What are your biggest struggles while you are learning to code?

I am 27. I didn’t touch Mathematics at all since 2010 when I was 17. I have left it for 10 years. It feels so foreign to me now to use ‘logic’ and sometimes I really struggle to think fluently about writing systematic codes for a project.

Also because of Mathematics being quite foreign to me I sometimes have some irrational fear towards it.

That’s my biggest struggle. I am creating this thread to see if anyone has big struggles that they would like to share about and maybe some people will be able to provide useful advice to help. Thank you!

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My biggest struggle is to press on when feeling things are getting much harder than what I have learned so far.

Also I find it hard when I am coding and not see the results. I need something tangible that proofs me the things I do have an effect on the outcome.

For example I am currently working on the Ravenous project, I have written significant amounts of code now but I don’t see what it translates into. The app is not able to run yet.

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Definitely whitespace and spelling. I’m familiar with logic but trying to find my errors takes forever, and they’re always spelling/spacing mistakes.

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Syntax is pretty hard for me. I get very frustrated when I get so close to solving a problem, but something very small that I overlooked is what causes errors. The small details are what trip me up. I also find that I “hit a wall” after a while, where progress slows down and it’s not as exciting as when you first started. This is my third time trying to learn coding though, I used to slowly quit when I hit the wall. Now that I’ve been through this a few times, I know not to do that this time. It’s all about chipping away and practicing every day. Not every day will be huge progress, but keeping consistent is what’s important. I’ll look back at the end of 30 days and be proud.

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I have one single struggle that I have dealt with for YEARS: Consistency. I am an electrical engineer so the logical systems behind programming come somewhat naturally beyond syntax. Nonetheless I find it hard to stay consistent for long periods. I find that I allow life to get in the way. The daily reminders and streaks are great but ultimately, without an end-project in mind, the idea of learning computer science is outweighed by the laziness of getting the courses done.

This is similar to learning math in school. If you don’t have an application and work backward to develop the math skills, you won’t appreciate the process of learning the math. Programming and computer science is no different. It’s just a toolkit to accomplish some goal. The trick is to stick it out until the end and develop meaningful project ideas along the way.

Thanks for reading, I know there are many others in the same boat!

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the biggest struggle : when stuck and no one asked. I completely forget about what kind of HTML or CSS it is to open up the source.
often it happened days.

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Apply what you know about NAND gates to program logic and you’ll find a perfect fit. Then you can share that with us, the ones in the bleachers.

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I get in my own way all the time.
Guys, I went to a bootcamp and totally blew it. I feel like I learned nothing. Still can’t code.
So I’m starting all over again from HTML to see if I can teach myself and make it make sense.

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Syntax errors. Always the syntax errors.
This happens all the time, whether in Aptana Studio 3 or this site. Sometimes just because of spacing and little details I failed to reach the final goal. But I did sort of adjust to this problem, and I made sure that every single line is structured similiar to the examples and formats.
Still, for a teenager like me, syntax errors are horrible.

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It’s mostly the wording and how the instructions were phrased that always gets me frustrated. Just this last Project: Scrabble. On Step 12, there was no mention that I had to save the value to an empty dictionary. It was because of the word ‘input’ that was giving me a headache. I wasn’t sure if it wanted me to put in an input statement or something similar to that matter. It made me search the internet for viable solutions to the problem where the solution was just a simple one in the end. :cry:

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Same story here. I’ve tried all sorts of Online Bootcamps and halfway through I just rage quit.

I’m trying Codecademy now since it’s cheaper. Let us know how you get on. Let’s push each other to get through this :smile:

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@superproxy2020 Let’s do this. I’ve never wanted anything so bad in my entire life.

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Definitely working it out, logic can be hard. I have to press ‘Solution’ sometimes.

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  1. Going too far, too fast. Sometimes I move on through concepts while not having fully digested previous ones. Sometimes I take the time to go back and yay, problems solved. I think it might help sometimes because when I forget something, then go back and review it, it’s drilled in better. The other thing is when something hasn’t clicked and I just forget about it, but then years later I realize it just fits.
  2. Complicated stuff. Since I find online resources to learn programming, it’s generally a pretty fluid process to learn, but sometimes there are things that are just way too far ahead in the path and I can’t find any good information on them.
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My biggest struggle is having a clear vision of what the problem I’m trying to solve is…also, finding the WHY and the WHAT FOR …that on the non tangible more abstract side of learning to code/program…(or learning anything else…)

Furthermore, as a total beginner and on the more technical, low level side of things, I struggle when there aren’t enough opportunities to repeat, repeat, and repeat (like a Kata or any form in martial arts) what I have just learned…I love the analysis and discovery part previous to engaging with any problem solving methodology (like programming), but I also need to get down to doing things with my hands many times, until it is internalised …so, lather, rinse repeat is important to me…

Then, if anyone can suggest resources and a somewhat clear path for accomplishing this, I’d be much grateful :slight_smile:

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I feel you mate
I think the fear of solving logical expressions would cause
like a mental block to my brain :fearful:

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My biggest struggles are consistency in studying, and logic. I tried learning SQL a while back, then dropped it for 2 years. Then I started HTML, CSS, and JS then dropped them for a year. I never seem to get past basics, then I need to almost start over because I’ve forgotten what I learned.

I’ve worked in completely unrelated fields for the past 10 years, and I haven’t been in a math class for almost 15. The logic of coding can be really hard and discouraging sometimes. Then I read an article/watch a video from a self-taught programmer about their struggles, and it encourages me to keep trying.

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I get really discouraged- my husband has a degree in computer science and has worked as a software engineer/developer for over 20 years. He thinks my questions are too basic, but sometimes I don’t know how to find the answer. My degrees are in physics and math, so I understand the logic, but sometimes I just simply am lost. Sometimes I don’t even understand what I am doing well enough to ask a question: I’m just lost.

I’m on day 26 of the 30 day challenge. I started with C# because I need a higher paying job, but even though I am 2/3 done with the course, I don’t fully understand. So, taking a page from how I best learn natural languages, now I’m working on C++. C++ seems a lot easier; I’m hoping when I finish C++ and start over on C# that that will have helped.

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Wow, I never thought anyone was just like me!! I am exactly the same relating to your first point about going too fast!! I’ve picked up Python maybe 3 years ago (not on Codecademy) but am having to recomplete the course on Codecademy because I went so fast I forgot most of what I learned. I’m too goal oriented and go “yay, I got the exercise, NEXT!!” and complete so much I can’t remember it!!

Anyway, still working on that. I need to practice practice practice. But I’m glad someone understands :slight_smile:

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@khalilnajjar Couldn’t agree more. I went to a High School tech school for electronics engineering, so I’m pretty similar with boolean logic (although not as experienced), and was never good at math in school. However I learned I enjoy it a lot when there’s something interesting to apply it to! The best recommendation I can give is not to just use Codecademy, but to make projects for yourself on the side :slight_smile: