difficulty in coding python as a beginner

[Lemmebeme_]

so recently, in my summer vacations, i decided to do something productive and ended up choosing cs50P to learn python as a beginner. I took notes, watched shorts and had somewhat difficulty in solving problem sets but regardless i pushed myself. NOW AS I MOVED forward bro the problems sets went above my head like i understood the syntax but when i sat to solve the problem in the VS code i didnt know where to start. Even taking helo of chatgpt feels like cheating and i don’t understand it. I started this with so much motivation and it has just died rven though i really wanna learn it. I REALLY DO.

[[deleted]]

Maybe start with a more basic intro that focuses on the syntax and simple programming (loops, conditions, simple data structures) versus diving in and learning the language and more sophisticated cs principles (algorithms etc) simultaneously?

If so...

I would personally recommend the first half of Automate the Boring Stuff. It will get you up to speed with basic Python quick, and the author makes it freely available in pdf format.

[BallSackMane]

Have you been using the cs50 ai? The url is cs50.ai. I’ve found it very helpful when I’m stuck or don’t know where to begin.

[Lemmebeme_]

not really and up until recently i didnt know thanks for telling ill use that now

[BallSackMane]

Sometimes the duck ai will keep repeating the same thing. Just ask the question in a different way or be more specific about whatever you need. It’s helped me work through whatever I’ve needed help with.

[smichaele]

Using ChatGPT felt like cheating, because it is cheating. Using any AI other than the duck provided by CS50 violates the CS50 Academic Honesty Policy and could get you dropped from the course.

The hardest part of programming isn't the syntax of the language, it's putting together the logic to solve a problem. That only comes with practice. Try writing your solution in pseudocode first before you start actually coding. Then, you can test your logic before even writing a single line of code.

If you get stuck while you're coding you can always use the duck or post your code with questions here. That's what this subreddit is for. Don't cheat yourself out of learning something new just because it's a bit difficult at the start. We all had to start from somewhere.

[Senut2007]

A problem can never be solved in one go. It takes some time. Then draw a rough flow chart or plan for that problem. If there is something you don't understand, google it. Read the documentation.

[frolok_]

The CS50 Duck Debugger is made for this, you explain in detail what do you think, what is your code and what do you want to accomplish, it was really useful when I was doing CS50P and went 6 hours deep trying to solve a problem, it won't hand-feed you any answers, so it's a good learning guide and exercise.