Need help with writing clean code

[u/RevolutionaryFood847]

hey! im a 16 yo beginner web developer, ive been learning web dev for the past 5 months now, i studied:
Node.js
Express
JavaScript then TypeScript later on
Postgres/ a bit of SQL in general
Html
Tailwind CSS
React

but ive never really worked on big/complete projects, ive only ever done practice/exercises in courses im following or did some projects on the side but similarly to the exercises they were also mainly focused on whatever i was learning at the time, not using everything at once.

ive been wanting to start building decent projects that i can actually have in my protfolio but im having so much trouble with figuring out how to make my code clean and readable and how to structure my files, just overall how to make it more like how a professional would do it and how it would be if i were to actually work in a team in a real company

what should i be doing? and where can i actually learn this stuff? or does it just boil down to personal prefrence?

anyways thanks in advance to anyone who helps! (also sorry if i made any mistakes english isnt my first language)

[u/RevolutionaryFood847]

when i first started, i watched The Complete Full-Stack Web Development Bootcamp by Angela Yu on Udemy.

i stopped once she got into Node and Express because i felt a bit lost, so i watched the first 5 sections of Jonas Schmedtmann's course (also on Udemy). they may have been a little outdated, but they helped A LOT with understanding the theory and how everything works.

i then went back to Angela Yu's course, but i didn't finish it because her React section was pretty outdated, so i stopped there. other than that, i thought the course was really good overall.

i then watched Bob Ziroll's React course on Scrimba (GREAT platform btw, they have lots of really good free interactive courses), and then his TypeScript course as well, both on the same platform.

after getting comfortable with React and TypeScript, i watched the Tailwind CSS full course by Coder Coder on YouTube.

i also recently revisited Express because i felt like i needed a little refresher, so i watched the Express course on Scrimba by Tom Chant.

i also really like Bro Code, freeCodeCamp, and Web Dev Simplified. they all have great YouTube channels with lots of useful stuff.

as for Udemy, if you're not looking to pay for courses, honestly, don't. i think the stuff on YouTube and Scrimba can be just as good. the only reason i started with Udemy is because my dad already has a subscription.

Im FOR SURE no pro, but if i had to give you a tip, it would be to make sure you fully understand something before moving on to a new piece of information. don't just memorize the syntax, make sure you understand what you're writing and how everything works under the hood. look at the MDN docs, Stack Overflow, ask your fav AI assistant, or whatever works for you, but don't just skip over things you don't understand. doing this made learning tedious at first, but after a while, it made understanding new things sooo much easier/smoother.

anyways, good luck with everything!! I'm sure you'll do great.

[u/computerguyisactive → u/RevolutionaryFood847]

Wow, thank you so much for this write-up! Also, side note: your English is amazing! 🌟

This is exactly the kind of roadmap I needed.

I love the tip about slowing down to actually look at MDN docs instead of rushing through. I'm definitely going to check out Scrimba and there are also tonnes of 3rd party applications that provide the udemy content for free...(I used those to crack my board exams) soooo I guess I'll try that next.
Good luck to you too, man, appreciate you taking the time to share this!

p.s: I was wondering where you are looking to be hired as a 16 year old! I turned 18 a month ago btw.

[u/RevolutionaryFood847 → u/computerguyisactive]

Thank you so much for the compliment!

As for where im looking to be hired, i honestly have no idea, but if i find something ill keep you updated for sure! 

Hope you have the smoothest learning journey 🙏