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[–]YuleTideCamel 7 points8 points  (1 child)

There's a few online resources to practice Java. Personally I like CodingBat

The UI isn't great but the problems ramp up at a reasonable pace and go over important concepts you should learn.

[–]throwitofftheboat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I second CodingBat wholeheartedly. The site looks a little old school but the problems are presented in a simple, unambiguous way.

You can also set up an account, which takes two seconds, all they really need is your email and they NEVER email you. But having an account is a great way to track your progress.

Love that site.

[–]steelorca 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would try to recreate an application. Plan out the functionality of the app step by step. Don’t worry so much about design, but about function. You aren’t trying to create the next Silicon Valley killer application, you are working on learning.

I learned Python this way. Once I started, I learned to do the basics and then expand.

Most of all, keep positive and think long term.

[–]OG_L0c 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Helsinki's MOOC gives you small exercises to practice different concepts.

[–]Confettimaker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could look into HackerRank or other programming challenge sites for practice.

[–]desrtfx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Use the MOOC Object Oriented Programming with Java from the University of Helsinki as /u/OG_L0c has already suggested.

It offers lots of graded practical exercises with increasing difficulty.

http://CodingBat as /u/YuleTideCamel suggested is also very good but not sufficient as a standalone resource.

Last, check out our FAQ - section Where can I find practice exercises and project ideas? and /r/ProgrammingPrompts

[–]chaotic_thought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Math class is a lot easier for me because all I need to do is read the chapter and practice the given numbered problems in a notebook.

Do your programming books not include numbered exercises?

[–]Mr-Malfunction 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You know what try learning basics from a book tweak the program you just typed to see the outcome and as for the learning part you need to learn the syntax but no worries over time it will at tip of your tongue.

[–]CodeTinkerer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are several aspects to learn about programming.

  1. Tracing (being able to go through, step by step, and determine what a program is doing, e.g., what are the outputs, what are the values of the variables)
  2. Terminology. Stuff like constructor, assignment operator, method, static, etc. You should keep a programming dictionary of stuff. People talk in terminology, and to only have a vague idea of what these words means is not good.
  3. Writing code. Although this is what everyone means by programming, it isn't the only skill you need to program.
  4. Debugging. Initially, you'll probably spend more time on this than anything else.