A kind-of quick word about programming. Don't skip this. It's important.

Not to get all Sensei on you, but programming is, more than anything, about
mindset. Understanding what you're doing overall is important, because it changes
how you approach things. It can make the difference between hours of rewriting
code, or even whether or not something is likely to work.

Programming is about creating something that you can trust enough to give to
someone else, without you watching it, and have it work properly. You can't be
there to tell the computer what to do once the program starts running. It's in the
user's hands, then.

So you should think strategically, right? Because for something to work when you
aren't there, it has to know how to behave and respond to different behaviors. You
don't know where I'm gonna click on the screen when you give me your program. You
only know that I might, or that I will. Just because you want me to click on an
icon to get started, doesn't mean I won't click something else, or start typing, or
whatever.

When you design something that's to be released to and used by others, desigining a
car, designing a highway system or building a plugin for RPG Maker, you have to be
strategic. You have to mind your surroundings. What could the user do? What kind of
input is available to them?

If you put up an input box for the player to type in a name for a character, you
have to think of things like, 'What if they enter numbers? Will that affect
anything else in the program? Am I ok with names that have numbers? What about
symbols, like an exclamation point?' Maybe you want them to be able to input some
or all characters, but require at least 4 characters that are letters, not numbers
or symbols.

You could do all of that if it matters, none of it if it doesn't make a difference.

The point is, you need to be strategic, because you won't be there to program once
the program is running. So if it mattered, and you didn't think of it sooner, it's
too late once the program launches.

Of course, this is why we test. This is why we have patches. This is also why we
have good practices, and preventative measures to minimize errors.

But the most important thing is strategy. It's about a mindset. The right mindset
is what will help you every step of the way. It's the thing that makes the
difference between people who will give up, and the people who will do anything
else. Ask questions. Practice. Research. Relearn the basics after you think you
know them, and see how much you benefit.