Hey everyone! I'm looking for some guidance on how to apply my programming skills in practical situations. I'm self-taught and have mostly learned what piques my interest, but now I want to gain some genuine experience beyond just the random projects I work on at home. I know JavaScript, primarily for backend development since I'm not a fan of frontend work. I've also dabbled in Python for a machine learning project and am currently using C++. Any advice on where and how to start would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Open source contributions are a fantastic way to gain real experience. You can start by looking for projects that interest you or that align with your skills. Participating in these communities not only helps you learn but also connects you with other developers.
Choosing a specific tech stack can help you focus your efforts. For example, consider using Node.js with PostgreSQL to build small projects that can be useful—like an API for a friend's business or a bot for Discord. This adds real-world value and helps you build a portfolio of projects on GitHub.
If you're unsure about which open source projects to dive into, look for beginner-friendly repositories on platforms like GitHub. Projects with labels like "good first issue" or "help wanted" are great entry points.

Related Questions
How To: Running Codex CLI on Windows with Azure OpenAI
Set Wordpress Featured Image Using Javascript
How To Fix PHP Random Being The Same
Why no WebP Support with Wordpress
Replace Wordpress Cron With Linux Cron
Customize Yoast Canonical URL Programmatically