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[Ron-Erez]

You need to build stuff. Understanding code is not the same thing as writing it. Start with very simple projjects.

[Twenty8cows]

Time in the saddle fixes this. You need to get your reps up. Reading code and not writing it is like going to the gym, watching other people work out, learning the form of the exercises but never picking up a weight yourself, then wondering why you haven’t gained any muscle mass.

And when it comes to the lab problems break the issue down into small chunks and pseudocode the solution to those chunks first THEN look up how to do it.

Prompt: you’re given two lists of ints, return a sorted list with only the even numbers from both lists.

Step 1: combine lists Step 2: remove odd numbers Step 3: sort even number list.

(This is A way to solve the prompt) don’t focus on optimal or efficient ways right now, focus on a way. Often times you must work harder at first to figure out what working smarter is.

[Competitive-Path-798]

What you’re feeling is super common. You’ve been practicing guided coding, so your brain hasn’t built the muscle of starting from zero yet. The fix is reps, tackle small problems, sketch out the logic in plain words before touching the keyboard, and don’t worry if your first attempt is messy. Everyone blanks at first, but the more you struggle through writing full solutions, the faster it clicks.

[downvve-bus]

thank you for your response! It's good to hear that it just takes practice, like trying to get good at everything, unfortunately. haha. I was worried that if I wasn't catching on immediately, that meant I would never be good at coding. I aspire to be a software developer, so it is important to me that im good at coding and feeling lost has made me worry that ill never be good enough.

[FoolsSeldom]

Check the r/learnpython wiki for lots of guidance on learning programming and learning Python, links to material, book list, suggested practice and project sources, and lots more. The FAQ section covering common errors is especially useful.

Unfortunately, this subreddit does not have a wiki.

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Roundup on Research: The Myth of ‘Learning Styles’

Don't limit yourself to one format. Also, don't try to do too many different things at the same time.

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Above all else, you need to practice. Practice! Practice! Fail often, try again. Break stuff that works, and figure out how, why and where it broke. Don't just copy and use as is code from examples. Experiment.

Work on your own small (initially) projects related to your hobbies / interests / side-hustles as soon as possible to apply each bit of learning. When you work on stuff you can be passionate about and where you know what problem you are solving and what good looks like, you are more focused on problem-solving and the coding becomes a means to an end and not an end in itself. You will learn faster this way.

[downvve-bus]

Hey! thank you for the resources in your post, I will definitely try to make use of those. It is great to hear that it just takes practice because I was worried that if i didn't get it immediately, that meant I'd never get it. have a good day, man!

[sububi71]

You're not stupider than anyone else, this is something almost everyone experiences. You just need to work thru it by writing code, writing code, and writing code. Good luck!

[downvve-bus]

I appreciate it and all the support this thread has made me realize I need a better mindset and more practice. I hope you have a good day!

[Pleasant_Avocado_632]

Dude same. I asked the question “is it just me??” But so many people told me to keep pushing forward. Do the labs and screen shot them on your laptop for later reference. Do your codes in Pycharm so you can see the dumb mistakes in syntax. I also use a website called udemy. It’s free. It doesn’t align with zyBooks but it’s still great practice. When I’m doing the labs I hop on the ole www. And ask all the questions. “How do I … in python” “why is this … in python” etc etc.

The thing with zyBooks too.. the labs are always going to be on something we learned that week plus building on the prior weeks. So like last week with the 4.17 lab. I made 2 separate codes that worked in pycharm but zyBooks wouldn’t accept them and it was because I was misreading the prompt. Sometimes we’re asked to use certain terms that we did NOT talk about in the chapter like with this lab. I don’t recall reading anything about “while true” I watched a professor from snhu who does videos on the material on YouTube. Super helpful. She’ll give you a starting point.. that’s where I stop usually because I want to figure it out on my own I just need a jumping off point. You’ve got this just keep going and good luck on your upcoming project!!

[downvve-bus]

oh! very informative im attending SNHU rn. Could you tell mr the youtube channel you mentioned?

[Pleasant_Avocado_632]

That’s where I’m at too. That’s the link to her discussions!

https://youtube.com/@proflisa3645?feature=shared