I would like to code for a living and to contribute to open source projects and things, but my coding skills are absolute shit after taking online courses and watching video tutorials. How can I learn to code for real?
What I would like to learn is algorithms, web development (“full stack”), how layouts work (both in like kotlin compose and HTML) and how to read other peoples code. Maybe thats more than I can chew, but its probably good for me to try out many things before getting settled on one.
Now I have been coding for a while already (~ 4 years), but I kind of feel like I need more guidance to be able to actually create code that works as intended intentionally, and not through trial and error / stack overflow. As for what level i am at, CS50 is probably my only qualification, I have played around with APIs (I.E. making discord bots), and made some html “apps” (horribly made, but things like the “genius” game and a calculator) and “prototype” react websites (as in, really bare bones, barely working).
I do plan on taking CS or something similar, but i’m not yet in college, and I would like to have a good head start before getting there.
Sorry for my bad English, and any help is appreciated.
You want code that works as intended instead of through trial and error? TDD (Test-Driven Development).
You don’t have to follow a specific process, but you do need to internalize that way of thinking about development, so you can use it as a tool. Tests are a good way (but not the only way) to set your intent, focus your writing, and acknowledge your progress.
If you find tests useful, you might also proceed to mutation testing (jester / pester / mu check) or property testing (quickcheck / hypothesis / fastcheck). Or, even graduate to the real TDD (Type-Driven Development) which is best covered by the “TDD with Idris” book.