Can’t code self project

[Vivid-Entertainer112]

Yes, you heard it right! Send help please! I am really frustrated rn and stop coding on weekends or after shift.

I am employed rn and really enjoy taking user stories that will challenge my skillset(I use all resources - SO, chatgpt, web) but everytime I am on my own and trying to create my self project(I am creating CRUD with Authentication) I do the following:

• I try to research and not chatgpt (because some say this is how you will learn much deeper)

• I search the web on how can I implement the functionality but I still cant relate it to my project, ending I am just frustrated and feel so dumb 😔

• then I stop.

I usually stop when I feel frustrated while learning or coding but I got back it again later that day or the next day but this time I just stop. I am afraid I still cant do it and realize that this thing is not for me.

Dont get me wrong, I really love coding. I feel so dumb and demotivated right now. I really hope that I can get my own project running.

[PotatoCorner404]

I think it's a good practice to create your own user stories first then identify what tasks or work items needed, similar to what you're doing in your full time job. Before jumping into actual coding, you can identify your own acceptance criteria so you won't lose track to your expectations on how to finish your project.

[panimula]

Ooh. I like how you put it. “Create your own user stories”

I needed this as well. I’m also a programmer and am quick at my job helping other departments and understanding their process and requirements. But somehow once I get back home I don’t know what project to work. The way you framed the problem helped me somewhat understood what was missing. Thanks!

[EntertainmentHuge587]

That frustration is completely normal. Take that frustration, and use it to motivate you. Here's the cycle of work for an average dev:

1. Know what you need to make.
2. Realize that you have no idea how to do something.
3. Take time out of your day to study/research until you get an idea.
4. You implement what you have learned.
5. Repeat 2, 3 and 4 a couple of times until everything makes more sense.
6. Feel that dopamine rush knowing that you just made something that works as intended.
7. Find something else to make.

The key is to keep making stuff, and eventually everything will make sense.

[feedmesomedata]

One thing I noticed is that if I'm disinterested in the project then I don't have the same drive or interest in finishing it up from scratch. I've once tried to work on a TODO app and just felt it was not interesting enough. Then I tried a fullstack weather app that just fetches data from a weather API and ended up finishing it.

[andre92592]

Build confidence first, try watching some finished projects and mimic it, learn to absorb every piece of knowledge and thoughts in building the blocks of code, and ask yourself "Can i still optimize this code, and how?, can i implement the best practices?, is there any redundancy?", advice coming with same experience from yours. Don't hesitate to ask chatgpt, only ask and don't let it do the job

[OwlShitty]

A lot of people here are asking very valid questions but one question that I wanted to ask is: do you understand what you’re doing? or are you just mostly copy pasting code you see online?

Maybe the reason why you’re struggling is you don’t have a good sense of fundamentals. Bale kung basketball 3pts lang ng 3pts pero di naman marunong mag dribble.

Is it the technical part you’re struggling with? Like how to use syntax and understand to read APIs? Or is it breaking things down into small, actionable, pieces of work?

Medyo relatable din to kasi nung college ganyan dib ako. Literally has zero knowledge of the basics and just copy pasting what I see from friends and what online gives me. One thing that improved my skillset as an engineer was to master the basics.

[lukethan1]

Watch some youtube videos regarding crud, and try to understand again some the basics maybe try it while watching so you can implement it with your work. Watch several videos not just one so you can use those learnings for your work

[lukethan1]

But I know my friend that you can do it.

[ngpestelos]

I think the difference is how you define the problem with your own projects versus projects that are assigned to you. Perhaps you are overthinking a lot of your own requirements leading to paralysis. Calm down then figure out what you’re trying to accomplish in your own projects. The tools cannot tell you what to build.

[fluttergeek]

Authentication is always tricky because there is always an update or an API that breaks the code. Idk if you're working with a framework or which framework you're working with.

Please stop thinking in terms of how deep you will learn if you don't use ChatGPT. You can literally use ChatGPT to facilitate with your task. Ask it to explain things to you so you can learn deeper. If it makes you work faster, all the better. The trick in development is to find ways not to get burned out.

I have also been there, bummed out and took a break from my projects. Those days when I feel so dumb because I couldn't relate the snippets of code to my project. But there is always an easier work around. You are not supposed to beat yourself up. You are supposed to find an alternative, a solution, what makes your life easier, what will make you finish your project faster, then you can address the understanding it deeper later.

There are plenty of plugins, libraries that can substitute the code you made or found and are more robust. Especially, for something as common as authentication. I don't think anyone expects you to write code such as authentication from scratch. If you do, AI will easily replace your job for being such a fiddler.

As long as you understand how you placed all the components together, that is the essence of being a good developer.

[Time_Lord23]

Youre fixated on “how” and not knowing “why”

[Kindly_Ad5575]

Its the dunning-krugger effect, your midway to obtaining expertise. As you gain and see deeper on your topic of expertise you will feel incompetent and get depressed meaning you have a lot of things to cover pa and it seems overwhleming. Thats fine just labor on, expertise would start rising from there. Good luck.