Application of Programming

Hello everyone,

I am attempting to teach myself programming and am at a bit of a loss as to who to apply any of what I am learning. I read through books and they teach the theory of the code, but I fail to grasp its actual application. I would like to code professionally but I have no concept of what it actually entails.

I am a "hands on" type of learner and come to you all looking for some guidance as to how to develop into a diverse and skilled programmer. Any advice or resources would be greatly appreciated.

>>20
It's standard C, but it's C99 it would work with almost^* every modern compiler on the planet.
_{*It doesn't work with MSVC, but MS doesn't give a fuck. Microsoft logic: Why spend money to improve the C compiler when you can lock developers into .net?}