I know how to code in JavaScript and Python, and I’m willing to learn more, but I honestly don’t know what to code or where to code.

I learned programming in school, but I was never really taught how to take the code I write and actually turn it into something useful. We made one website and mostly used Code.org, but that was about it. Now I want to start programming again, but I have no idea what programs, websites, or tools I should use to actually write and run my code outside of Code.org.

I also don’t really know what projects I should start with. I love video games, and I’d really like to learn how to make my own games, but I have no idea what I need to learn, what software I should use, or what my first game should even be.

I really want to get back into coding and start building things instead of just doing school assignments, but I’m not sure where to begin. I’d like to know what I should download, where I should code, what I should learn first, and some beginner-friendly projects I can work on — especially if I want to eventually make games.

Also im sorry if this is a very weird issue

I'm a 4th year B.Tech CSE (AIML) student, and I'm honestly feeling pretty lost right now

The problem is that I'm reaching out to people who don't have a proper understanding of what I'm going through

Right now, I'm in a situation where I have no idea how to proceed with my studies and career

I think the best way to introduce myself here is to say that I'm currently in my 4th year of studying B.Tech CSE (AIML) and I have almost no practical skills in programming and computer science

I've learned a lot of the core concepts like Python, Java, SQL, DBMS, OOP, DSA, Web development, AI/ML, etc and I've had my share of attending classes, watching lecture videos, learning by myself, taking online courses

There is a huge difference between knowing theoretical concepts and being able to apply them to practice

A person can come up to me and ask me something like

«Do you know Python?»

and I would say yes, because I studied it for 2 years in college

But when they give me a blank file and a task to accomplish, I find it extremely hard to do so

Sometimes I can understand existing code with others explanations, recognize concepts and terms, but when it comes to actually writing something myself, I'm clueless about what to do

What should I do? How should I break the problem into smaller parts? What concepts should I apply here? What should I write/debug/test? And so on and so forth

And this list of problems is only a fraction of what I have to deal with

I've tried multiple times to tackle this problem by starting over

I've taken up courses

I've tried to learn by doing projects

I've tried to learn programming from scratch again

I've tried using roadmaps

I've tried to do projects by following tutorials

But there's always that initial excitement, then the impatience sets in, and eventually I reach a point where I just can't proceed anymore and I have to abandon the project/course

My problem here is not that there are no resources

It's that I don't know what to do first

I don't know how to proceed, what to learn, and what to ignore

I don't know the depth of knowledge I should gain for each topic

I don't know what projects to make

I don't know how to measure understanding of a concept or topic

And I'm not even sure how to prioritize between these factors

Right now, I'm in my 4th year and I don't have that luxury of time to randomly try out different stacks and technologies

I'm genuinely motivated to improve, but I need help figuring out how

I'm not looking for anyone to spoon feed me the answers

I'm willing to put in the hard work, even if it takes me a while

I'm just looking for someone who has the experience to look at my case and tell me something like

"These are the problems you're facing. This is where you are in your journey. Forget about these things for now. First, do this → then do this → then do this. Don't worry about X before you reach Y."

I'm looking for experienced seniors, freshers, developers, and mentors who can recognize my case and help me somehow

If you were in my situation, with almost no practical programming skills, what will you do?

- What will you learn first?

- What language/stack will you choose?

- How will you re-learn programming fundamentals?

- How will you learn DSA?

- What projects will you make?

- How will you divide your time between placements, DSA, development, and fundamentals?

- What things will you avoid learning for now?

I'm not looking for a generic answer like "learn DSA + dev + make projects"

I'm looking for someone to give a realistic vision of how someone with almost no practical skills can reach the level of being eligible for placements, and if possible, how to practically implement that vision without getting stuck in a loop again

Any realistic opinion is welcome, even if it's a brutal one

And if you're someone who can give me mentorship and guidance every once in a while, I'm open to that too