Demoralized learning C++

[Dzzs]

Short version at bottom.

Well I've been looking into C++ for some time now. I have most of the basics down pretty well now and I was proud to be making pointless but functional console apps using lots of ifs around user input, making all kinds of functions, even messing with the windows console appearance with C++. Now though my current project is about 350 lines of basic code with one last issue before it's complete, but I look at what I know and what it can do and I realize that big mountain I thought I climbed was really just a pot hole on the way to the mountain.

Currently this is just a hobby. I am starting all my prerequisites like English and maths for an associates in science next month. My main interest is robotics, still deciding on which area. Programming has just been the easiest for me to get my hands on before being in college. So I started with Python but I really don't like its indent style. If I were to change direction and go into programming my goal would be video game engines, and C++ is one of the most popular for that, and it's a very powerful language from what I've read.

Long story short C++ is just a hobby. I'd really like to get stronger with it but is it just a hobby with nothing riding on it at the moment. I've spent weeks learning everything I can but it's nothing compared to what I have left to learn. Do I keep going or am I going to run my face into a wall if I keep treating this like a hobby? Sorry for the ramble I'm just really bummed and demoralized about it all right now.

[htirwin]

I look at what I know and what it can do and I realize that big mountain I thought I climbed was really just a pot hole on the way to the mountain.

It's important to realize that while there is a gigantic mountain of information, nobody knows it all. People branch off in different directions after learning the basics and become experts in different things. So maybe it's better to think of it as though there are lots of climbable mountains of various heights and difficulty levels, and nobody has time to climb all of them. Pick a few to start with.

What has always driven me is the need to learn things in order to make things. Figure out what you want to make, and go for it. As you get more experience by taking on an ambitous larger scale project, you will also become more aware of what you ought to spend time learning next, and will be able to put it in context. You'll start to find particular motivation to learn specific things, and this will make it easier to do, and more fun. In the long run, if you stick with it, you'll have made quite a journey. And remember to have fun.