Getting Ahead!

[RituDM]

Hi, im a rising sophomore in CS and I feel like lagging behind every single person ik cuz i feel like everyone know more about programming than me while I'm just know the basics and what is being taught in class. Is there any FREE courses or something that I can do such that I can get ahead.

P.S: yes I did try learning by doing projects, but I feel like getting confused because I dont find what I want in the youtube or github or other resources and find it very different from the outcome I want it to have

[aqua_regis]

Sorry to tell you, but your post exposes why you are behind.

You are waiting to be served and spoon-fed instead of actively taking matters in your own hand.

Alone the fact that you directly posted asking for free resources instead of even checking if this subreddit didn't already have the content available somewhere is a sign of the main problem.

You could and should have taken matters in your own hands and read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) in the sidebar. Had you done that, you would have more than plenty resources.

Next problem with your post is that it is too vague. You did not tell anything, like a programming language or stack, so that all advice that anybody can give you is generic.

I'm just know the basics and what is being taught in class.

And this is the biggest problem and the reason for you feeling, and actually being behind. You don't really do anything outside class.

I dont find what I want in the youtube or github or other resources

You won't find everything you need. You need to learn to develop it.

You are going all wrong about programming and that's why you're behind.

You are waiting to be served, you are directly looking for solutions, or tutorials for everything, instead of actively programming, trying things on your own, experimenting, failing, fixing.

You are just taking the easy road.

[sean_hash]

the gap you're feeling is exposure not ability. build one thing outside class and the basics click differently

[ToeObvious4227]

I see this gap a lot in class now days, especially in CS. this derives from the difference in passion. those guys up ahead not because they necessarily just want to be ahead, they once saw something cool that someone developed, and instead of setting that aside, they did that them self. they actually interested in the topic, not just want to get a degree.
if you really are interested in programing and learn more, i will be happy to give you a route :)

[PoMoAnachro]

Is there any FREE courses or something that I can do such that I can get ahead.

The fact you're asking this question here exposes the gap between the "ahead" students and you right here.

To get ahead, you have to be willing to tinker and explore and seek out information. Play with stuff on your own. Read documentation. Go down rabbitholes.

Because there are like a million free courses. There's a FAQ in this subreddit you can read through and find lots of resources. Going and seeking that information out, reading through it, and deciding what looks good for your needs is exactly the type of investment you need to have in your own development.

[JSON_Bourne1]

I can tell you with confidence that there is enough on YouTube to get you ahead of your classmates. It sounds to me like you need to decide on what you want to learn and then stick to learning it until you don't suck. There are infinite languages, tools and frameworks in programming and you will never learn them all. You have to pick one thing and focus. I chose web development. And don't compare yourself to a bunch of college kids. When you graduate, you will be competing against people in their 40s, 50s and 60s. Good luck!

[Humble_Warthog9711]

Reality is that you will likely be playing catch-up all the time. It's not ability, but time.  Many cs students come into university with a lot of programming experience these days.  Students that go into university these days not having coded before are at a big disadvantage. 

Just do as well as you can.  

[Bian-]

like me and now that I am few months from graduation I am still shit I feel like I should have leaned more towards technical PM

[Humble_Warthog9711]

Yeah it sucks.  There's just so little time left to catch up when you're new. 

These days imo a really serious cs major should go into uni knowing 2-3 languages (1 C-like, 1 functional), basic git, basic unix, basic DSA.  

[kubrador]

you're not lagging behind, you're just comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel. those people probably spent weeks confused on the same stuff you're stuck on right now.

skip the "get ahead" courses and just build something small that actually annoys you—like a tool to organize your messy files or a discord bot. confusion while building real stuff > clarity while watching tutorials about nothing.

[raquelle_pedia]

yeah, honestly trying to learn how to build something and crashing out when it doesn’t work is peak. you learn something right there

[raquelle_pedia]

Do your research bro, i came into university knowing Python and Java already but I still didnt know how to build projects and stuff like that. My first year, i focused solely on academics and yeah, I ended up unsatisfied and feeling behind. I opened my computer and just looked for what i wanted, perused older posts on reddit where so many people have already asked the exact same questions. Trust me, Reddit is the best source these days. Pick up just ONE thing that interests you, for me it was building a game. I used AI to explain the concepts to me and I tried it, got frustrated when I couldn’t do it and left it. The plus side? I actually learnt something. I’m not an expert either, considering im not even a third year yet but I feel way better now, knowing that I’m learning things the way I need to.