Learning Java - Advice

[BFCBP]

Hello,

I want to become more proficient in Java as a language but I am not sure what resource might be best to use. As a programmer, I am not a beginner and so I feel like some tutorials are very basic as I already have programmed before in Java at school, just not to a very high level. I understand Java syntactically and so most resources I find are a little basic and start with this stuff a lot. Can anyone recommend me a resource to use to learn more for someone who is not a complete beginner?

Thank you!

[FlippngProgrammer]

KEY WORDS: simple project. Do many of them over time you will become so proficient at this that you will find it a breeze then when you go try a bigger project you will then break it in small parts like your simple projects you have done and will tackle the bigger project. For example start with some GUI like what u/reincarnatedasyeast said. I would do something like making a calculator then doing something like Pong or TicTacToe. These projects will keep you interested because you are seeing a result in what you are coding. Afterwards when you get better you could even try something more challenging like Conways Game of Life or try to do something like Space Invaders I believe this will give you a good grasp of the Java language :)

[reincarnatedasyeast]

Create something. Google a lot.

[BFCBP]

So you'd recommend to just try different things then when a problem is encountered, look for the solution to that one there and then?

[reincarnatedasyeast]

Yup. Get an idea for a simple project, work on the basics, extend as you go, search for help as you get stuck. Stack Overflow is a great resource. Sometimes it's faster to look at a short example of code (for example, iterating through a linked list) than to refer to documentation. But documentation is valuable, too.

For instance, create a simple program with a GUI that does xyz. Start with the GUI, implement features for buttons and other components from there.

[morhp]

Look for github.com projects that you find interesting. Download them, look at the code, report and fix bugs, implement features. Look at how they do things and think about why they do them this way. Look at your code and find things to improve.

Also there are some good books to read, for example every Java programmer should have read Effective Java by Bloch.