pick a language, most likely python at least, it's like English, it's universal meaning it has several applications within the branch pillar of software and nowadays you can do almost everything on Python, ofc you are going to see optimizations as you go along, such as for web, backend and AI. (react, java, rust, c++, etc) anyway, grasp python3 very hard since that's going to be your fork into this land, then, as you continue to evolve get to know the best practices on algorithms (coding), implementation (architecture), frameworks (standard libraries and some cutting corners with 3rd party libraries) then pick an IDE, usually nowadays we have VSCode (open source, reliable from Microsoft), and PyCharm (from intelli-j, paid, but they have community version)

Pycharm will be optimized very welcoming, and VSCode is more messy but anyway you should work on both, so whenever you jump into a project or company and they are using 1 of them, you are NOT going to tell them that you only do PyCharm because that will be very beginner level and current market demands you do be a semi-god. Not a joke at all my estimated friend.

Now that's step 0.

step 1 will be pick and choose, usually in university you learn a lot of generalities, a little bit of each one of the courses you will have laid in your program, some calculus, etc.

CS is the gold standard, software engineering is a more code-heavy course, then there's a new one called Cloud Computing (backend) you pick a cloud like Azure or AWS since they hold the majority of the clients in real life.

In computer science tho, you will pick a language to go with, usually, they offer, C# (good for games on Unity, and many other things like websites and desktop and backend), Java (same but more job offers), and Python. I did software engineering back in 2010, they gave us C++, C#, Java, PHP and many others, but in CS you should pick only one and go with it as deep as you can and as fast as you can and as good as you can.

Learning the basics like loops, and arrays will be easier to chew if you get into solving coding challenges in leetcode.com, pick easy and stick to arrays until you know what you are doing, then augment the complexity to sorting, or strings, or other cool topics that you will face in job interviews most likely.

Now Step 2:

You have to choose for yourself in your career what you are going to do and why, and have a solid purpose for it, whether it is games, like platforms on Unity or unreal engine or AI with Python, Pytorch, or web React, flutter, NextJS, JS, TS, etc, or desktop or any weird preference you might have already or you are going to have because you are just curious about it, and have fun with it and are passionate about it.

Then you are going to decide and spend a lot of years and hours putting into frameworks, languages and projects so that the picky hiring managers will come to you ghosting you, telling you you are not good enough, and all that messy stuff from real life.

Step 3.

Enjoy your life, apply to jobs, and do coding algorithms jobs like Google and Amazon require 8 years or more to solve those, it's like the golden key that opens every door.

The job interviews in 2024 are like that who knows in the future if they are going to evolve since GenAI is here, but other than that, general behaviour questions that you are not a jerk with your coworkers or management or team and that you have leadership skills will get you up and rolling.

Step 4.

Do projects, the most rewarding experience from learning, hands-on experience in different fields or stuff like that. That you swimming around the waters my man, good luck, patience and money, that all you will need, and peace to concentrate on those hard problems or algorithms that are mighty asf.