I've tried to learn programming hundreds of times, usually through video courses, but I keep losing momentum. Watching explanations doesn't feel like enough guidance, and once I try to build something without following along, it feels like I learned nothing. My goal is to eventually create a game, and I'm currently interested in Luau because of its connection to Roblox. Would paying for a one-on-one tutor be worthwhile, or would a different learning approach work better for someone who struggles to retain information from tutorials?
4 Answers
Don’t make the goal ‘learn the entire language’ before starting a game. Learn one small concept only when your project needs it. For example, make a character move, then learn input; add a score, then learn variables; add an enemy, then learn conditions and simple loops. Look up documentation, copy a small example, change it, break it, and fix it. That is how you learn what the code does in practice.
A course with exercises can be useful, but motivation alone won’t carry you through programming. You’ll need a routine and a willingness to work while confused. Set a very small daily target—perhaps 20 or 30 minutes—and stick with one path instead of restarting with a new resource every few months. One-on-one tutoring is most useful when the tutor makes you solve problems and gives feedback, not when they simply explain everything for you.
Try replacing some videos with a book or structured written course. Reading forces you to slow down, take notes, and work through examples instead of passively watching. A beginner-friendly programming book, combined with small exercises after each chapter, may give you the structure you’re missing. The specific resource matters less than consistently solving the exercises yourself.
A tutor could help, but it probably won’t solve the main problem by itself. If you keep switching courses and only watching videos, you may be stuck in tutorial hell. Start building tiny projects immediately—a button that does something, a simple text game, or a basic Roblox mechanic. When you get stuck, search for the specific problem, try a solution, and repeat. Luau and Roblox are perfectly reasonable places to start because you can see results quickly, but they still require practicing through confusion instead of waiting for everything to be explained first.
I’ve tried following projects before, but I can only copy what the tutorial does. When I’m on my own, I don’t know what to make or how to make anything happen. Should I learn from documentation and examples as I go?
You don’t need to memorize everything first. Examples, documentation, and search results are normal tools for programmers. The important part is understanding and modifying the example instead of pasting it unchanged.