Unpopular opinion: freeCodeCamp's curriculum vs building your own project from day one

I started learning Python about 6 weeks ago and I'm stuck on this debate. Some people swear by doing all of freeCodeCamp's stuff step by step, getting those certificates. But then I watch videos where people say just pick a dumb project like a calculator or a to-do list and figure it out as you go, even if you don't know anything yet. I went with the project route. I built a simple budget tracker that adds up my grocery spending, took me like 2 weeks of googling every line. It barely works but I learned more about functions and loops in that time than the first month of tutorials. Has anyone else felt like project learning forced you to actually get it faster than following a structured course?

3 comments

3 Comments

stone.lisa1mo ago

Built a budget tracker too. That's how it clicks.

joel_clark371mo ago

Yo what was the hardest part for you? I bet the categories were a pain to set up but once it clicks it really changes how you look at money.

the_jana1mo ago

Real life doesn't come with a tutorial, you just have to figure it out as you go.