So I am chugging along and Basic Java and Algorithm Scripting and I have run into a wall of cognitive dissonance. I wrote my solution and was using nested for loops to access and modify multidimensional arrays and I got a little stuck. So I checked the forums and the solutions I saw there were about two lines long with a bunch of methods.
I reevaluated my style and now spend a bunch of time trying to find a method that does what I want instead of just coding it myself. That seems fine except now I am reading an article (https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-top-3-coding-bootcamps-in-the-US) bemoaning the fact that bootcamps don’t teach people how to program.
So the question remains… should I be compacting these assignments as much as possible with stacked methods or should I be actually programming?
Personally I find it very boring to try to find a method to modify and array rather than to just program it. I understand that it would be nice in a job to have the shortcuts available, but what am I supposed to be learning here?
I think it’s important to realize that just about everybody has the phase where they can’t write very concise code to solve the problem - and that’s okay! It’s absolutely fine to be programming your own solutions and figuring out how to think through the problems you’re given - as you get more experience, you’ll definitely learn more about the features (methods) of the language that make solving the problems easier, but your first job is really just to practice thinking programmatically.
I wouldn’t worry too much about getting everything compact the first time you try to solve a problem. Focus more on understanding what the problem is, and how to break it down into manageable pieces. Efficiency is a good thing, but not the first thing, and it will come with practice.
Hopefully that helps - good luck on your coding journey
Understanding the inner logic of the methods is the most important thing about using them, and you do that by re-implementing them from scratch in for loops.
I believe a crucial requirement of businesss software development today is: Resist the urge to dig tunnel with a shovel. Learn to use the excavator.
We’re inherently inclined to use shovel because it’s simple to use, though hard to get results, and burnout is inevitable. Same thing in business software. You should favor platform over rudimentary language skills whenever possible, it’s not a sin.
How much JS experience do you need to really understand these YDKJS books? I am fairly new to JS and programming, and just about finished the OOP section for JS in FCC - is it worth it for a beginner like me to try and invest time in these books? I heard it was for more experienced people. Are there any other JS books you recommend for a beginner?
Thanks! I skimmed some on the other books in the series, they look pretty advanced, when would you recommend someone new to FCC (like most of us) should invest time in reviewing the latter books?
Wow! Thank you so much, this is exactly what I needed! There are soooo many resources out there, I’m afraid I am suffering from paralysis by analysis. It’s great to get some direction from more experienced people like you.
