I've tried to learn programming many times over the years, but I keep losing momentum. Video courses and beginner lessons often feel too passive, and I struggle to retain anything beyond simple examples like printing text. When I follow a tutorial, I can copy what the instructor does, but I feel lost when I try to build something independently. My long-term goal is to create a game, and I'm currently considering Luau because it seems like a practical way to start making a Roblox game. Would working with a one-on-one tutor be worth trying, or is there a better approach for someone who has trouble learning from videos and staying consistent?
4 Answers
A tutor could help with accountability and getting unstuck, but they can’t replace practice. Since you’ve repeatedly started and stopped, the bigger issue may be the learning method rather than the lack of a teacher. Try building tiny projects immediately: a text adventure, a simple menu, or a button that triggers an action. Search for the specific problem you encounter, fix it, and keep repeating. Luau and Roblox are reasonable choices because you can see results quickly, but they still require working through the confusing parts yourself.
You may learn better from written material and active note-taking than from videos. A beginner programming book can give you a clearer overall structure, while writing down examples in your own words helps you remember them. Don’t spend too long organizing notes, though—every concept should be followed by a small exercise or experiment.
This sounds a lot like tutorial hell. Watching someone build something gives you recognition, but not necessarily the ability to create it on your own. Use tutorials only for short introductions, then close them and recreate the idea from memory. When you get stuck, look up the exact concept or error instead of restarting an entire course. Keep each project small enough that you can finish it in a few days.
Learning programming is less about staying motivated every day and more about continuing when you feel confused. If game development is the goal, start making a very small game and learn only the next thing you need. You can look up how to create an object, respond to input, or change a value as each problem appears. A structured course with exercises can also help, but choose one path and finish its assignments instead of constantly switching.
When you say to learn as I go, do you mean looking up each feature or problem as I need it instead of studying the whole language first? I’m worried I won’t know what to build without learning the basics first.