And the real maddening part is that search engines have been so enshitfied to make way for AI that’s wrong like 9/10, so you’re forced to rely on it for answers because if you try google, the snake wraps around and eats it’s own tail giving you an AI answer! 
I was self-taught programming before I started my college career similarly (also switched majors except I dropped out) and I don’t usually do pseudo-code. I guess I kinda do in my head or write out a plan for how it should work. I also don’t usually do very big projects either. I’ve tried OS dev, but I have a hard time expanding beyond the tutorials on the wiki and keeping things organized and actually working. Mostly now I just write. (switched majors to literary studies)