After learning from tutorials, how do I start building things on my own?
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I’m wondering the same thing, actually.
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A recommendation.
Using your most used site or a site you use with frequency as a base, rewrite the site with everything you know until now.
Alternatively you can create your own website. Example: let’s say you like cars. What you could do is create a online dealership or a car rental service.
I am not an expert or anything, it’s just a recommendation based on my small experience with programming.
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The jump is awkward for everyone. Here’s what worked for me: pick something you actually want to use. Not “a to-do app” — your actual to-do app. The one you’ll use. Then build the smallest version that solves the core problem. Mine was a Markdown note tool because I hated existing ones. Built it in a weekend, barely worked, used it anyway. Every frustration became the next feature to learn.
Start with tools you already know from tutorials. Don’t learn React and databases and deployment all at once. Use vanilla JS and localStorage first if that’s what you know. Ship something broken and small, then fix and expand it as you hit real problems. You learn way more debugging your own bugs than following perfect tutorial code.
Also: GitHub is your portfolio. Push everything, even embarrassing early stuff. Recruiters care more about commit history and progression than polished demos.
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I had a hard time with this so I switched to The Odin Project to learn as the transition there is smoother.
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I suggest asking around your network and asking them if you can make something for them. This is one tip from Quincy Larson’s book and this has changed my life. I do projects I genuinely love for people I like and love and I gain experience.
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