Help me get good at programming

I like to code as a hobby, but I never studied programming academically. I used to never be able to understand my code when I reread it after a couple of weeks. I've gotten better and I started writing more comments and using better names for my variables, but I still get confused sometimes. I also always end up dropping big projects I start because I don't know how to properly structure them. I only ever finish projects I can complete in a couple of days. What books/websites/whatever can I read/watch to make the quality of my code better?

>>20429 >never studied https://amazon.com/gp/product/1951204034/ >always end up dropping big projects no magic sauce for this. Just stop dropping them. As with anything, pay attention to your pain points and attempt to alleviate them. But trying to read a book to fix this is like going shopping for ergonomic devices built for wrist and elbow strain when your actual problem is hand tendon strain.

>>20429 Can't you find a mentor, take a class or find a pair-programming peer? Taking a class would likely be easiest if you have no friends at all... In any event, consider rewriting those old programs using improved skills and experience.

https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/sicp/full-text/book/book.html and >>19079.

>>20431 thanks, will read that book. I feel like one of the main reasons I drop big projects is because I'm not satisfied with the quality of my code. If I got better I think this problem would partially go away on it's own >>20432 I don't have any friends in real life. I know a lot of people that know how to code on discord but I don't feel like bothering them by asking them to mentor me. I will study CS in uni in a year, but I'd like to get better before then. >>20433 ty

>>20436 Lain you sound like a younger version of me, this will be my last year in uni. The year before I started CS I wanted to improve my programming skills but I did not know anyone who knew and could mentor me. I followed this MIT course: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-00-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-fall-2008 It is pretty basic but it helps to get the fundamentals right you surely can skip some parts. After that one I recommend you to read and understand about design patterns, this book in specific: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Object-Oriented-Addison-Wesley-Professional-ebook/dp/B000SEIBB8 Surely there are free copies around the web if you look for them

>>20429 find someone that will pay you for your programs (maybe on facebook, or hackernews), money will motivate you to learn new stuff like architecture (because requirements morph and your code needs to be easy to modify), continous integration (find a way to quickly deploy from development to production because changing things through ssh in soykaf like vim is like kicking dead whales down the beach)

>>20436 >>20432 I'm more isolated than all of you, probably. What to do?

>>20475 Heh, i thought i got so good at programming because i had no friends. Just spend all your free time working on personal projects and focus on clarity of code, and eventually you'll be ace. I mean, you haven't got anything better to do, have you?