Open source code. Tutorials, screencasts, books, they teach you /how/ to code, they don't actually get you to do it. You can get to the end of a book and have m

Open source code. Tutorials, screencasts, books, they teach you /how/ to code, they don't actually get you to do it. You can get to the end of a book and have memorized all the code samples but still be without a flying fuck how to write a program or fix a problem. Keep a reference manual open in a background tab and dive in. Go to a popular project on Github, go to the issues tab, pick a random issue and try to fix it. This will give you more insight into the ups and downs of a language than anything else. "Pet projects" are stupid as they have no real world use and you already understand most of the logic behind them, solve problems and make things happen.