Ive been messing around with Python and some basic web stuff for a couple years now, mostly just hobby projects on the side, but lately Ive been trying to dive deeper into more complex algorithms and data structures and honestly its hitting me like a brick wall. Like, I get the syntax and how to set up a dev environment but when it comes to actually optimizing code or fixing these cryptic memory leaks in my latest project I feel like Im just guessing. I heard a lot of people saying AI assistants are great for tutoring but there are so many options popping up every week and I dont want to waste my subscription budget on something that just gives me generic boilerplate code that doesnt actually help me learn the logic.

Im based in Chicago and I have maybe 4-5 hours a week max to actually sit down and grind this out, so I need something that can explain why something is failing rather than just dumping a patch. Is there an app that actually keeps track of my progress or explains concepts like a real mentor? I tried ChatGPT but it just gives me the answer straight up half the time which defeats the whole point of me trying to get better at this stuff. Anyone find a tool that actually makes you think?