How can I get a top-notch programming education for free?

Just go for it! Programming is about problem-solving, which means you have to get your hands dirty. Don’t wait until you feel you know everything. Just start building something—anything! You’ll stumble through the challenge, but that’s part of what makes you a better programmer. Learning by doing is incredibly valuable.

For elite education, unstructured self-learning is key. You might want to start with smaller projects for the fun of it. As you gain skills, you can tackle more significant problems. Don’t forget, a lot of successful programmers are self-taught. Use resources like documentation, Stack Overflow, and read articles on Medium. College courses mainly provide a foundation, but the best learning happens when you get your hands dirty with actual coding.

You’re definitely on the right track! There are tons of free online courses from top universities like MIT and Stanford. You don’t have to stop at CS50; check out the complete course offerings on their websites. It's all about diving deeper into the topics that resonate with you and figuring out what you want to build—whether it’s mobile apps, websites, or something else. Remember, the goal of those courses is to help you understand how to think like a programmer and solve problems, but you’ll need to do a lot of self-directed learning too.

Look into open-source projects! They’re a great way to put your skills to the test and solve real-world issues. Just remember that self-discipline is crucial. You might find those projects have high expectations, but they can really boost your experience and help you build a portfolio.