I agree in regards to complete beginners. But I think for more intermediate or advanced programmers it is very beneficial to go about a project in a more self-

I agree in regards to complete beginners. But I think for more intermediate or advanced programmers it is very beneficial to go about a project in a more self-driven, free form way. Software design, exploration, research, reading specs and so on are half of the work (or more) in programming. What I would have loved to realize when I was younger is that there's nothing you can't write. It might be a drastically simplified version compared of the real thing, but you can absolutely do it. An operating system, a browser, a web server ("from scratch") a programming language, a video game (with a custom engine)... It's all possible with enough effort. And even if you don't want to do the up-front work yourself, it is easier to find cool, guided projects out there if you already know what you want.