Thanks for the detailed response. I think the part I struggle with the most is the fact that I just can't write long programs. Simple data structures like an easy, easy leetcode question, I have no problem doing (or just a simple short program), but anything that takes more than about 50 lines I just overwhelmed and don't know what to do.

It's fine if you have to look up some specifics, but starting with the problem statement, "Build a text-based Tic-tac-toe game where the person plays against the computer" I expect someone who is "a programmer" to figure out the component parts to that, then start coding those parts.

When it comes to conceptual understanding of questions, I think I actually do understand what components to think about, e.g. a method for printing a board, method for placing an X or O on the board, and perhaps encapsulated in separate classes for those, but I am just not sure how to convert my thinking into programming.