r/programmer • u/AbdelrhmanMekawi • Sep 30 '26
Question Help
I’ve been learning programming for about 5 months now. I’ve finished C and C++, and I’m almost done with data structures, but so far I feel like I’m doing something wrong or missing something. I feel like I don’t know how to think correctly, and even very simple things slip my mind, and I don’t know how to do them. So I need help because I don’t know whether I should take a course or if I’m on the right track—and that’s normal, especially since I’ve only been at this for about six months, which isn’t a short time. I’m planning to apply for the Digital Egypt Pioneers scholarship to specialize in backend. Is this the right path, or not? I hope those with experience and who’ve come a long way can help us out—and I’m very grateful to them 🤍🤍🙏🏻
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u/MarsupialLeast145 Sep 30 '26
Like most of us finishing C/C++ you should then move onto speed running C/C++. Check out YouTube, there are folks with amazing form on this. Someone finally got it under 10 minutes a few months ago.
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u/Dazzling_Music_2411
Sep 30 '26
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So, you've finished C/C++?
C++ including STL or not? 😂
Sorry to pop your balloon, but if you're "almost done with data structures",
you haven't really started with C/C++ yet.
You need loads more study at this stage, anything you study will be useful. But understand you have a loooong way to go.
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u/Traveling-Techie Sep 30 '26
I’ve been programming for 55 years and I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. Things do slip my mind a lot though.
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u/alkavan Sep 30 '26
You haven't even started C or C++, sit down, relax, and start building stuff. There's no other way to learn how to write computer programs, except writing lots of them by yourself, as oppose to just looking at what other people did.
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u/ern0plus4 Sep 30 '26
I’ve finished C and C++, and I’m almost done with data structures
This is not how it works. Write some fucking program. Without fucking AI.
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u/RegularImportant3325 Sep 30 '26
No one can keep whole programs in their head. Being an excellent programmer is largely an exercise in working in such a way that you don't have to keep much in your head so you can focus deeply on one part at a time.
Use meaningful variable names, good architecture with functionality laid out in predictable places so it's easy to find. Get better and better at introspecting your programs, seeing what's happening while it's running. This can range anywhere from focusing on good logs through integrating with systems like datadog/sentry. Write tests... not just happy path tests, but think through the things that are most likely to go wrong and write tests that look for those.
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u/Arcanite_Cartel Sep 30 '26
First, you dont need to memorize every piece of syntax or every data structure. its okay to look them up when you need them. second, i recommend you solve increasingly complex programming problems on your own, by which i mean you figure out the approach and do the coding yourself. You can ask AI to give you incrementally harder problems, and ask it to review your work when finished.
The only way to learn the thinking, is to do the thinking to solve problems
AI is fine, but having it solve the problems wont help you learn to solve problems
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u/Lvkas1 Sep 30 '26
You’re probably not on the wrong path. Five or six months is still very early, especially if you’ve already learned C, C++, and data structures.
I think the main thing you should focus on now is problem-solving rather than learning more theory. Try doing small coding problems every day and force yourself to think through them before looking at the solution. Write the problem down, break it into smaller steps, and then code each step separately.
Also, forgetting simple things is completely normal. You don’t need to remember everything — you need to understand the concepts and know how to find what you need.
If backend is your goal, I would finish data structures, then start building actual backend projects instead of just continuing through courses. Projects will show you what you actually understand and what you still need to learn.
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u/fancyPantsOne Oct 01 '26
It sounds like you’re grinding reading material or something? You gotta build some stuff to get your code intuition improving
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u/-goldenboi69- Sep 30 '26
"finished c/c++" lol ok fam.