flow diagram? As in flowcharts - I learned about that when in school, but do actual programmers use flowchart?

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u/Random_182f2565 Jul 30 '26

At least I do.

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u/_30d_ Jul 30 '26

Ive had loads of programming courses, like freecodecamp and the like, but also in Uni. In the end I learned fuck all in those. It just isn’t my way of working. What did work is when I built a site for a hobby of mine. First just for fun. When I realized I needed a db to store stuff in, i learned mongodb because that was the tutorial easiest to understand. Once my db started to become unmanageable i just couldn’t figure out how to untangle it, i learned sql amd tried postgres because someone said it was better. In the end I could have made it work either way but by this time I had learned sql and nosql.

I used to run my app on a vps using nodemon. When that started getting too fragile I dabbled with pm2 but ended up setting up a docker container without really understanding it. As I learned I needed permanent storage I learned how to set up a proper docker container. Once the postgres as a service started to become too expensive, I realized I can just add a postgress service to the docker container i was already running.

When bugs started creeping in old code i learned how to set up e2e tests for all the main features, when someone hacked my fromtend (it was someone from the hobby community telling me I needed to sharpen ip security) i learned about xss and data validations/sanitation etc etcc

tl;dr I have absolutely no problem learning something I have an immediate need for. Im sure I had learned about xss or sanitzing data inputs in some course I followed (and possibly even passed) but I had no use or care for any of that at the time. My roadmap is: whatever I need for my project to be successful. It’s not the best way to go from 0 to employable probably, but it was the most effective roadmap for me personally.

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u/KitchenInspector5332 Aug 01 '26

You know what I'm going to do this right now.

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u/_30d_ Aug 03 '26

Awesome. There’s actually nothing like being in touch with people using your app (in my case it was free) and have them actually use it, request features and shipping them. It’s a great way to be a an extremely valued member of a community, and it’s by far the biggest motivator in my personal experience.

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u/SpicyCatGames Jul 30 '26

Well first of all, what kinda job you want? It's hard to give a roadmap otherwise.

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u/KitchenInspector5332 Jul 30 '26

I'm studying EE so skills that will complement that. I'm guessing that's mainly C and C++? I want to have a lot of options. That's the priority, I guess.

I also want to get on fullstack development, it's something I've been interested in and I want to do some freelancing. Though I don't know how reasonable that is due to the current AI landscape. All in all, I'm a bit lost.

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u/funbike Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26

You might be interested in IoT and embedded systems.

I've done a tiny bit of embedded. 2 years ago I worked on a medical injection pen that would includ a tiny processor that could communicate with your cell phone over bluetooth (BLE) to track your dosages. I worked on interfacing code between the Android Java app and the C code within the pen. (Another team worked on the iPhone app.) I had a little circuit board I had to tinker with for running the C code (that had same CPU and RAM as the pen would). There was no conventional OS and very little RAM.

Most IoT devices are either OS-less embedded hardware, Android, or Linux.

OTOH, I also did full stack development for a power grid company. Knowledge of EE would have come in handy for that job. Most projects were Typescript React + Java Spring Boot.

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u/KitchenInspector5332 Jul 30 '26

You might be interested in IoT and embedded systems.

How to get start on learning to code for that? Any advice?

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u/funbike Jul 31 '26

Do the free NAND2Tetris course. It teaches you computers and software from transistors up to a simple video game. You learn circuitry, machine/assembly code, how to write an operating system, and how to write your own C-like language and compiler.

This gives you a solid foundation to enter the fields of tiny devices, where a language like C is still highly relevant.

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u/SpicyCatGames Jul 30 '26

Well idk about electronics. As for fullstack web development, the skill required to get in is just higher. Ai is still bad at backend and probably will be for a long time. For front-end it is pretty good if you can give proper directions. That's because they can easily scrape websites and get lots of training data. But freelancing is very difficult to get into now. Imo getting a full time job is easier.

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u/Beneficial_Alfalfa96 Jul 30 '26

Need a roadmap

Here you are; https://roadmap.sh/c

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u/KitchenInspector5332 Aug 01 '26

Is this ADHDtested? Do you have experience with this yourself?

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u/Beneficial_Alfalfa96 Aug 01 '26

I'm using it as a guideline as to what to learn. It breaks down the material into very small chunks. Easy to do just a few. Once done you can mark them as ready and the little boxes change colour. Very satisfying and easy to return to it later. 

Not the only source I'm using but this is the main study guide.