I studied Java backend development for about a year and a half and built a project for a coffee shop, but then stopped working on it for 6–9 months. I'd like to return to software development, but I'm worried I've forgotten too much. Should I review all the topics from the beginning, or start building a project and look up concepts as they come up?
3 Answers
Keep notes while you study and code. Write down concepts you had to relearn, confusing errors, and short explanations in your own words. Documentation makes it easier to review later and helps the information stick.
Use the old coffee shop project as a practical refresher. You could rebuild parts of it, fix the problems that caused the work to pause, and gradually improve the design. That gives you practice while producing something concrete for your portfolio.
Start building instead of restarting the entire curriculum. Pick a small project—your coffee shop application would be ideal—and research or review each topic when you run into it. The knowledge usually comes back much faster once you’re writing code again.
Even a basic CRUD app is enough to rebuild your momentum. You’ll probably remember more than you expect once you start typing.
That makes sense. I’m going to use the old coffee shop project and see how much comes back while I work on it.