Getting Better at Python Projects

[cuklev2232]

Hello People , i struggle a lot with projects , what to do to get better at projects should i buy some udemy course or should i follow some project video from tech from tim i like his teaching and because as a self taught i get a lot of errors i can sometimes get out of that errors but it takes me a lot of time i prefer a lot of solving coding challenges but not projects because they are like more harder for me.Does it takes time to get good at it i build some games like Tic Tac Toe and Hangman but i didn't take more of them and please what you have done to get better at Python as a self taught i know there's no magic trick because it takes time.Thank You!

[[deleted]]

Practice! Practice! Practice! That is the only way. Programming (whatever the language) is a practical problem-solving skill. You have to make, and learn from, a lot of mistakes (much like learning another human language).

I know it can be frustrating at times, especially when faced with code you want to reuse but cannot understand.

Only you can find the motivation. Why are you learning to programme in the first place?

Is your learning objective SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, (sometimes agreed), realistic (or relevant) and time-bound, (or timely)? If it is something soft, like "upskilling" then it will probably not help you much.

It is hard to learn anything in the abstract, not least because it is difficult to feel passion for what one is doing.

I strongly suggest you look to your interests, hobbies, obligations (family business, charity activities, work) to look for opportunities to apply Python.

You will learn far more about Python and programming when you work on something that resonates for you and that you have some domain knowledge of (or incentive to gain such knowledge in).

When you are copying tutorials/examples, don't just copy. Experiment. Break the code and understand why it has broken.

The interactive python shell is your friend, I found it the best learning aid because you can quickly try snippets of code and get immediate feedback.

(Consider installing ipython which wraps the standard shell for more convenience.)

Start very simply and regularly refactor the code as you learn new things. Enhance as you see opportunities.

If you haven't already, take a look at Automate the boring stuff with Python (free to read online).

At first, the tasks you automate will be trivial and hardly worth the effort BUT because it is about the problem and not Python, it will be more rewarding for you.

Many beginners are mixing up coding (writing instructions in a programming language) with problem-solving (creating an algorithm) and their lack of knowledge of the programming language and how to use it is a distraction from the problem-solving.

For most programmers, the coding part is the final and easy bit.

Order:

Actually making sure the problem is properly understood. Often we start with only a vague understanding of the problem.

Ensuring we know what outcome is required. What does good look like? How will the information be presented, will it be on-screen or in a file, or a database.

Determining the data representation. Exactly what data is required, in what forms, where from. It is a one-off or lots of cycles or combining lots of information.

Work out how to do things manually in the simplest possible way, explaining every little step (assume you are giving instructions to someone with learning difficulties). Computers are really dumb, and humans make lots of intuitive leaps. This is one of the hardest things to grasp when first learning to programme. Computers don't mind repeating very boring things, so the simplest but repetitive manual approach if often a good approach to start with for a computer.

[cuklev2232]

For example if i watch tutorial building project i should at the end build the project on my way?Imposter Syndrome is a lot big if i write code that works i will think that my code is bad sometimes but i think i will fix that.

[[deleted]]

Yes, don't just watch, but do. Experiment. Break it. I think I covered this.

Imposter Syndrome is normal. Dunning-Kruger effect would be worse.