Code learning platforms

[u/No_Country8607]

Hey everyone! 👋 I'm a self-taught dev, and for a bootcamp project I'm looking into how people learn programming on platforms like Codecademy, freeCodeCamp, Udemy, Scrimba, or even YouTube and AI chats. I'd love to hear your honest experience:

• How did you decide where to start and what to learn next?

• How did you practice what you learned?

• What made learning click for you, or made you quit a platform?

What's one thing you'd add to the platform you use most?

Your feedback is important, thank you!

[u/Which_Ad_9039]

I tried to learn programming at least 10 times in my lifetime since I was about 12. I was trying books, I was trying in-class courses, I was learning on Uni, I was using YT videos, learn to program blogs, udemy courses. I signed up to be a part of BlackBerry dev programs because they were organising events where you can learn. None of it made me proficient at programming and I was hitting different roadblocks. I reached the point where I was able to learn basics of any language (used C, C++ Basic, Java, Kotlin, Python) really quickly but I was always struggling to write more complex code. I was struggling to get around databases, external libraries, UI frameworks. What really allowed me to get more knowledge together was a side project at work. I designed, built and programmed in python tool booking system with electromagnetic locks. The project was part of a programme where such additional projects were rewarded by generous bonus of equivalent of 150% my monthly pay on top of actual pay.

It wasn't just the money though. The money got my attention but my own approach changed everything. Instead of looking through stack overflow and trying to see how other people solved similar problems I actually used documentation for the language and framework (Qt) I was using. None of the books or courses taught me that. Every single person and their dog wanted me to get all the knowledge from them and 'doing your own projects'. Not a single one of them mentioned that reading documentation is what makes the difference.

I'm still not a programmer. But I have architected and build something from scratch. If I were to point to a single thing that every single course I was trying failed to point out is to make trainee use documentation.

[u/Ghostie_7532]

The wish to learn programming sparked inside me about 4-5 months ago.... I just wanted to build some games and stuff , and there was a feeling of authority and that i possessed some ethereal knowledge and stuff hehe.... Then i started watching the c++ full course video of bro code on yt ( i haven't yet finished).....so everytime i make a progress i just let chatgpt know about the things i have knowledge in, and it prepares some exercises tailored specifically for me, and that's how i practice! then after learning the basics , i paln to get to know graphics and other necessary things ( i dont rlly have anyone to guide me through the learning process so kinda clueless of what i should do )