So - what do I do now?

[FatStratCat]

I've read a beginners book on php and I understand it it pretty well, well enough to read most scripts and understand what is going on in them, but I feel like I'm standing on a platform (basic comprehension) and looking up at the next platform (coding and comprehending more complex code) with no good idea of how to get there.

What did those of you who started out self teaching do to get past this roadblock of sorts? Writing "hello world" type scripts is no longer helpful to me. It's like reading last years english book over again. I'm not learning anything new from it.

Just trying to figure out where to go from here - a class, a tutor, another book, a website, ?????

[vaaaska]

My tutor was and still is the Coding forum where I help folks out from time to time.

And you have to make things and be brave about it...what you don't understand you have to find a way to understand. Being afraid of breaking things is not an option. Reading books is great, but building things is the way to go.

[FatStratCat]

how long was it before you felt that you could confidently program at a level where you were accomplishing what you imagined when you started?

My biggest problem I think is I'm trying to re work the existing code I have, soem of which is way above my head. I think I'm going to take yoru advice and start from scratch on a few things, rather than try and fix frankenstein.

[etully]

The biggest help to my programming skill came from accepting jobs from clients that were outside my skill level and having deadlines. Honestly, nothing helps me turn theory into skills like accomplishing a task. The more jobs you have under your belt, the easier it gets to solve problems down the road.

If you think of each skill as a puzzle piece, it gets much easier to assemble the full puzzle when you have more pieces. That next plateau is closer than you think. I suspect the next plateau for you has a lot to do with watching your final product look like you imagined it would because you were in control of the tools instead of making compromises because some canned script didn't have a feature you needed or wanted.

I suggest moving from practice to real world clients. What's the worst that can happen? You might have to go back to the client and tell them that you can't do it? You wouldn't be the first consultant who said that!! It's worth taking the risk.

[FatStratCat]

that is good advice. I'm finding myself dipping my toe in the water but afraid to jump in at times. I know I have to take on the challenge, I'm just not used to looking up at the cliff and not knowing just how to climb it.