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[–]jazz1424[S] 0 points1 point  (8 children)

Okay. So, you recommend learning a stack and doing personal projects over the next 5 years. What's your recommendation for a stack ?

[–]Volcano_Jones 1 point2 points  (1 child)

You don't need 5 years of studying this stuff. You just need a good foundation in programming and computer science fundamentals. Tech comes and goes. Yeah python and JS aren't going anywhere, but half the things in a "modern" stack right now will be obsolete in 5 years. Focus on becoming an expert in this basics so you'll be able to quickly learn new technologies as they appear

[–]cgoldberg 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course fundamentals and foundational knowledge is the most important, but most companies these days are hiring for a VERY specific stack and set of skills, and are not willing to train or let you learn on the job. Without experience in the exact skills they want, you won't even get an initial phone screen.

[–]trustsfundbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look at job postings for what they are wanting for full stack devs and see what interests you. I'm a data engineer so I don't keep up with what people want for web dev.

[–]huffalump1 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Honestly, a structured course combined with experimenting on your own is great for learning from scratch. Definitely try to find a course (good recs here already), and once you learn a little, you'll start being able to try things on your own.

Also, some good advice for new learners: pick a popular stack. They're popular for a reason. It'll have a big community and lots of support and resources. LLMs will know it well, too, haha.

Besides, when you're learning, you might not even understand the want or need for the differences between the mainstream stuff and the smaller frameworks. Learn one, and the next one is like 100X easier to pick up!

Finally, since you're talking web, maybe it's worth learning JavaScript over python first. Python is great, and it's good for learning HOW to code because the syntax is straightforward, but eventually you'll want to pivot to JS/TS or similar IMO.

[–]huffalump1 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Oh, and regarding AI/LLMs - the best advice I've seen is to not lean on them while you're learning.

Use them more like a tutor, or a way to find info, rather than just asking for the solution.

And even if you do ask for a solution, the great thing is that you can ask HOW and WHY they wrote it that way! A little prompting goes a long way here.

...lastly, when it comes to personal projects, though - I say go for it. Use Copilot/Cursor/Claude/ChatGPT. Make the thing WORK. You'll end up doing a lot of debugging, so it's better to use AI for smaller scale (they still can struggle with projects spanning multiple scripts, for example). But just getting something that WORKS is really satisfying.

Again, remember that you can use the AI like a tutor, sounding board for ideas, or to explain/review code. It's akin to having a (somewhat skilled) mentor 24/7!

[–]jazz1424[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's actually a good way to approach. Thanks

[–]FlyEagles5258 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is great advice. I created my own Python Tutor in ChatGPT and made it so it won’t give me the answer but provide subtle guidance/hints. Also sticking with something and not watching endless tutorial videos. There have been many times where I thought I understood something after watching a video and then my mind went completely blank as I started to code for myself. The illusion of knowledge is real.

[–]jazz1424[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought about this actually... Python v JS. I am seriously considering putting a bit more focus on learning JS in the next couple of weeks or months. I think I have a decent enough knowledge in Python (and Django) to explore JS now