When You First Started
I have a quite simple question.
When you started to learn how to program in general, how did you decide what projects to work on to reinforce what it is that you have learned. I am finding it quite hard to think of something as an example to produce based on what it is that I have recently learned about. I have also read that it is helpful when learning to have a project to work on to help reinforce what it is that was learned.
I am genuinely lost at what to do, I enjoy programming and learning about said language even though I have nothing to show for what I have learned. For reference I have recently started reading C++ Primer 5th edition.
Any help at this point would be extremely helpful and I thank you ind advance if you are able to help me out.
When you started to learn how to program in general, how did you decide what projects to work on to reinforce what it is that you have learned. I am finding it quite hard to think of something as an example to produce based on what it is that I have recently learned about. I have also read that it is helpful when learning to have a project to work on to help reinforce what it is that was learned.
I am genuinely lost at what to do, I enjoy programming and learning about said language even though I have nothing to show for what I have learned. For reference I have recently started reading C++ Primer 5th edition.
Any help at this point would be extremely helpful and I thank you ind advance if you are able to help me out.
You should try to build something that solves real-life problems. With a few google searches you should find a few project ideas.
In my case, as I was learning I decided to create a very popular card game in where I live applying the knowledge of classes and inheritance. Then I built a program that simulates an ATM and an online bank account practing classes, reading and writing to file. This I saved on github you can check it out here https://github.com/hbtalha/ATM-Online-Bank-Account
Then I built a program that would organize the students of the high school where i studied, putting to use the STL container and algorithms.
I usually got my ideas from the books, online forums and the most important, my own needs.
In my case, as I was learning I decided to create a very popular card game in where I live applying the knowledge of classes and inheritance. Then I built a program that simulates an ATM and an online bank account practing classes, reading and writing to file. This I saved on github you can check it out here https://github.com/hbtalha/ATM-Online-Bank-Account
Then I built a program that would organize the students of the high school where i studied, putting to use the STL container and algorithms.
I usually got my ideas from the books, online forums and the most important, my own needs.
I went straight from school projects into a job, so I have mostly always been told what to do. I did a couple of little things for some friends -- I made a recipe program for my wife, and a tool for a friend who played golf and needed to build teams based off scores, and some other little stuff. I tried to make a couple of simple (think, 286 pc era) games but got sidetracked and never finished. I had monopoly working with multiple humans but never got it to play against the human as AI.
I’m basically in the same boat as you right now: beginner programmer basically starting out learning random stuff. When I want to reinforce something, I just put the concept into an extremely ..uh.. liquid game that I’ve been hoping to finish sometime this century and the minute I’m satisfied with whatever feature it is that I was making has fully shown/demonstrated the capabilities of the give concept or syntax thingy I’m learning, I drop it. Can’t obsess over that thing too much. Never helps.
I know that sounds horrible, but it works quite well actually. Not great for making a game, but learning? F yeah.
I know that sounds horrible, but it works quite well actually. Not great for making a game, but learning? F yeah.
Highwayman, do you have any idea how you would overcome such a challenge to put your new found knowledge to use?
When you first started to program, why did you first choose programming?
I wanted to make games, mod existing games, or possibly program robots. But really, there's endless possibilities. What do you think would be fun to program? Don't think of it in terms of specific language features, think of the bigger picture and then break the problem down into chunks that you can handle.
One of the things I did for a while when I was still new to programming was I generated a lot of images. Things like fractals, or other equations and patterns. Also, when I was in school, e.g. physics class, one of the things I would do is figure out how to write a program that relates the subject matter being taught in class, to try to solidify what I learned in a fun way.
I wanted to make games, mod existing games, or possibly program robots. But really, there's endless possibilities. What do you think would be fun to program? Don't think of it in terms of specific language features, think of the bigger picture and then break the problem down into chunks that you can handle.
One of the things I did for a while when I was still new to programming was I generated a lot of images. Things like fractals, or other equations and patterns. Also, when I was in school, e.g. physics class, one of the things I would do is figure out how to write a program that relates the subject matter being taught in class, to try to solidify what I learned in a fun way.
Highwayman, I mean is probably information overload. Finding things to do and accomplish, a proof of concept with what you’ve recently learned to put it into practice to get better at programming.
When you first started to program, why did you first choose programming?
Heh, I had to sit down and try to remember.
My dad got me a programmable calculator, and hp-11 (It still works, and I have a brand new backup). I learned to program it … learned things I didn't even fully understand like newton's method with just the hand book for it.
That was fun, and I saw we had a class on computer programming in high school, so I picked that up (pascal) and liked it so much I didn't really consider much else. I briefly considered electrical or computer engineering but after electric/mags physics I knew that was not for me (its interesting, but I didn't want a career of it).
Heh, I had to sit down and try to remember.
My dad got me a programmable calculator, and hp-11 (It still works, and I have a brand new backup). I learned to program it … learned things I didn't even fully understand like newton's method with just the hand book for it.
That was fun, and I saw we had a class on computer programming in high school, so I picked that up (pascal) and liked it so much I didn't really consider much else. I briefly considered electrical or computer engineering but after electric/mags physics I knew that was not for me (its interesting, but I didn't want a career of it).
To be honest: I don’t know. My learning mostly follows unrealistic expectations and plans that force me to look at and learn new things, so a lot of the time I already know what I’m going to do that will enforce the learning. Sometimes I will actually look up the topic here and then steal others’ projects. I’ve never really thought that hard about it. I honestly don’t really have an answer. 🤷♂️
How do you know where to start in a program? By that I mean, how do you know what lines do f code you need. Impaired to those that you do not.
I'm not sure what you mean.
First, you decide what you want your program to do. Then, you write lines of code that will make it do those things.
Where do these lines of code you don't need come from?
First, you decide what you want your program to do. Then, you write lines of code that will make it do those things.
Where do these lines of code you don't need come from?
where to start is not at coding. first, you sit down and think it all the way through (even agile approaches, you are going to build things that will work together, you don't just hope) and have some sort of big picture of what it is you are going to do. You sort of pick bottom up or top down here, but either way, even if you start at the bottom you need at least a sense of what the top will look like.
then you break it into pieces. Then you figure out which of those pieces you already have for sure (built into language, libraries you own or have experience with, and stuff you have written before). On the stuff you have written before, will it work as-is or need some edits, and if so, what does that impact and so on...?
From there, I prefer a 'what can I do to get the critical stuff going' approach on where to start. Say your program is going to drive a car... then before you can get into the logic of when it is safe to switch lanes, you probably need a way to interface with the throttle and brake and steering and such. In the pieces you broke the program into above, there will be a small # of those without which, NOTHING will work period in the project. Build those first. Work the whole thing recursively that way, once you have those critical pieces, look at what is left... of what is left, which pieces are required by a LOT of the other remaining pieces? ...
Lets get real, though. School work, home-work problems, they just don't usually have enough to do in them that you need all that. Usually you have a class or two, if that, a handful (20 tops?) of functions many of which don't do much (getters, ctors, etc that do little). Yea, ok, for a 1-2 page assignment you can just start coding once you have some experience and are half decent. When you get to that point, its OK to crank out a small program off the cuff, but you are not quite there, or you would not have asked the question :)
then you break it into pieces. Then you figure out which of those pieces you already have for sure (built into language, libraries you own or have experience with, and stuff you have written before). On the stuff you have written before, will it work as-is or need some edits, and if so, what does that impact and so on...?
From there, I prefer a 'what can I do to get the critical stuff going' approach on where to start. Say your program is going to drive a car... then before you can get into the logic of when it is safe to switch lanes, you probably need a way to interface with the throttle and brake and steering and such. In the pieces you broke the program into above, there will be a small # of those without which, NOTHING will work period in the project. Build those first. Work the whole thing recursively that way, once you have those critical pieces, look at what is left... of what is left, which pieces are required by a LOT of the other remaining pieces? ...
Lets get real, though. School work, home-work problems, they just don't usually have enough to do in them that you need all that. Usually you have a class or two, if that, a handful (20 tops?) of functions many of which don't do much (getters, ctors, etc that do little). Yea, ok, for a 1-2 page assignment you can just start coding once you have some experience and are half decent. When you get to that point, its OK to crank out a small program off the cuff, but you are not quite there, or you would not have asked the question :)
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MasterDak,
I was about to post almost this same question yesterday. I too just finished up the first semester of college in C++ which basically covered about 1/2 of the book we were using and next semester is part 2 (or the rest of the book) But I'm in your shoes.. What do I do now, so I don't lose what I have learned... And others have posted a few things on here, but I still struggle to figure out what to do.
I know this doesn't help you out, but just so you know I struggle too. Maybe we can collaborate and come up with a joint project...
I was about to post almost this same question yesterday. I too just finished up the first semester of college in C++ which basically covered about 1/2 of the book we were using and next semester is part 2 (or the rest of the book) But I'm in your shoes.. What do I do now, so I don't lose what I have learned... And others have posted a few things on here, but I still struggle to figure out what to do.
I know this doesn't help you out, but just so you know I struggle too. Maybe we can collaborate and come up with a joint project...
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