I'm currently a second-year computer science student and I've been diving deep into my lessons. I watch a lot of YouTube tutorials and read a ton, so I get how coding works in theory and can tweak existing code. However, I'm struggling to apply what I've learned when it comes to creating a program from scratch. I find it hard to come up with solutions independently—most of the time, I just copy code from examples. I often turn to AI tools for assistance and realize that I already know how to do it, but I just can't seem to think like a programmer. How can I improve my ability to develop my own coding solutions?
1 Answer
It's totally normal to feel overwhelmed at this stage! Researching and reading is definitely part of the learning process, but you can’t depend solely on memorizing. Try starting with smaller projects; maybe aim for like 50 tiny programs that are under 20 lines of code each before jumping into bigger ones. It really helps build confidence.
That sounds like a solid plan! Just to clarify, are there any specific resources where I can find such small project ideas? My professor keeps giving us large assignments, and I often feel stuck.