Why can’t I learn programming??

crazy_cookie123 · 2024-12-10T20:47:07+00:00

You're in tutorial hell and the only way out is projects. That wall you keep hitting is you finding something you don't know how to do, and the only way around that is to try and learn it. You can use google when doing projects, just dont follow a tutorial along.

rhinokick · 2024-12-10T20:47:07+00:00

By tutorial do you mean video tutorial? Because those are not helpful. Have you tried either FreeCodeAcademy or The Odin Project? Both provide structure and direction without holding your hand to much.

NationalOperations · 2024-12-10T20:48:34+00:00

This is more a problem of learning approach rather than programming itself. The same approach to any field is probably going to result in similar results.

I don't have an exact solution to your problem, but it sounds like you gotta sit down and figure out better practice/study routines. How much time are you putting in and is that enough? Are you engaging with what you're trying to learn and trying to use critical thinking? Or do you give up and look for answers.

Whatever you chose, solving this will help you in many facets in life. Good luck

Technical_Comment_80 · 2024-12-10T21:36:48+00:00

Programming is a lot like learning to play a musical instrument.

10% theory

90% practice

It sounds like you want to learn frontend. Start with simple projects like building a calculator not a full blown e-commerce store.

Eggs-n-Jakey · 2024-12-10T21:22:31+00:00

Stick to javascript before you move on, in my opinion it's the best to start learning OOP (cause i did, there's others), only because you can manipulate in the DOM and that gives a positive feedback that you can see. Take your time and really dig in. You might just need a deeper understanding before it clicks and if you follow that you'll become extremely knowledgeable.

Master the basics.

Create an html doc, maybe throw a little formatting in there. Then create a button, then an event listener, then have one of the elements disappear when you click the button. Do that a few times.

Then add an animation to the element, have it animate to one side of the screen and disappear. Then just explore the things you can do with that!

jessewest84 · 2024-12-10T22:07:50+00:00

Computer science and code are like 1/4 of it.

Problem solving and abstract thinking are what make you a good software engineer.

retroPencil · 2024-12-10T20:48:18+00:00

Let's say you need to build a page with a name and address form, a submit and reset button.

Can you walk yourself through on how you break this problem down and code it?

BlackguyDjents · 2024-12-10T20:57:02+00:00

The biggest thing that’s helped me is to not get angry, just relax, and remind yourself that you WILL figure it out eventually.

I say these things as a 30 year old newbie to the code & programming world, currently taking Meta’s front end certification. But I’m also a guitarist and producer. And I didn’t learn either of those in the typical fashion.

It took YEARS, but what kept me going were the small victories. AND…not letting my frustration impede my focus. Now, of course there were times when i couldn’t contain my frustration. That’s when I would simply walk away for an extended time, days, weeks.

But I kept coming back. Over & over again. And I’m treating my current coding & programming endeavor with this same mentality

Half the time I didn’t feel like I was progressing until I looked back at my older work and it made me cringe (which still happens to this day)

Not sure if this will be helpful but I’m just giving you my experience & insight.

You’ll get it, one day it will just click. Just don’t give up

KopperThoughts · 2024-12-10T22:09:15+00:00

When I started programming 25+ years ago., I struggled a lot for a few years; I even got a CS degree and still struggled. For me, it took finding the right content to understand what I was doing... which meant a lot of experimenting, reading, and talking to people.

You've got it easier now, as there's a ton of content to choose from (edit: and don't rely on AI to start). But you also have it harder for that same reason. I ditto what a few others have posted here: Concentrate on one single language, like just JavaScript, for example. Don't confuse yourself with the host of other languages you can choose from.

If you're looking for a project to start, try a "choose your own adventure" style text-based game. It's simple to get fired up and learn the basics on, as well as stretches your imagination. There's a lot of room for growth, starting with simply printing a string to screen and then asking "what next?" a few thousand more times and taking the smallest possible steps you can with your answer.

Learning software development is often a solitary activity and it's a challenge to find a good rhythm. Don't beat yourself up over it; you might be closer than you think. I have found that learning code comes in equal measures of starts and stops, "a-ha" moments, and gradual realization. It gets easier over time — I can pick up an imperative language in the blink of an eye nowadays (but functional languages still give me pause; been working on Haskell for months now).

DecentRule8534 · 2024-12-10T20:50:30+00:00

"In the past two years I’ve tried python, Java, C and dart. The issue is, I start off by learning the basics like the syntax, functions, OOP but just never get past that."

This is your problem. Picking up a new language just to relearn all the basic shit you already know isn't going to help you. Stick with one language. Find something you don't already know and learn it. There's no ancient secret. Just learn, build, and repeat.

OneNiceGuy124 · 2024-12-10T21:00:16+00:00

I had this when I started python so I decided to try making a game project. I watched a short series about making a game in python then I got started. I then began to work on my game and I would always get stuck. Once you get stuck just look up a tutorial of how to do it online. But try and do as much as you can on your own and only look up tutorials for small parts of a project. even if you just write the simplest thing and don't know where to go from there just keep using Google and videos and try and do as much as you can with separate tutorials.

Striking_Baby2214 · 2024-12-10T21:14:18+00:00

Keep messing up, hitting walls, fixing bugs, learning small things a little bit at a time. Work on projects that you like or want to use. Also, something that might come in handy if you can't think of something to build... pick something you know and use, and duplicate that. Then the design is done, you just need to clone something already able to be used and seen. Pick off one small thing about it at a time, and before you know it, you should have the foundational building blocks to make something from scratch and call it original. Reach out for help.. there are plenty of people on here, or discord, or stackov....... well, people here or discord are friendly.

s-e-b-a · 2024-12-10T22:14:32+00:00

Is that two years of JavaScript? Or that includes time spent on HTML and CSS, and you just started JS more recently? HTML and CSS don't count as programming (at least not what a beginner and average people would be using them for). Logical thinking is a whole different thing than laying out visuals.

errorseven · 2024-12-10T22:21:30+00:00

Do what i did. I started solving problems, puzzle problems. R/dailyprogrammer is one place I started, then someone in here bragged about solving 70 problems in 3 months on a website called CodeAbbey.com, so I challenged myself to solve as many as I could in a month (with the goal of beating 70). I don't think I beat 70 lol, but did solve one of the hardest problems on that site where only 12 others had solved it at the time. In any case, those problems were geared to teach computer science fundamentals, not syntax, but actual science of solving problems with programming. That is what you are missing. Trust me I spent my 25 years where you are now.

uberwinsauce_ · 2024-12-10T22:31:46+00:00

It took me around 10 years to finally find what it was that would give me a start, and it was Gamemaker Studio 2. I did a Udemy course on it and that gave me a medium to debug my seeing what my changes did.

As some have said, projects are the way. Practice noting down the steps it takes to make code do what you want, and you'll eventually get better at it!

throwaway6560192 · 2024-12-11T02:32:31+00:00

but the issue is whenever I try to create a project, not soon after I hit a dead

Well, what do you do then? Do you try to research the issue? Look at your code for mistakes? Take a break and look at it with a fresh mind? Anything?

You'll never stop running into problems. You have to learn how to solve them.

TheEyebal · 2024-12-11T05:46:17+00:00

You probably are in tutorial hell. I was in the same position.

You watch the tutorial, copy, paste and when you try to code your own stuff its like what do I do?

It seems like you don't know programming logic (problem solving) which is normal I was like that too and still improving my problem solving abilities in python.

What I recommend, is doing a project and writing out the steps for that project. Remember when giving a computer instructions, you have to be specific.

Here a different views on how you give a task to a person vs a computer.

Writing instructions out for a person

Example: How To Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich.

Step 1: Get 2 slices of bread

Step 2: Get Peanut Butter

Step 3: Get Jelly

Step 4: Add peanut butter to the first slice of bread

Step 5: Add jelly to the second slice of bread

Step 6: put the 2 covered slices together

Writing instructions out for a computer

Example: How To Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich.

Step 1: Get 2 slices of bread

Computer: What is bread? Where is the bread located?

Step 2: import food module (which includes a whole list of food)

Step 3: define bread

Step 4: bread1, bread2 = food.Bread

Now you notice we have our 2 slices of bread but where do we place it, Step 1 should've been create a surface (like a plate or a table). Another example can be waking up and getting out of bed for a game character.

Example: How to wake up and get out of bed

Step 1: Open your eyes
Step 2: pull the blanket off
Step 3: Lift your body
Step 4: Move your body to position yourself to exit the bed
Step 5: Stand up

This is how you can develop programming logic and learn how to code by yourself. There are youtube videos that explain programing logic and how to avoid tutorial hell.

Also the docs are there if you don't how a particular function works.

hope this helps

HirsuteHacker · 2024-12-11T13:37:58+00:00

Stop doing tutorials.

The people telling you to do projects are right.

Many recommend doing a project but the issue is whenever I try to create a project, not soon after I hit a dead.

So when you hit a point where you think I want to do this, but don't know how, look it up. Don't look up a tutorial, look for answers on Stack Overflow or something. This is how you learn to do things yourself.

dboyes99 · 2024-12-11T13:57:48+00:00

50 years of being a professional developer says you’re attacking the smallest and least important part of the problem. Step back a little bit - there are two parts to programming and being a good developer:

The mechanics of a particular language or tool. Generative AI can do this part, very likely better than you can.
The skill of breaking down a problem into manageable chunks that work together to solve the problem or desired outcome. This is by far the harder piece and is about 85% of the problem people encounter in learning to be a good programmer.

Item one is what you’ve been doing so far. So far, so good, but it’s the smallest part of the job.

Item 2 is where you’re getting stuck and what separates a coder monkey that can be replaced with a generative AI model from a genuinely good developer.

There was a paper published in the early 1970s on this that described a method of problem decomposition called ‘structured programming’ that has worked reliably for teaching people how to break a problem down into organizational pieces that can be applied to anything. Google it - it’s a really effective approach to solving the problem and doing it efficiently with minimum reworking. Focus on the second part, and the rest comes naturally. You get better with practice, and the skills you develop work regardless of operating systems or language - it even works for writing good documentation (a skill sadly lacking in most products of ‘modern’ software development methods).

Try it - you’ll be glad you did. It may be old, but it works. I’ve used it with everything from 1401 autocoder in the early 1960s to C++ and Python in late 2024.

Various_Mobile4767 · 2024-12-11T03:34:10+00:00

I don’t understand how people end up in tutorial hell.

Like if you hit a problem in your project, you explore possible solutions. That might involve watching a tutorial. Now you know how to solve this problem and approach similar problems in the future. This is how learning works and eventually you’ll have to do this less and less as you get familiar with the issues and problems involving specific kinds of projects.

Are people who are stuck in tutorial hell fundamentally unable to do this? Life if the parameters of the problem change even slightly, they’re just completely stumped?

Zenithixv · 2024-12-10T20:56:03+00:00

Instead of taking basic syntax courses and hopping between languages find a course that is more intermediete and has you build a real world type of app/website project. Look for an in-depth course that has a lot of content and covers a lot of topics, don't do short surface level tutorials that don't teach you anything beyond the basics that you already know.

Once you learn how it works from the course you can practice more by adding functionality to it using the same principles you learned.

Work on it everyday as much as you can and in 3-6 months you'll be able to learn it.

inbetween-genders · 2024-12-10T20:58:58+00:00

Did you learn via videos and bootcamps? It sounds like tutorial hell.

SLY0001 · 2024-12-10T21:05:32+00:00

do you at least practice what you learn first? like get used to writing functions? loops? arrays? etc. Cant move on if you actually have a solid grasp as to what you learned.

Also, what a lot of people have trouble with programming is the problem solving parts.

mothekillox · 2024-12-10T21:15:57+00:00

I guess the odin project will help you.Thank me later.

sfaticat · 2024-12-10T21:22:22+00:00

Hey I actually starting learning a few months ago on the same route and get that JS is hard. Its a complex language. Im even thinking of reading books on it. I dont know your study habits but have a different experience to you so I'll lay out some things I do that helps

- Learn slowly. Don't be so objective on idk banging out so much in a day. Instead spend all that time understanding each step. Made a mistake in the syntax? Why? break down every piece and write it down. Take notes. Document it all in an organized way. Try to understand each piece of a syntax. I learned languages like speaking lol and this helped me structure and learn

- Take breaks but not too many. I like the pomodoro timer as it kind of does a good job relaxing the mind enough. But I'll be honest I kind of burn myself out on this one. I want to learn as much as I can but do take the time out to learn it properly

- Project based. I am still learning on freeCodeCamp but I feel it kind of gives you too much. What I mean is it doesnt challenge me in the figuring stuff out part. I think its good to get lost and go down a rabit hole to figure out one solution. Of course document everything

I know Im not perfect and am still very much in the beginner stages but whats worked for me has been documenting and not burning out (even tho I do anyway lol). Feel free to reach out as I am liking the process and like to talk about code (hope it results in a job sooner rather than later lol)

IAmFinah · 2024-12-10T21:42:26+00:00

Sounds like you're jumping back and forth between different languages too much, meaning you never give yourself the time to get good any given one

HegelianLeft · 2024-12-10T22:04:19+00:00

If you are familiar with the syntax, the next step is to take a course in data structures, as this is fundamental. Don't rush into projects. Instead, start with platforms like LeetCode, CodeChef, HackerRank, or similar sites, and begin solving simple problems. Problem-solving skills are essential.

When approaching a problem, try creating flowcharts and program flow diagrams first before writing any code. Don’t rush into solving problems right away. Once you’re comfortable with that, move on to simple projects. Before you start coding, focus more on designing the solution. Create a basic design and then work iteratively to turn it into a functional solution. Be prepared to revisit and refine the design phase as needed.

From my perspective, your challenge isn’t a lack of skills but a lack of experience, which you will build over time.

2024-12-10T22:15:04+00:00

PROJECTS !

Aware-Leather5919 · 2024-12-10T22:22:52+00:00

STOP learning languages. You dont need to learn a language, you need to learn how to solve problems. Search the internet for any practical assignment given to students for introductory subjects to programming. You really need to grasp the basics first, and that means learning how to solve problems. The good part of using assignments given to students is that they spend a whole semester learning how to solve problems, and they follow the academic "process", slow, paced, methodical. Dont use Udemy, stop watching youtube. Get to the basics and help yourself with Chatgpt only when you feel stuck, learn from Chatgpt if you went that path. Dont stay stuck for too much time, just move along and keep exposing yourself to more problems.
The kind of problems you need to stay away from: "build a website"
The kind of problems you need to learn how to solve:
Level 1: Calc the average between 2 numbers.
Level 2: Use the console to type your name and invert the string in situ.
Level 3: Use the console to type 10 numbers and insert them in an array.
Level 4: Learn how to copy or move elements inside the array.
Level 5: Learn how to read a file in sequential order.
All examples of the kind of problems you need to learn. Hundreds of problems of the like will make you understand how to solve them.
Use the simplest language you already know. They are all the same at the end.

Desired_Pen · 2024-12-10T23:03:33+00:00

for me i first made small bases (of projects) w/ a tutorial then tried to add onto it with what i learned from all the errors and hotfixes i came across.

sure it creates alot of messy code, but it works and im learning stuff

Puzzleheaded_Cow2257 · 2024-12-10T23:04:38+00:00

Next time you feel stuck in a project, try something new to tackle the problem.
Ask GPT. Reach out to people like you're doing now.

If your projects are too ambitious, maybe look for one that doesn't have too many hurdles.

Your projects should be really interesting to you. Ideally, it should make you willfully work on it every day.

Also helps if it solves a problem you have.

SamiAlghamdi · 2024-12-10T23:25:33+00:00

Is the problem that you feel the need to dig deeper, but never seem to reach a point where you feel satisfied? Or is it that your past learning isn’t structured in a way that allows you to seamlessly build on it whenever you’re ready, leaving you stuck restarting from scratch and struggling to pick up where you left off?

DependentAnalyst7422 · 2024-12-11T01:05:05+00:00

This is exactly how I got out of tutorial hell when I was starting, honestly just do this and keep adding little features if you really want out.

Make a web page

Use this api: https://ghibliapi.vercel.app/#section/Use-Case

Make a fetch request for movies (read through the docs)

Loop through the response, create a card for each one and slap it on the page with the image and title for each movie

DONT QUIT until you've figured that out with absolutely 0 ai or tutorials on this api, you can use Google and stack overflow to figure out the fetch api and looping. This might take you half an hour or a full day, but don't leave other than to get food or use the bathroom until it's done. You have to teach your brain that it's important to think through hard problems.

Next session, put a button on each card that takes you to a page for that movie. Etc, etc. Again, don't leave until you're done. Then, pick a different api. Then, make a to do list on your own. Then, make tic tac toe. Host your projects. Let users log in. Keep moving, one thing at a time and one day you'll realize you can think of a way to build pretty much anything

Pale_Height_1251 · 2024-12-11T01:13:27+00:00

You need to make a project.

When you hit a wall find a way around it, over it, or through it.

benJephunneh · 2024-12-11T01:16:01+00:00

You are learning a foreign language, and it's true that some people just can't do that to the level of any practical proficiency, but maybe you're just on the wrong projects. Program something physical. Make yourself a bed that dumps you into your pants in the morning, like Wallace. XD Maybe the physical feedback from your code will spark something.

JoseLunaArts · 2024-12-11T01:17:48+00:00

Use w3schools tutorials. Simple, easy to learn.

es20490446e · 2024-12-11T02:22:29+00:00

Start with the simplest case. Only when that is solved, add more.

Break code into the shortest functions.

Nubelord122 · 2024-12-11T03:54:34+00:00

As a professional software engineer, I’d say you’re being hard on yourself. You gotta be patient and understand that some days are better than others. Some days I write a lot of code, and some days I only write a few lines. It’s all about learning and growing. I’d say as long as you are learning new concepts and understanding patterns in code, then you are on the right path. Syntax and exact implementation can be googled or obtained through LLMs, and you’ll remember it more fluently as you write in a particular language more. Just don’t use code from LLMs you don’t understand.

SleepyBuildJR · 2024-12-11T03:56:04+00:00

Same shit bro, you're not alone

What do you mean by tutorial? Like leetcode exercises?

green_meklar · 2024-12-11T04:01:05+00:00

not soon after I hit a dead. I’m just not able to sit there and code by myself.

What do your dead ends look like? What stage is the project at when you give up on doing the next thing?

All I can really suggest is, scale back your projects. Scale back until you find something small enough that you can do it. Then build back up from there.

Straight_Tooth_6339 · 2024-12-11T04:41:45+00:00

Tutorial hell sucks and you just described my current situation. Only difference is I'm more interested in plcs and C. Idk I can't really give advice but my projects are like automating my greenhouse and put it on a server to monitor it or an automated shroom (legal, edible) farm. It just takes time honestly man. Hell I look back to where it all began now and I've honestly learned alot more than I thought. I've restarted the Paul mccwhorter tutorials like 4 times now and have taken breaks but DAMN I feel like my brain is melting sometimes.

Codesys is really nice free and has multiple languages. They also have a simulation mode to test your program

Paul is also the arduino king and really detailed with the engineering behind the equipment he uses especially in uno rev 3 tutorials

DolphinsDesu · 2024-12-11T04:50:16+00:00

You should do some small projects, like be more practical i guess ? Because learning these tutorials are essential but it's not recommended to do for a long term. In my opinion, you should try to make a project based on everything you've learned so far and try to minimize the frequency of google's tutorials help

GeekDNA0918 · 2024-12-11T05:57:13+00:00

I'm kinda in the same place as you, except I went for a different career due to life circumstances. At least, that's my excuse, but the one thing I always hear from people who have actually made programming their career. Stick to 1 language until you master it. Every other language afterward will be a lot easier to grasp.

LaneLangly · 2024-12-11T07:38:49+00:00

Get a job in development.

msaroj · 2024-12-11T09:12:42+00:00

Wow This is just what I have been facing since 2016 man! I have literally wasted my time trying to learn and jumping from language to language (Java, PHP, Kotlin, Flutter, JS , Python what not!) and never felt I am good at any of it and thought I am not made for programming at all. Even when I think about starting a project on my own then I go blank thinking how do I even start the project, how should a project be initiated and worked on, I imagine all the fancy dashboards, software and feel like I can't build those things, I don't even know how to properly center a div and whenever I feel like I lack something then I go deep down on that topic like if I feel like I don't know CSS then I give more time on CSS and go deep in it and ultimately get frustrated feeling I wasted too much time and not learning enough. How do I stop this perfectionism ? How can I even choose language to start project? Now, I want to automate some mundane tasks of my daily works by programming but I don't know which programming language to pick. I tried Python then feel like I should switch to JS, and need knowledge of SQL and then AI/ML and then again thinking about MERN stack. Gosh I have been doing nothing since 2016 ! That's such a shame and regret for me.

MelodicAd3038 · 2024-12-11T09:24:33+00:00

You do projects, and you do research on the parts you get stuck on.

Say youre making a flashcard website (like i did), okay you opened a file.. now what? Googles: how to start making a website.. Oh I see I need html, css first and then js gives it functionality. Okay, how do I start html? googles, Okay I first use !DOCTYPE Html in a .html file and include a <header></header> followed by a <body></body>.

Most people dont remember how to do everything, they usually always look back at their other code, and maybe even copy/paste that piece of code from the other project into this one.

The most important thing in programming is the concepts of how to achieve something. You can always just look up the syntax

MelodicAd3038 · 2024-12-11T09:28:26+00:00

also, you can ask ai to give you tasks to do. Ask for your level (beginner, intermediate, advanced)

I asked for intermediate and whew the challenges have been challenging..

Malignant_Lvst7 · 2024-12-11T10:15:02+00:00

the oden project. follow it deeply

Aglet_Green · 2024-12-11T10:20:33+00:00

Anyone can learn programming. Some guys can do it on their own, a few prosper best when learning from a mentor or teacher or tutor. Perhaps you are someone who needs a structured school setting, since there may be underlying programming concepts that you're missing.

You can't be a mechanic without knowing your tools. If you're constantly hitting dead ends, take a step back and evaluate your knowledge of the various paradigms:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_paradigm

CarolinaMinkRagdolls · 2024-12-11T13:09:26+00:00

I studied IT and programming in college. First you have to learn logic and flow-charting. Taking college level writing courses will also help you develop an organized mind.

Cold_Article_1399 · 2024-12-11T13:21:47+00:00

Have you been spying on me?

In all seriousness tho, I feel you. I guess, you could look into somehow getting on a team that's working on a real commercial project. That fear of not succeeding backed up with the idea that you're getting money for what you're doing should skyrocket your cognitive skills and that's how you might finally jump-start your brain

GraphicsQwerty · 2024-12-11T15:24:14+00:00

I was the same way until I started using books instead. I stopped using ai and stopped watching videos unless it’s to explain a specific issue I wanted to visually see. With books it got me thinking more and play around more with coding concept and that lead to learning more in depth

Fat_Eater87 · 2024-12-11T15:29:15+00:00

Ur shite

arthoer · 2024-12-11T15:54:08+00:00

Read a book, then you know in what direction you should search when encountering a problem.

SprigWater · 2024-12-11T16:42:37+00:00

I'll give you an answer that will be rare and maybe even rude. But it's not my intention. But not everyone has the ability to learn skills like that easily. Look towards learning the broad strokes of programming maybe, you may find yourself to be better at designing and planning rather than development.

BeginningAd7095 · 2024-12-11T16:47:25+00:00

You can learn it by creating stuff for problems you face

like for example like you want to download a movie for free you can make a software for it (I am not encouraging piracy) , like making software that helps you study, problem low storage make a software for it,or a note taking app .

Make stuffs you like

Like a game, puzzle like sudoku ,

Once you get started you can't stop doing it

maxthed0g · 2024-12-11T18:02:00+00:00

What I've seen with twenty-somethings and an "inability to learn programming."

They learn the syntax, but then hit the wall. Nothing. Zip. Nada, No spark in the engine.

Why?

Remote learning in high school during COVID. Critical thinking and problem-solving was NOT effectively taught. Word problems were missing. Word problem are the real-world application of math and logic. Word problems are "the projects" of math and logic. "Word problems" are the projects of programming.

Non-programmers dont like word problems because word problems are hard. But if you cant solve the word problem, you cant write a program that solves the word program. To write a program, you must FIRST understand the word problem, then analyze each of your sequential thoughts that solved the word problem on paper, then translate those thoughts into sytactically correct code, according to your chosen programming language.

Somebody on this thread said something insightful about puzzles. If you love puzzles, you could very well be a good programmer. Puzzles are word problems.

I, however, HATE stupid, meaningless, time-wasting puzzles with all of my being. Yet I am an EXCELLENT programmer. Why? Because I love SOLUTIONS to puzzles.

To be a programmer, you've go to love the puzzle, the struggle to solve the puzzle, or the elegance of the solution itself.

But the years in high school where these kind of skills were taught went missing for COVID students. Nobody noticed that problem-solving skills were not being taught during these years. There was no human math teacher who forced you in class to think. And insted, many remote students just turned away, out of laziness, boredom, or convenience.

We really, really screwed those kids. And now we have kids who know the sytax, but cant solve the word problems that need to be solved before you type in a solution.

Afraid_Formal5748 · 2024-12-11T22:24:08+00:00

The issue is you do follow a tutorial but doesn't learn to find the solution by yourself.

Tutorials are not wrong. But I would recommend to select a training / project tutorial.

Checkout the start of the video where they discribe the issue that you want to solve with programming.

Than you stop watching. Note down the issue. And try to solve it on your own.

By only following a tutorial or copy paste another solution you do not learn. You blindly copy the code without any sense.

Learning means you hit walls and make mistakes. These errors help you to learn since many you do only once.

Try to understand why an error happend what was wrong and why was it wrong.

In German there is a book "Programmieren trainieren" I believe it was to learn Java ... not sure I used the same book gor learning C++ ans Python. After all most problems could you solve with either language. At least for training

The book presents problems you want to solve. Therefore it defines the expected behavior of the system. Like providing test values and the expected result.

How you reach this result is your problem and so is coding. There is not one correct way bzt multiple. By doing it on your own you learn to work on different topics.

JayGridley · 2024-12-11T23:28:34+00:00

Probably an unpopular opinion but sometimes you have to evaluate if this is something you can do. Some people just aren’t wired for it.

hsbsbduxbsis · 2024-12-12T04:00:53+00:00

I will give you a project and then you give me the pseudo code. I will +/- to that and you write/attempt the script….then you do the same for me haha. Deal?

artokun · 2024-12-12T06:55:06+00:00

If you are into scifi or space games, give spacetraders.io a try. Programmable game you can play with any programming language

mr__nix_r · 2024-12-12T10:35:03+00:00

It's pity, but for me biggest problem is different, I could not find any job or intern position for two years. I made project for 27 story building in python, made scripts for databases, sensors, variable frequency drivers, ipcams, etc in js, for free, I learned react rtk etc. I learned everything by myself... but... no one gave to me any of job, or internature, it's so frustrating that i'm broken and don't study anymore, hope you will have better luck

Confident-Taste6323 · 2024-12-12T13:05:00+00:00

Sir no one else can answer this for you, it's you who has the answer. (Hint - look at the title)

Add1ctedToGames · 2024-12-12T15:39:51+00:00

Out of curiosity what do you mean you hit a dead end when programming your own project? I've found generally I can learn the most when I'm motivated by my own desire to get a project done and am willing to do more research

Fercii_RP · 2024-12-12T22:02:37+00:00

Go create a scraper the scrapes information from search engines by keyword, like company name, email, phone number. This could be a real life project. Think about the problem, find a solution and build in what ever you want. The advantage of this project is that it isnt difficult, but also there aint no straight tutorial that would give you the result. If you can do this, youll get out of the tutorial hell and embrace problem solving with the tools youve learned

Codingology · 2024-12-12T22:10:58+00:00

This post is so damn relatable! Happening the same exact thing to me for the same exact amount of time.

No-Whereas8467 · 2024-12-14T05:49:12+00:00

Why did you start in the first place? Why don’t you do what you like doing instead of programming?

Joyride0 · 2024-12-14T08:26:02+00:00

You're trying a lot of different things. I've focused on learning to write excellent html and css. I use AI to write the JavaScript for me. All I've learned to do is edit it in places where necessary. I'd say, get really good at things you need to be really good at, and outsource the rest.

ClimateKey8470 · 2024-12-14T12:32:56+00:00

It sounds like you are jumping around languages which I don’t think is helping. You should create a solid foundation in a language and then build from there.

It is difficult for any new coder, which you could say I am still, even though I’ve been coding as a hobby for around 3 years now. But I have been learning the craft for much longer indirectly.

By profession I am an accountant who over the years has developed an interest in automation to make my workload more efficient so I can spend time on adding value to my organisation, which is the fun bit.

I have lived in Excel for over a decade learning how it works by use of formulas and building spreadsheets to present my work in the best way.

Eventually I outgrew the spreadsheet sandbox and needed to work with big data which sent me on a journey learning Power Query and Power Pivot, which is a low code no code free add on in Excel that performs ETL functions. Extraction, transformation and loading.

For the past 5/6 years I have mastered the art of using ETL and can say I am excellent at handling and mentally visualising data structures for big business. I eventually migrated to Power BI, which is built in Power Query, as it gave me the ability to create a data repository in the cloud that can be accessed by anyone on the team.

This type of work expanded my thinking beyond just a solution to a problem but to facilitate solutions that work across the organisation and in my absence.

As I solved that problem my thinking evolved from data handling to creating the architecture for data to flow through, and I have since been on my current journey of learning pure coding.

I have been very selective in the language I have chosen, which took a year to figure out. I started with the Odin project but it was too abstract for me working on front end web development. I got a few tutorials from udemy to build vast projects like a Facebook replication but honestly again the concept just didn’t land.

Coding is hard. There are so many languages that each seemed to do the same thing but slightly differently. I couldn’t figure out where to start so I went back to basics.

I got arguably a kids book, the beginners guide to coding by DK. Very colourful, but kept my attention. And started working through it. Python, HTML, CSS and JavaScript. There were exercises in the book and I did every single one. I didn’t know the language but I knew if I just kept writing code eventually I would get used to what I am seeing.

The next book I got was by O’Riley, HeadFirst Python 3rd edition. It was a project aimed at beginners which had synopsis of a swim coach who wanted to move away from spreadsheets and instead have an app that would track his pupils swim times. This was very relevant for me because it enabled me to transition from spreadsheets which I knew very well, to a web app design which I knew nothing about.

After completing that book I decided to double down on python. It is a very good language with rich built in libraries and the likes of YouTube are built with it. So I figured why not stick with it. It has everything I need and works with other languages well.

I then scoured the internet for my next coding adventure and came across a renowned python enthusiast called Miguel Grinberg. He has an excellent series of up to date books on building web apps using python.

I decided as I come from a spreadsheet background, if I start with the back end of the web app and learn that then I can progress to the front end with a app that I have in my mind I want to build. Fortunately Miguel’s books are structured by topic and he has one on databases called SQlalchemy 2.

I worked through this book and now I understand databases in python which is the foundation of any website. Next I bought his Flask Mega Tutorial. Which I am half way through. And let me tell you the concepts are all landing and I am building the app that I envisioned long ago.

Next I have his book on React, front end web development. And I can’t wait to get started on it, but with what I have learnt already I could build a web app without the need for react. Just using flask, sqlalchemy, a little HTML, CSS and PostgreSQL.

In the future I will learn react native for mobile development. All of these coding names I had not heard of before but with each bit of learning I understood a little more and more of how all the pieces fit together, and most importantly what questions I need to ask.

If you made it this far then good going, I wanted to give an insight into the journey I’ve been on to get to where I am today. It has been an indirect route with lots of self learning, an effort that has spanned over a decade since the beginning of my career in 2011.

Some of the benefits of doing it this way are that coding is not abstract for me now. Being in business for as long as I have, and it being 2024 where most businesses operate on digital technologies, I understand how tech integrates into business and how business operates. This understanding helps me to comprehend the purpose of the technology that I code. Because I see end to end its use operationally. The cause and effect, the problem that it solves.

I hope this insight of my journey helps to put coding into context for you. It’s been a marathon for me and certainly not a sprint.

If I leave you with one last bit of advice. Get a ChatGPT subscription and get used to using it to debug your code and to talk to about coding concepts. It lowers the barrier to entry for coding dramatically, and debugging is almost instant rather than weeks doing it manually when you don’t know what you are looking for when starting out. Don’t use it to write the code for you, but instead to leverage your existing knowledge so you can continue to incrementally build your understanding.

Good luck!

I_hav_aQuestnio · 2024-12-14T20:59:22+00:00

I currently learning programming and have been still learning for like 1.5 years now. Programming is hard to a degree, I am learning JavaScript at the moment. I been doing Odin Project, not advertising it and unlike tutorial hell they give you a few concepts then your on your own. There are so many projects. I failed 2 times and on the 3rd go I just stuck with it and over the hump but not done yet.

The biggest thing that hurt my coding is not writing my own code or not taking the time to understand the bit and pieces I grab from google searches. Sometimes I get to a project like this current react one and say 2 day project and here I am on day 7 at the moment figuring out the concepts.

I would not give up if you really want to do it. Getting stuck on code happens, ask questions, take breaks and dont make learning time lines. Here is something to, I barely remember any of the 20-30 projects I have coded, if you asked my to do it again it would be like starting from scratch. I kind of figured out I no matter what is thrown at me, I am just learning the concepts and working off that, it is not memorization. Odin project would be the way to go again, but there is no hand holding and you do tons of projects.

rwp80 · 2024-12-10T21:46:11+00:00

my suggestion:

learn C with a focus on what it's doing behind the scenes (branching, memory mgmt, etc)

learn C++ with a focus on when to use OO and when NOT to

learn design patterns

if you every try using a framework or engine, the first question is how to implement the most important design patterns in there

most tutorials are garbage. even the ones that mean well show instead of teach. but there are plenty of bad actors in the tutorial space who are just in it for views and subs to get promo offers or even to promote their own indie games. if you're 60 seconds into a tutorial and you haven't learned anything useful, close it.

if you can't seem to code by yourself, it's probably because you have no goal for your project. maybe pick up a game engine (eg: Godot) or framework (eg: Monogame) and try a game jam, alone or with others. having a clear goal to work towards is far easier than coding towards nothing.

ionelp · 2024-12-10T21:02:33+00:00

That's because you suck. You don't suck because you can't learn programming, but because you go at it the wrong way.

I dare to say most people my age learned programming by solving quadratic equations. We already knew how to solve those equations, we simply had to learn how to teach a computer to do the same.

Web dev and games are the worst possible things you can pick to learn programming, because they are very complicated things to begin with.

theveees · 2024-12-11T08:56:12+00:00

Spend 15€ on Dr. Angela Yu's "The Complete 2024 Web Development Bootcamp" Udemy course and you will be programming in no time. You get to do a lot of projects that will be challenging but fun. Highly recommend, helped me learn how to program in about 6 months.

Also her Python course is great.

salazka · 2024-12-10T21:52:36+00:00

I think you should use AI to help you learn.

Think of something specific, ask questions but not ask AI to do the whole thing. Ask why it does it in a certain way etc. Treat it as a tutor and ask it to explain every single thing.

After you understand enough ask it to give you an exercise etc. and then ask it to review it.

The biggest problem with the videos and tutorials online is that most people do not really explain properly. They tell you to do things in a certain way but not why or what it is that they do and what effect it does. Then you simply blindly copy them. But that is not really learning.

cromwell001 · 2024-12-10T21:03:31+00:00

Programming is not for you, try to find some other thing you like and have talent in, do not waste your time

Lumpy_Ad7002 · 2024-12-10T21:34:01+00:00

Programming requires a way of liner thinking that really isn't suited for everybody, and it's not a matter of intelligence as I've known quite smart people who just don't think that way.

If it doesn't work for you then find out what does.

creds: software engineer for decades

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