I didn't have this issue, but I will share my opinion anyway.

What do you mean by "actual programming"? I would expect that to include not knowing stuff beforehand, to explore and prototype solutions and missing information. That's the opposite of what you seem to expect, judging from the rest of your sentence? (missing know how, unclear docs, no youtube course to follow along to)

I learned through hacking website and related stuff in php, going into a popular C++ FOSS project, and other projects. I oriented myself through what already existed and documentation.

The best way to learn is through self interest, through actual projects or functionality you try to implement. If it's scoped small enough, with a doable challenge, that's how you grow.