I’m working through learning Python, and am getting quite discouraged. I get to these challenges, in say Loops (the most recent section I made it to), and when I read what I am being asked to do… I just can’t put it together. When I click view solution, I can break down the code, figure out what it does and why it says what it says. I can also get passing score on the quizzes… but I can’t turn around and figure out how to actually write the code out from scratch. Does that make sense? It’s like I can hear and understand English but can’t speak it, which feels very very bizarre and discouraging. It feels like my brain just can’t process this stuff.
So, what should I do? I don’t want to give up. Should I power through all the Python lessons and start over? Start over right now? How can I get to the point where I can not just break down an alright written piece of code, but actually figure out how to do it myself?
I totally understand what you’re saying as I’ve been there myself.
I think it’s a big step if you can look at a solution and break it down & understand what it’s doing (you know, talk it through). That means you’re learning. 
Do you happen to take notes while you’re learning?
Sometimes that helps if you can go back through things that you’ve written in your own words.
For me, if I’m confused by a question or directions, I break it down, or, write it in words that I understand, using my lexicon. I have also found that while going through the lessons I copy my code into a Colab notebook, run the cell and then tweak it for various outcomes until I understand what the method or function (or whatever) is doing. I also check other resources if I don’t understand concepts from lessons—like official documentation or sites like StackOverflow or GeeksforGeeks.
Don’t give up though. Keep going! You’re learning a new language and it does take practice. (I remind myself of this often)
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While Codecademy is a very good site, I find if I use another website for coding, for example, repl.it, it helps keep me refreshed, and interested in learning new languages. Please don’t give up and keep trying!
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I actually copy the answer into a notepad, and type the explanation of each element out next to them. So, I’m building up a decent stack of notes. I’ve tried restating the instructions, reordering them, I don’t know, it’s like I’ve got a wall in my brain that won’t let me process the instructions. Thanks for the suggestions on resources!
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Another good way to get past problems is to create psuedo-code. This is like a list of instructions-written in English-on how to do the task, if one were to do it by hand (or if you were telling a friend how to write the code). Try to make it as codey-sounding as possible-use phrases like create a for loop which loops through the "array_name" array. Then, once you’re happy with this pseudo-code, you can turn it into real code.
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Yep, if you can explain what you’re doing to someone else, then that’s a good sign!
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That’s good. Whatever works for you.
It takes some time for some concepts to solidify. For me, I find that practicing a little bit every day helps too. And, if you don’t understand something, there’s absolutely no shame in posting here in the forums and asking for help. That’s what the community is here for. Someone else might be able to explain your query to you that is understandable.
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I was struggling with this exact same issue and this advice really helped! Thank you!
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