What's the proper way to study, think and apply functions, loops etc?

[GodThor]

I took some beginner free courses about programming, it was about javascript. I will be honest, I studied the subjects quite fast out of curiosity to see what they do, I didn't do much exercise neither I bothered to go in-depth with them, I don't even remember some of them.

My question is how are you supposed to apply those in practice? How do I even take these concepts and solve a problem? eg. Let's say I want to build a gaming bot, a database or a responsive theme and I know what the programming concepts do in general (functions, loops, arrays etc), Can I build these programs just by thinking about how can I apply these concepts? I'm not seeing myself being able to do that. I don't think knowing what these concepts do in general is enough to build something other than very basic things.

Am I supposed to spend time thinking a lot as a programmer to build things from zero using general concepts or are there specific guides about how the concepts are meant to be used on each type of program or even the specific ones that being used? and should I study those instead after I have a basic understanding about the concepts?

I mean even if you know what a function or loops does, that's not enough right? you have to see how they are being used on a program you want to build, otherwise you won't be able to build it on your own right? This question is important because most languages online have some sort of explanation about what the concepts do in general and some very basic exercises but they don't explain how to use those to build a program, I still don't understand the study curve of a programmer and this demotivates me. I don't think there are so many programmers who do things from zero just by knowing these concepts and no I'm not talking about frameworks or ready code, I'm talking about knowing not only what a function is but also how to use it in practice.

 

[IDEGO]

I think most coders are using proprietary or open source engines to code within. Also python is a good code to start with. There are tons of practice tutorial games/apps online to practice with. I once made a generic space invaders shooter. I do not remember anything... lol. I think coding is not for everyone. I prefer simple stuff like CSS abd hacking at premade code templates etc. Linux bash scripts and so on. I think you just have to be born a code monkey, cause I personally do not prefer it. Very frustrating to me.

 

[lacifitra]

https://www.youtube.com/user/cs50tv
Harvard's CS50 is currently going on. You should follow it. Can't get more detailed about basic concepts than that.

 

[nihalar]

https://www.youtube.com/user/cs50tv
Harvard's CS50 is currently going on. You should follow it. Can't get more detailed about basic concepts than that.

For the love of god dont waste your time with that course. The course tries hard to be all cute and fun wasting most of the time.

Just start by making small apps. Eg: Number guess game, Hangman, Calculator, etc.

 

[Extruser]

You answered the question yourself in your first paragraph: no exercise.
You can become good at anything in life by spending time and effort on it.
Pick something you are really interested in, study, practice and see the
magic happen.
As for the programming, it's a lot of trial and error.
Google (and Stackoverflow) is your best friend.

 

[lacifitra]

For the love of god dont waste your time with that course. The course tries hard to be all cute and fun wasting most of the time.

Just start by making small apps. Eg: Number guess game, Hangman, Calculator, etc.

He doesn't understand basic concepts. He's an absolute beginner. He needs the cute shit, because it will make it easier for him.

 

[xeroxyde]

Hello, software engineering student here.

From what I understood from all your questions, you are confused about the uses and goals of "programming".
For a software builder, the code isn't important. Or at least, not in the beginning.

Every software project are first thought conceptually before they are conceived technically. And each problems are solved using algorithmic thinking.
To put it simply, a person building software first make a model of the solution, then she translates it to a certain code base depending of her needs (platform, security, optimization, etc).

Thinking your solution, from the code, rather than from itself is a big mistake. Because it is the best way to scatter yourself and lose control of what you are doing. Think, plan and build are the master keys to success in software creation.

 

[lejolasho]

For the love of god dont waste your time with that course. The course tries hard to be all cute and fun wasting most of the time.

Just start by making small apps. Eg: Number guess game, Hangman, Calculator, etc.

Making small apps is very useful (in fact, mandatory, without doing actual job you won't go anywhere) but lessons learned in this course will make career much easier.
It will help shape your mindset, which is the most important for me.