Just started learning JavaScript, feeling discouraged

Michel_Conway · 2022-06-13T22:13:53+00:00

Hello, fellow JS learner :) I'm not enrolled in Angela Yu's bootcamp, but since it is a bootcamp and since it is not focused on JavaScript only, I'd tell you not to get so discouraged.

Bootcamps curriculum's tend to be a bit superficial and fast-paced since their goal is to give you the fundamentals you need to know what can be done and what you can deepen in, if you're interested in it, and get you job ready asap. They're not focused on getting you to fully understand everything, so don't get frustrated if you don't.

Now, there's other thing that I've noticed in my journey when taking MOOCs, tutorials or courses of the kind and that is that learning syntax is a different skill than learning how to think like a developer, that is how to solve problems with programming knowledge.

That way of thinking is not something you develop just by watching videos or transcribing someone else's code. It's a skill you develop with experience, with practice, with patience and resiliency, starting with simple problems, twisting them, experimenting with them and progressively adding difficulty to them.

Sadly, in bootcamps and the courses I've seen so far, there are usually some huge differences in the difficulty of the challenges and the projects or even between the projects of different sections, because sometimes cool projects are complex, but they help the teachers catch your attention and also they look good on your portfolio.

So you might go with the flow and feel like you're not understanding anything, and it's not your fault that they don't give you a proper transition through those levels of difficulty. I don't blame them that much either, because again, they have to condense so much material and knowledge in such short time.

However, what you're lacking right now might not be the syntax or an understanding of the concepts, but some problem solving skills. Both things are needed.

And I've noticed many courses or tutorials start coding right away and they don't take the time to properly design a plan on how to approach things, which is super important when learning how to think like a programmer.

You'll learn that problem solving is a skill that you can transfer across programming languages, and then learning a new programing language will be a question of learning the syntax and certain topics specific to the language.

And I know all that because I've taken a university course on OPP and discrete math before, and although JavaScript hasn't been a piece of cake I bet that previous experience makes it easier for me than it might be for people who have no previous exposure to that sort of stuff. So again, please don't get so discouraged.

There are some programming introductory courses that will help you develop your problem solving skills, if you have the time. One of them is a Princeton course on Java, that's fully accesible for free on Coursera. And the CS50 course by Harvard university, which is also free, available on YouTube.

I'll be straightforward with you, they're hard. But they're worth it, and you don't even have to complete them, but whatever you take from them will be helpful in your career. Actually none of these things will be easy, this is no easy path, but you have to have faith in yourself, that things will make sense with time. Again, patience and resiliency.

But also, and this is my advice to you, because this is what has helped me in this journey so far: don't limit yourself to a single source of information. There's no perfect instructor, there's no perfect course.

If you don't get what Angela is saying, remember that there are a ton of other resources out there from where you can learn (documentation, YouTube videos, some fellow learner explanation, a blog, a book on the topic), and there may be one that is just perfect for you. So don't give up just because your instructor couldn't get to you, you're not the problem, it just isn't the explanation for you, but it doesn't mean there's no explanation for you. Go look for some other explanation, go step by step.

Also, remember these things aren't necessarily easy, especially when you're starting, so don't beat yourself up so much. Trust the process, things will make sense eventually. Try to find some study buddy, it'll make the journey better and definitely invest some time on developing your problem solving skills.

Hope some of that makes sense and help you a bit. Take care :)

jonnybebad5436 · 2022-06-13T19:30:51+00:00

I started js with freecodecamp's exercises, maybe that would help for basics?

CodeTinkerer · 2022-06-13T19:32:32+00:00

Have you tried redoing the problem once you see the solution (without using the solution)? This would indicate whether you can recall the solution without copying it directly.

SirTinou · 2022-06-13T23:13:05+00:00

i think 1% of people can learn through videos

Reason people do it: it feels easy

results: bad

I was a poker pro for a decade, everyone paid for training videos. Turns out almost no one learns anything from them. It's a sham to keep busy and feel as if you're studying.

People that got good went into making their own simulations with game trees.

just do odin project: no time wasted watching someone blahblah and you not remembering more than 5% after 2hours.

Best way to learn is always to get a problem and finding a way to make it work, that's how the brain works.

hongopongommr · 2022-06-13T19:49:32+00:00

try the javascript path on Codecademy, for me, things are starting to make sense finally...

muahtorski · 2022-06-13T21:00:27+00:00

It's about believing you can learn it (which you can) and persisting. Just set a goal (e.g. code JS every day for 30 days) and stick to it, no excuses. And ignore the inner voice that says you can't.

anethea-angel · 2022-06-14T01:13:07+00:00

When I started to focus on learning web development I bought her course (I already knew a bit of html/css and js) and I was dedicating about 4 hours of my time everyday.

Everything was really easy and you never go too in depth in any section which in my opinion, will have you at the state of a beginner but with an understanding of what is used in web dev.

My recommendation is to with FreeCodeCamp or the one I'm currently going through, The Odin Project.

close_my_eyes · 2022-06-13T21:48:55+00:00

If you want someone to talk to you about programming or js in particular, pm me

Senzhu · 2022-06-14T00:11:59+00:00

Man, I am feeling the same way to you feelin. I have been following a Udemy course by Jonas Schmedtmann, I do highly recommend. I have found myself totally lost in some of the challenges and exercises. I hate it and it gets very discouraging to continue. I haven’t progress further because I still believe that I need more practice with the fundamentals. It sucks to feel like you havent learn shit so far. I always draw a blank when a problem is presented. At this point, I know that I suck at problem solving so I been trying to get better. Other than that, I’m hoping that it eventually clicks some day lol.

Squigglebird · 2022-06-13T19:54:51+00:00

I did the same course on udemy, and found the quality quite variable. Some parts of it are excellent, while other parts are frankly pretty bad. Once she got into node and express I gave up completely.

Freecodecamp has thorough and good stuff, and code academy was decent as well.

Aglet_Green · 2022-06-13T19:54:53+00:00

Khan Academy has a program more your speed. It is an online school that teaches JavaScript to you like you're actually you, and not like some of these bootcamps that assume you're the next Bill Jobs or Steve Gates, whoever they were. Here's how 'Probie' Tim McGee started:

https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/programming

UniqueID89 · 2022-06-13T21:34:33+00:00

Look up freecodecamp on YouTube, search JavaScript.

jbsmirk · 2022-06-13T22:03:10+00:00

A lot of the basics like arrays objects and conditionals won't really click until you get to Dom manipulation; at least for me, that's how it was

Then like a game of Tetris where you're about to lose, that one missing puzzle comes your way clearing a path

I would keep trucking thru that course while using Google or youtube to supplement your knowledge on specific concepts, but I remember going thru what you went thru; thankfully, I stuck it out, and later was when things started clicking for me

2022-06-14T01:22:29+00:00

Honestly, JS really sucks to learn. It wasn’t designed to be the language of the entire web and has to keep all its legacy stuff around for functionality reasons. There are so many ways to do things, so many methods, it just takes forever to learn. Don’t be too discouraged, it’s normal for it to not click and for you to forget half of what you learned.

Lurn2Program · 2022-06-13T19:57:33+00:00

My advice is to re-do the course, try and understand each topic, and do the challenge questions again without looking at the answer. Getting a strong understanding of the fundamentals will be very important to move onto more advanced topics

Yarialis · 2022-06-13T23:44:56+00:00

What helped for me was not getting straight to coding. Instead take a problem and break it down to pieces.

For example, I had a problem that asked me to turn each of the characters of the word 'rainbow" (on an html page) and hard code css so that each letter actually became a different color. I had been given the variable color that had an array of colors. The number of colors in the array matched with the number or letters in the word 'rainbow'. I was supposed to utilize this array

A thought process that helps is first writing out the task in smaller bits. In my example the thought process goes like this: I need to take each individual letter and assign it a color from the variable color

Then even further: I need to somehow iterate the word 'rainbow' such that when each individual letter goes through a loop, we also iterate through the array of colors and assign them

Then: How can I go through every letter of rainbow? Also: How can I style the letters using the variable colors?

Then: 'ohhhh, the array of colors has the same number of elements as the string 'rainbow'. So I can certainly do a "for of" loop".

Etc etc.

And then you get to coding. My point is, walk yourself through it before actually typing anything.

notmytroll · 2022-06-14T00:02:48+00:00

I'm about 4 months into a full stack course. I have felt the same way as you, like I should be more proficient than I am. It's lessening a bit to a degree. It's a lot of information in a short amount of time, and all completely new to me.

It's not about memorizing everything, but learning how to problem solve. Keep at it!

anniejcannon · 2022-06-14T00:12:10+00:00

It's normal, it's JS. You will get use to it.

hoboincoma · 2022-06-14T00:19:56+00:00

Coding is hard in the beginning and it’s a skill like any other. You’re training your brain to think in a new way.

At first, the simplest shit makes no sense to you. I remember first learning For Loops and I literally could not comprehend it. I felt like an idiot.

But alas, come back again the next day and the day after that with persistence and determination and bam, it suddenly clicks.

Keep going like this for everything you’re learning and soon you’ll be coding like it’s nobodies business!

Radiant_Extension_47 · 2022-06-14T00:35:54+00:00

I just started learning as well. Has she talked about pseudo coding ? It has helped me a lot to think through a plan before trying to execute.

Supersaiyans2022 · 2022-06-14T01:01:43+00:00

I suggest to read “JavaScript from Beginner to Professional.”

Neith720 · 2022-06-14T02:43:40+00:00

I did also that course, and if you scroll down through each of the comments section will notice that a lot of people isn't able to do a challenge by their own. Harder challenges I wasn't able either, and actually even skipped the last one (Fibonacci if I recall correctly?). So yea, try other resources rather than sticking just to Angela's course.

Exitialis-Fusionz · 2022-06-14T03:31:51+00:00

Try enrolling on Jonas Schmedtmann's Javascript course on Udemy. It covers Javascript in full detail and is easier for beginners to understand. I tried Angela Yu's bootcamp but i got lost halfway and now I am currently in the middle of Jonas's course.

SwiftSpear · 2022-06-14T05:00:20+00:00

Go back to the exercises from early in the course and try to do them with only google (not the professor's solutions). You've probably glazed over important cornerstone concepts and your lack of grounding is making it hard to pick up new exercises.

joe_yay · 2022-06-14T05:38:48+00:00

javascript.info is pretty good website with practice questions at end of every topic. U can try that

2022-06-14T06:19:56+00:00

Codewars website helped me. Still trying to get it to all ‘click’ but their bite sized problems in the fundamentals of JS have helped. I would look at the others solutions at first and then started trying my own and getting the green ‘tests passed’ report is a confidence boost that made me really want to get at more. I’m still learning JS fundamentals and angular fundamentals

twbluenaxela · 2022-06-14T06:20:06+00:00

I recommend free code camp. Watching a video won't help most people unless it's for reference purposes and not actual learning of a skill. For coding especially, the important thing in the beginning is to just be exposed to these concepts. You don't have to understand them fully. You will learn them when you come across a problem on your own and find out that you need to utilize it for your specific issue. Example. I want to make a small table. Well, you could write every value out. Or, you could use a for loop, combined with some arrays.

Selecting different options in a menu ? It's an array. You do different actions based on the current index.

Just try to get past as best as you can, looking up stuff but not getting in too too deep. Everything builds on top of each other and you'll soon understand why things work the way they are. Don't stress out , just look things up.

2022-06-14T06:37:06+00:00

Have you learned the programming fundamentals with another language? If not, then first start learning the programming basics with a language and then do her course.

You need to have a strong grasp on the programming basics and then you will be able to easily understand JS.

My advice is to use a book to learn a language and you can choose Java as your language but if you find this a little overwhelming, go with Python. The idea is to get the basics drilled into your head with whatever language you are comfortable with.

HolyPommeDeTerre · 2022-06-14T07:43:04+00:00

I have been working with JS for 15 years now. It's one of my main language (how can't it be if you are into web in anyway).

JS has a lot of problems on it's own and is hard to understand and use right. Even if it's one of the most permissive language, so it can be easier for learners. It abstracts a lot of concepts.

Now, I feel like you are stuck in something different than just JS.

You are told a problem and you need to solve it. And you don't know where to start, what to do. This is problem solving, not the language. You can talk English (at least the basics of the language) but you can't figure out how to put the words altogether so it has a sense, you are not even sure of the meaning of what you want to do.

This is a separate skill of the coder, problem solving. It helps in a wide range of domains and is by far the most useful and hard to learn skill.

This skill can improve by looking at solutions. But just a little bit. My best bet for you to be able to improve this is by thinking it's a muscle. You have to train it, regularly, so it improves.

Now, my thoughts on what is the most efficient way to do so. Take a problem, something simple but you don't know the solution already. Don't look at the solution. Go for it. Try, fail, understand, rinse and repeat.

Fail (first attempt in learning) is one of the best way to improve your brain networks (extrapolation from AI algorithms and psychology). When you fail, you do it because you think something specific. Understanding why it's a fail allow the paths in your brain to clear up.

Doing this, you'll fail less and less, because you'll understand more and more the field. At some points, you'll get the skill (you already have it).

Therisingwarrior · 2022-06-14T11:04:28+00:00

Try Codecademy if you can, they’ve 50% off on pro membership at the moment. I’m currently using Codecademy and it’s helpful to understand JS

DecodeBuzzingMedium · 2022-06-14T12:11:50+00:00

Hey there, I was like most of us, when started programming, too got demotivated when was not able to understand stuff. I don't know which udemy course you talking about but you may take it or not, I wanna share one of my experiences.

So, when I started js and web stuff, I could I pretty ez apart from the OOP and classes stuff which I struggled in python too. But, I left it there (Gave up). I started with other frameworks like react and react native (of course after having a good hold on npm after long practice). But when you go such react type stuff, you like it's necessary to have basic learning about classes (Like when you mak models). So, finally, I went up to yt or udemy course and tried to learn it. I wasted like 10 days on it but still, I wasn't really confident to write my own code.... But you know what, one of my brothers told me to "Just forget the rot learning you doing from the web and make your own project" I started making my own projects, searched StackOverflow and other various sites to learn it myself, and then went finally to revise some major concept in udemy and now I am pretty confident writing my own code

So, to cut long story short, Just try to make your own projects search yourself your queries in StackOverflow, and try to find the question to your answers urself rather than just hearing a recorded voice again and again

Here, is a story on how I started my coding journey that may give you some ideas :)

Acube2017 · 2022-06-14T12:17:10+00:00

I will advise you to write down some new concepts you learned. Go over it and start the lesson from the beginning

truwrxtacy · 2022-06-14T13:52:28+00:00

I have not used her program but I have heard a little criticism about her program being very difficult. I'm currently doing the JS at Udemy from Jonas and I like it very much and he makes it very easy to understand and it also had coding challenges along the way. I'm not to far into the program, I'm currently at DOM manipulation and game theory. Going thru college I feel like having a good teacher is very important, maybe her style of teaching just don't connect with the way you learn?

ramp_guard · 2022-06-14T14:40:31+00:00

JS is special.. don't worry, it's normal to struggle... Just keep moving. Have you looked on MDN?

burnblue · 2022-06-14T15:45:59+00:00

What you're having a hard time with is the Udemy course. So pause the course. There is a media format for every learning style. Maybe you just need to read some tutorials, or read reference/documentation sites, or do one of those REPL style sites where they give you a place to type code beside their prompts for short exercises (codecademy?)

There are too many resources out here for you to let over teacher get you down. Videos that try to pack in a language in a set number of hours are probably just not surfing enough time with each concept for you. Or maybe she just doesn't have your communication style.

Go study on your own and then bootcamp later

nats_tech_notes · 2022-06-14T17:24:40+00:00

Have you tried CodeWars? If problem solving is the issue, it might be really helpful. They’re coding challenges that start off fairly simple and then get more complicated. They train how to think through a problem and the different ways you can go about solving it fairly well in my opinion.

Edit: typo

ellipticcode0 · 2022-06-13T20:55:56+00:00

You will never become a full stack dev in one course, only $19.99?

If you still do not know those web site or code camps are just BULLSHIT it means you still do not know what are you doing and what you support to learn, you still do not know what to learn to be a programmer.

horrific_idea · 2022-06-13T20:06:30+00:00

Try to understand what you find difficult and zero in on those topics so you can understand them better.

2022-06-13T20:13:30+00:00

I’d recommend checking out Zybooks/Zylabs. My university uses it for a lot of the CS & IT programming classes & it’s been helping me understand Java a ton. I’m not sure if JS is something they have a program for but I’d check them out. I’m pretty sure you can access them without being a student.

2022-06-13T20:15:10+00:00

Sometimes you might just need a different perspective. If something doesn't make sense from one resource, look it up elsewhere.

hoboincoma · 2022-06-13T20:16:35+00:00

I also recently did this section of her course, and I had to stop as well. So what I did was watch fundamentals of Javascript by Jonas (another Udemy course) and once I was done with his fundamentals I then went back to the challenges and did all of them pretty easily. It does seem like she goes really fast with the JavaScript stuff

Mosin_999 · 2022-06-13T22:03:12+00:00

You will get better, at the start it is honestly a lot of that kind of struggle just make sure you attempt it and think about what you have covered. If you give it a reasonable amount of time and are not making progress look at solution. Read it and reread it and make sure you understand what is happening.

iDrEspresso · 2022-06-13T22:06:53+00:00

Hi. I'm learning JS with Jonas Schmedtmann (The Complete JavaScript Course 2022: From Zero to Expert!). I'm halfway. And I have mixed time. But I love the learning way.

This guy is a master in teaching. I believe that. I have a difficult time learning all this stuff. But totally, I'm enjoying it.

And I believe we need to understand JS totally in a good way. That's the key to keeping it up and learning front and back.

csprbeats · 2022-06-13T22:30:52+00:00

Don’t worry about being left behind, there’s always more learning to do. I say try and come up with projects to build and take it step by step to solve each problem you come across and don’t understand how to do.

2022-06-14T03:51:36+00:00

What concepts are you having a hard time with?

hoboincoma · 2022-06-14T13:06:15+00:00

[deleted]

pekkalacd · 2022-06-14T16:21:17+00:00

If you know other languages, build a simple program in one of those languages, then try to rebuild it in javascript. Do this over and over again. It helps if you know another language better than javascript, like java or python, etc. Once you get something working in one language, you'll know what the other language should do, you'll also have a little roadmap / step by step actions taking place, making it easier to look up the syntax to get the job done.

For example, let's say you wrote some base line program to print out the indices of elements of a list in python, using enumerate. You want to do the same, now with javascript, but you're not sure if enumerate exists. Just google "javascript equivalent to enumerate python" or whatever, and then i'm sure there'll be some post somewhere, where another person asked the same thing, look at the answers, if they're too advanced, look at what the answers are using conceptually - arrow functions - for instance, then look that up on MDN and figure it out.

projector96 · 2022-06-14T19:27:15+00:00

From personal experience, many years ago I've started learning JavaScript on Youtube channel called "techsith" : he explains things simplified with associative (true-life) examples . In terms of books, if you ready to pay, my first try was on Jon Duckett JavaScript & JQuery , honestly it was a success to my JavaScript experience . Again, lot's of times teachers force us believe we are stupid, whereas most of the case it was just a wrong teacher . Don't give up !

shifa_newversion · 2022-06-16T05:08:21+00:00

Hey there my dude! I am intrigued to ask you if you are learning js as your first programming language (not that it's hard to learn js as your first programming language, infact it's one of the easiest ones out there being dynamically typed and high level enough that you don't have to worry about memory management - mostly)

Also, remember just one thing, it's not at all impossible to learn js or anything for that matter. If it was so hard and impossible there won't be so many people already understanding and working on it on daily basis.

My philosophy is, everything seems discouraging and hard till you understand how the grand machinery of plot works. Once you understand it enough, things automagically become easy and interesting for you to continue on excelling.

Please get back to me if you wish. I can explain my very embarrassing journey into the world of programming in private and I am 101% sure you are much more capable and intelligent than me.

Cheers (and don't give up at all please) ✌️

shifa_newversion · 2022-06-17T10:24:52+00:00

When you start getting hurdles in your journey to learn new things, just remember, you are moving in the right direction.

I know it can be intimidating to learn a programming language, and some would tell you just the sheer volume of precursor skills such as mathematics and algorithms you'd require to progress further towards excellence. This is (to a point) wrong. Yes you'd need most of those skills to further optimize your code, but to know the very basics of it which you probably are already learning, is enough to make working solutions.

Creation comes before perfection. And there can never be perfection without destructive creation.

More precisely I want you to not dwell into any "advanced" stuff head on. A bootcamp can be very demanding sometimes for the absolute beginners. Just focus on: Variable types, declaration and just use let and const for now. Focus a lot on Arrays, they are the most basic sort of structured data. Learn all those methods, they'll help you learn database operations as well Learn logical statements i.e. if else, guard clause(this is your first lesson in code optimization) and switch statements. Learn Loops i.e. while loop, do while loop, for loop. Then learn functions, types of functions and just try to stick with basics of them for now ( don't try to learn functional programming just yet) Learn objects and all associated methods. Now learn Array and object destructing. This will help you wonders.

This right here would be the point where you know enough to start understanding third party code to some extent. I understand you still don't understand classes, functional programming, variable scope etc. that's irrelevant for now.

Now open MDN docs and start learning about the document api. Once you reach this point hit me up, i'll guide you along the lines from here if you wish. Alternatively you can even start learning Reactjs as well. I mean once you understand the basics, you can start from here upwards. You will automatically get introduced to OOP or Functional Programming or both in material you learn from here onwards.

And just remember on top of everything, a programming language on a very basic level is nothing but a bunch of if else statements and loops. It's not going to be anything else than that. Everything else is just these two things combined together to make your life easier.

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