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[Python] How to grow skillset in a constrained environment?

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MajorEE:
I want to improve my driver code quality, and usability but I don't know where to go to improve my skills in terms of learning new techniques and architectural improvements since I don't work with others more knowledgeable than myself. Of particular interest is the oscilloscope switch statement to handle switching voltage and time-base settings.

The inputs are finite, I've used enums in the past, and straight function calls set_time_2ns but then there are TONS of these functions and I want to clean it up to make more concise, and easier to follow but also remain validated and error resistant.

What can I do to better myself in terms of learning new techniques and skills?

While this is directed at the scope problem in particular, where in general can one develop their skills when they don't work under someone more knowledgeable? Everything I've been working on I've had to google and teach myself. I just don't feel that I can develop skills fast enough this way.

Berni:
Even if you work full time as a software developer at a company, you will never have someone sit on your shoulder and teach you how to code better, other employees don't have time for that, they got there own work to do. They would generally help you more in terms of brainstorming sessions where you bring up a particular problem you are trying to solve and having issues with and they would give you some tips and ideas of how they might approach it. It does help a lot when nothing is working and you run out of your own ideas to try.

Learning programing is pretty much just working on some project and googling things as you go. But if you would like a more guided experience (often people do when they are just starting out) then you can find some programing courses online. Lots can be found on YouTube for free, or you can buy some larger more detailed courses on a few websites that sell them as a long series of videos (Tho careful with those, some are great courses, but some are terrible), this lets you experience it in a more class lecture format.

But don't be ashamed of googling solutions to your programing problems and copy pasting code from stack overflow. As long as you actually read the code you copy pasted and understand what it does, then you actually learned something by doing it. Also programmers don't keep everything in there head. They always have some sort of code reference or documentation open on the side to refer to.

rstofer:
You're writing driver code in Python?  Hm...

As there are many ways to program any project, look around at other people's code.  If you want to see C pushed to the limits, look at the Linux kernel or some of the utilities.  The code has been reviewed by tens of thousands of people.

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