MindNode - Price: $39.99 (one-time purchase) Mind mapping app for Mac that helps you visualize your ideas and thoughts. Source: 11 months ago

Tools like https://mindnode.com/ also help if writing on paper is a barrier. Source: about 3 years ago

Mind maps are great! I use MindNode for making mine on my MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. Source: about 3 years ago

If computer graphics is of interest, BRL-CAD (https://brlcad.org) is very welcoming to new contributors and has lots of projects you could take on. Source: about 1 year ago

Mike Muuss[0] approves of this message. 0: https://brlcad.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago

Join an open source community that is welcoming to newcomers (e.g., BRL-CAD, Haiku OS, OSGeo, ..) and work on a little bit of code every day. It can be a simple feature, specific bug, or something new you want to achieve. Many open source groups are very welcoming to newcomers if you do the work and ask smart questions. Source: about 1 year ago

You could also try out free AutoCAD alternatives like libreCAD (2D), or brlCAD (2D&3D, I believe). Source: about 1 year ago

So, uh ... Learning curve. If you want anything and everything under the sun, go with BRL-CAD. It was designed for ballistics testing and simulation, but it can do pretty much anything. The learning curve for BRL-CAD is immense. Otherwise, I recommend OpenSCAD. Source: over 1 year ago