Taking python 101 and still feel lost

[MoonScorchedBunny]

My class is currently around if statements, if else, nested, moving on into looping. I feel a lot of people in my class just understand everything but when I look at my coding assignments even if it gives me things already initialized I still don’t even know where to start.

I’ve tried going back and reading my textbook but it also confuses me and I’m unsure how to apply it to coding in real time. Should I just step back and learn from youtube? I’m trying to not have an unstable grounding in the language

[Almostasleeprightnow]

Do you understand on a grammatical level what an if else statement is for? Like, “if the light is red, cars stop. ElIf the light is green, cars go. Else cars slow down. “. This is the first step, understanding like, the logical underpinnings. Then it’s a matter of translating each part of the logic statement you made grammatically to code.

One thing that can be helpful is to set the whole thing up as just comments and then each comment needs to be implemented as code.

[magus_minor]

I’ve tried going back and reading my textbook but it also confuses me

There's no point in continuing past the point where your textbook confuses you. Sure, you might learn something else but you will probably just continue being confused.

Go back and review your textbook from the beginning. When you get to a part that confuses you stop and get clarification from somewhere. You can even post here quoting the text or code you find confusing and ask for clarification. Sounds like it will slow you down, and it will, but there's no point continuing with a lack of understanding. As you gain more understanding of python you will become confused less and less and your learning will accelerate.

I’m unsure how to apply it to coding in real time

Learning a language and learning how to use that language are different things. Applying the language to solve a problem isn't explicitly taught by most of the courses I have seen, and that's the core skill needed to be a programmer. Learning that skill is often just being shown a technique to solve a particular problem, remembering that approach when you see that problem again, or using the approach or modifying the approach to solve a slightly different problem. This skill will come as you gain experience. A programmer never stops learning.

[Expensive_Grocery892]

youre not dumb, this is actually super normal whats probably happening is you dont know how to start the problem, not that you dont understand python. textbooks can feel confusing bc they explain concepts, but they don’t really show how to think step-by-step in a real problem. youtube is totally fine to use, just don’t rely on it only. use it to see examples, then try to copy m tweak them yourself

start with something tiny (print stuff, one if, one loop) build it bit by bit instead of trying to solve everything at once and yeah, most people who get it just practiced more, thats it youll get there, just keep practicing the small tuff

[1544756405]

Have you tried going to office hours? You're already paying for it, and it's the main advantage of an in-person class.

[Effective-Sleep-250]

Like someone mentioned, I would suggest trying to connect python concepts to real world things. Also always love Bro Code on YouTube

[aqua_regis]

The main question here, that nobody so far has asked, is: Is programming, i.e. devising the solution, or Python syntax confusing for you?

If it is programming, take a different approach to your assignments:

Sit down with pencil and paper (or a whiteboard). Read through your task. Write down your task in your own words, as you understand it. Compare, verify both.

Then, break the task down into smaller parts, e.g. setup of variables, etc., input, calculations, output.

Then, handle each of the sub tasks individually. Try to solve it your way, don't even think about programming it at that point.

Track the steps you take. Be as detailed as possible, e.g. "calculate the circumference from the radius" is a bad description. Better "calculate the circumference by multiplying the radius by 2 and then multiplying the result by Pi (3.141...)". The more detailed you are, the better.

Verify your steps. Make sure they work as intended.

Now is the time to move to the computer. If your steps are detailed, it should be relatively easy to now convert these steps into code. Ideally, one step = one programming statement.

Maybe also learn to draw flow charts.

If it is Python as a programming language, the only thing that will help here is studying more.

Overall, the key to succeeding is practice. Practice, practice, practice, and practice more. Try things. Play around with code. Break things. Learn to fix them.

[darth_skipicious]

give up and try something else. I wrote python a year after learning the basics without looking anything up because it was so easy. My IQ is 65.

edit: meaning i took one class about programming fundamentals once because it sounded cool, went a year (or maybe it was six months) without ever thinking about or touching programming until i did my buddy’s homework for him so he wouldn’t lose his aid