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Learning through doing -- Where to get experience??? Open Source Volunteering. - pav1983 - May-16-2020
I am trying to figure out how I can continue learning and improving. I have taken python courses and I have a lot of the fundamentals down pat, but the problem is every time I go to create a new program, I run into new problems that I have never seen before and can't seem to figure out on my own. I could certainly use a mentor of some sort, and I think the only way I can continue to learn is if I do Hands-On python projects where I learn from my mistakes from other people. I can only learn so much on my own, and it is becoming difficult. I feel like I don't know much more than I knew a few months ago because my learning has come to a standstill. I'm a kinesthetic learner, and I do best by doing and learning from my mistakes.
1. What is the best way to get more hands-on experience with Python? Should I join open source projects?
2. Also, does anybody on here have a mentor? How would I go about getting a mentor? What are some different ways some of you have gotten mentors?
Like I said, I'm not going to learn much more unless I start building projects and have support from people who have experience and know what they are doing. There's only so much you can look up online and to figure out on your own before you get stuck again.
Also, what are some good open source projects that take volunteers with little coding experience? This would be a great way to get hands-on experience.
If anybody could provide tips and advice, or any good open source projects that are open to taking a newbie, it would be greatly appreciated.
RE: Learning through doing -- Where to get experience??? Open Source Volunteering. - micseydel - May-28-2020
(May-16-2020, 01:34 PM)pav1983 Wrote: 1. What is the best way to get more hands-on experience with Python? Should I join open source projects?I've heard it's hard, and haven't myself (tried once and gave up) but you can checkout this. I can't advocate for it, but I don't think something that nice existed for me back when I was trying to get into it.
(May-16-2020, 01:34 PM)pav1983 Wrote: 2. Also, does anybody on here have a mentor? How would I go about getting a mentor? What are some different ways some of you have gotten mentors?What is your background? The advice I've given about this in the past was to contact people from your alma mater (e.g. via LinkedIn) who have gotten to where you want to get.
All that said, I was self-taught Python and didn't have a mentor or an open source project to contribute to. I had ideas for software that I wished existed, and then I dove in and tried to make it. When I got stuck, I posted here. It was simple stuff at first. I wrote a script that generated octal, dword and other IP forms to circumvent my high school's website blacklisting (they should be embarrassed that what I tried worked). Eventually I wrote a little GUI for it. I wrote something for cleaning up my pirate music collection (though I don't pirate music anymore). Another project was before I had a smartphone, but I had unlimited texting, and I setup an email address where the emails were sent to a Python script, with which I could do anything (including send a plaintext version to my phone via SMS/MMS). I tried to implement a trading card game I liked.
You just have to come up with something and dive in. If you get stuck, post here. If you don't get a reply here, try again yourself on another day. It takes grit, but eventually you get enough comfort with a project.
RE: Learning through doing -- Where to get experience??? Open Source Volunteering. - buran - May-28-2020
in addition to excellent link, provided bu @micseedel, here is Good first pull request list