I’m in the middle of one of the python certification projects (“build a budget app”)…. and I have to confess, I haven’t the foggiest what I’m doing.
I’ve been working through the course for several weeks now, and I’m a copious note-taker, so I refer to my notes as needed. I know how to google/duckduckgo if I’m uncertain of how something works even with my notes. I’ve hit roadblocks before where I’ve gone, “I’m not quite sure what you’re asking me to do", but have persevered.
… But this is the one instance where I feel like the python course is expecting me to do rocket science, because even with looking things up, checking my notes, checking previous workshops and labs that I’ve saved, I can’t for the life of me get anything to work. Every single attempt just leads to an error and me deleting what I’ve just written, and I don’t know what else to do.
I’ve been working on this project for a few days now, and I just… feel like I’m hitting a wall, here. I don’t understand why my code isn’t working, I don’t understand what I’m meant to be doing, and I don’t understand why this project seems so hard.
I’m sure there’s something I’m missing, but right now, I can’t think how to solve it.
I would suggest “sleeping on it” and taking a break from coding. You will figure it out soon! It can get frustrating at times and feel like nothing is working but for me what helps is taking breaks.
There’s always option something is in fact written in a over-complicated, or convoluted way, and wording needs more polishing.
Usually user stories and instructions are giving more general view on what is needed, while tests and their hints can be very precise.
If you feel you are really stuck, I’d recommend asking on forums. Either for clarifications on your doubts/assumptions regarding project, or what are you missing, not necessarily showing your code from the start. Sometimes just the process of phrasing specific question can force mind to think differently about the problem, and figure out it out without outside help. If you worry you will be given answer just to copy to your project - no need to, that’s discouraged around here.
Half the problem with this particular task is that it is asking me to do something that I have not been taught how to do.
The vertical bar graph element in the project — that is not something that we have been shown how to do in the course materials, and from what I’ve found in searching the internet, it isn’t exactly one of the more popular ways of displaying data. Now, if this had been something I could accomplish by creating a horizontal graph (which, through the RPG character maker task, we have been taught), or simply importing matplotlib or pandas or some other other tool, that would have been a different matter: I can easily find information on how to make it happen using those methods.
I have, for the most part, figured out how to use string manipulation for making the graph. But attempting to create the vertical labels is another matter entirely. I am having a significant amount of difficulty getting the labels to align. I have tried join(), I have tried ‘for i in range’, I have tried string slicing (before realizing that wasn’t going to go anywhere because I would need to know exactly how long each category name is, and if I were to hardcode it, there would be errors).
I realize, of course, there are those who would say not knowing and trying anyway encourages critical thinking skills. To each their own, but… I’m not so certain that including material that has not been taught and is extremely difficult to find information on, is a terribly good idea in teaching.
It is rather frustrating to be sitting here day after day, trying to get everything squared away to the satisfaction of the fCC browser IDE, when I have precious little idea of how to even go about this part of the task, and again, I really wish this sort of thing had been covered in earlier course materials.
it is an hard one, but if you need help you can create a topic to ask for help
also this is material that has been taught, you have learned string manipulation, you need to use it in a new way and plan the lines and that’s hard
If you have a question about a specific challenge as it relates to your written code for that challenge and need some help, click the Help button located on the challenge.
The Help button will create a new topic with all code you have written and include a link to the challenge also. You will still be able to ask any questions in the post before submitting it to the forum.
