I think I'm gonna quit

You Can Do This!
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I’m learning Javascript on FCC and I’m currently on the "Intermediate Algorithm section ".

I have been trying to solve the challenges on this section, but I haven’t been able to solve them correctly on my own without having to check out the hints.
Despite the rich resource of information from websites like w3schools and MDN on topics such as the list of an object’s methods, how to use them and so on, I have tried to combine and test my code, but my own code and logic doesn’t seem to be working. And when it does, its not displaying correctly for all cases.

I’m not happy that I’m not able to solve the problems without eventually going to the hint page.
I was only able to solve one on my own : “Sum all numbers in a array”.

I struggled through Basic Algorithm Scripting but I was able to do approximately half on my own.
Intermediate Algorithm Scripting on the other hand …

Its depressing. I mean, if I can’t solve problems like these on my own, when will I be able to.

Maybe this programming thing isn’t for me.

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Coding is hard. Almost no one gets it on the first try.

I would encourage you to continue on and supplement FCC with other things like Udemy, stackskills, wes bos etc. You will begin to understand it and later you can go back to algorithms and retry them. You’re not the only one many of us have to use references and learn more even after they have their job coding is 90% googling.

The other thing you can do is break them down. Try to figure out each part, then move on, come back later to try the next part.

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Sounds like you need a CS class more than you need Javascript syntax. Try Harvard’s online, self-paced EdX CS50: Intro to Computer Science. It’s free to take, 90 bucks to get a certificate saying you took it. You will have to learn basic syntax in other languages, but they are all related to Javascript (a C-type language), so it won’t be very hard (best advice - remember your semicolons!) to adapt, but that’s what you’re missing right now. If you still want to quit, go for it. Your life is yours, and there are many paths to success. Just don’t stop because you didn’t know you were walking cross-country and didn’t see the trail.

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that’s perfectly normal yeah,
quiting is fine,… looking away… or stepping out or whatever you need to do if you get stressed out…
and whenever you feel like coming back again, then review it.
Coding does take years of learning. and I don’t think anyone actually mastered it…
some are just have more experience than others

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I would go to hacker rank and start from the beginner algorithms and work your way up to the intermediate ones and by then you should be able to complete all of fcc algorithms. Or do what @vipatron said because it could be your approach to solving the problem that needs fixing. The old “how to think like a programmer” notion.

I wont lie, I blazed through most of algorithms but that was because I was already a sophomore in CS and had solved many tough problems before. You get better at problem solving by solving challenging problems (challenging being relative and/or subjective). I sucked at first but I just kept at it.

Good luck and never give up

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Listen to this guy:

It just takes practice, that’s all. I second @vipatron’s recommendation for CS50, it’s an excellent course and great intro to algorithms. Besides that, I would recommend you register on sites like codewars and leetcode and start doing easy problems (codewars is probably better because beginner problems are easier there). Do a few every week, and as your confidence grows start trying harder problems. As a side note, I’ve been stuck on one JS problem for over a week (“No repeats please” from coding interview section) but it doesn’t bother me anymore. Taking a little break now to work on my project, and will get back to it later.

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:sweat_smile:
Arigato gozaimasu…

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Hi camper ,please do not quit ,you re gonna face tough moments when you brain goes blank but do not quit , sometimes you can not solve simple challenges ,but that’s so normal ,people get developed when they practise more and more , whenever you hear that bad self-talk saying to you your not
able to solve this so you re gonna not make it , say back no I can do it , and even try to motivate yourself everyday ,if you get stuck on something take a break and come back a gain with high spirit ,
and do it again and again and again ,
remember dude we all passed from exactely the sampe path you are in ,for me some challenges took 7 days to find the solution ,but I have never given up , I am from Morocco English is not my first language ,I find a lot of diffuculties not only in code but also in technical words ,so please don’t give up

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Hey camper,
I agree coding is hard but if you can’t understand much just try to use websites like Khan Academy, w3schools, edx and Coursera. I had first started coding when I was 9 and the first website I used was Khan Academy, It has great examples and helps you code, try to finish all the coding classes there then move up to freeCodeCamp. The good thing about freeCodeCamp is that you don’t have to pay to get a certificate, which will help you to get a job easier. If you get stuck in some challenges use the Read-Search-Ask, or just go to w3schools to get a better understanding. I hope this helped you, and I hope you give freeCodeCamp another chance.
Good luck and happy coding!!

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The first step in learning is knowing what you don’t know.

So you don’t know how to solve these sorts of problems, good. So you couldn’t solve them so you instantly think your not set up for this sorta deal, because you are’t some sort of genius? Wrong

If your struggling at any point it means its time to jump in and learn it. There are some great resources mentioned above, and online for specific cases. The goal isn’t to becoming all knowing, but to gain the instinct and experience to be able to go out and figure out the problem with help. The fact you couldn’t figure it out instantly, or without help is totally normal.

So you ask when will you be able to solve these problems without help? Maybe in a while, maybe never, it doesn’t matter what does matter is being able to keep moving thru the struggle. Programming is not easy, if it were, everyone would be doing it.

I’d personally go back to where you started struggling and really learn the content so you are more familiar with the approaches and why they work. Look up the answers if you have to, if you do find your self looking up help often, then go back a few lessons, since most build on each other.

You don’t learn programming by doing 1 thing 1 time and memorizing it, you learn it by spending time struggling to get 1 thing working. Failure is the best teacher. Go back, fail again, fail 500 times, and you will learn 500 new ways to fail, which is far better than just getting it right.

Good luck and happy coding :smile:

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programming isnt for quitters bro. as far as i can tell getting stuck and frustrated is half of programming. The other half if is figuring out how to do something you didnt know how to do before. It took me almost 4 years to finally get the hang of javascript.

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you don’t know how relieved that makes me feel.
thank you so much for sharing

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wow :sweat_smile:… I gotta stop complaining. thank you

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I guess I’m not alone.

@ArtemPetrov @EddieCornelious
@psyperl
@kerafyrm02
@vipatron … thanks for the link
@Tirjasdyn

thank you all so much…

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My advice to you is to fail faster.

Don’t see failure as a negative thing but as an opportunity to learn. If you can’t solve on your own that’s fine! Take the time to check the solution, dissect each part that you don’t understand and try to solve it again on your own. Even if you immediately can’t solve it, on each iteration you’ll get better and better.

Also, if you get stuck or don’t understand something don’t be afraid to ask for help (This whole forum is here for that! :D), the important part in FCC is to learn what you did not know, not to judge yourself in what you current knowledge might be at.

Experience will get you there

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I started having trouble too.

then i decided to take notes. I opened up a google doc and wrote a summary for every challenge. Then you can look back through your notes. rewriting it is a good idea in memorizing it.

Coding is a lot about research. Do not feel bad you have to do a lot more then usual when first starting out.

Also look for some inspiration. I constantly look around at various webpages (see tools below) and break it down.

I ask questions if i do not know what something is. When asking question, ask them to break it down like your are 5.

FCC also has a youtube channel on the basics.

My tools: https://codepen.io/Mike-was-here123/post/check-out-these-sites

Also check out my basic ES6 study guide: https://quizlet.com/362094309/fcc-es6-study-guide-flash-cards/

Edit: I wrote a guide @ Helpful Tips For Improving Your Webpage

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Hey, don’t worry, struggling is part of the process. In fact, you should expect to struggle, not because you can’t do it, but because algorithms in general are difficult, because our brains don’t usually think that way.

Trust me, I used to absolutely SUCK at algorithms. I was so bad at them that I couldn’t even get through the basic ones without looking at hints or solutions. But, eventually I was able to complete the basic ones on my own without looking at hints (and I wouldn’t look at solutions at this point, since that would only be cheating myself). I restricted myself to only looking at MDN docs for concepts like manipulating strings, arrays, etc, and I was able to do it.

I still struggle on the intermediate ones (I’ve only solved 7 on my own so far). What I’ve come to realize is sometimes you have to take a break and do something else. For me, I would try to solve some algorithms, and once I felt that I’ve hit a wall, I would work on projects or the next certification. Then, when I felt that I wanted to do something else, I went back to the algorithms. It’s funny, I forget which algorithm it was, but before I struggled so hard trying to figure out why my solution didn’t work. It was driving me nuts. It was only after coming back to it after sometime that I was able to solve it easily. It was to the point where I laughed at myself saying “how the hell did I do that?”. And trust me, I’m no genius. Sometimes I struggle hard when learning something new to the point where I feel stupid.

My point is, don’t give up. If you feel like you’ve hit a wall solving algorithms, and you feel like pulling your hair out, step away and proceed to the next cert or build some projects and come back to it later. You’ll surprise yourself.

Also, I’ve come to realize that a huge part of becoming a web developer is learning how to work through self doubt. I can’t tell you how many moments I’ve had where I’ve felt depressed because I couldn’t solve something or I couldn’t understand a concept. It’s OK to have those feelings. Just don’t stop and keep going. Take breaks. Hell, sometimes when you’re so frustrated you have to call it a day. But come back to it the next day. You’ll make progress, trust me. Just don’t stop! :slight_smile:

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I got burnt out after doing algo for a month too.
Every day, 4 hours of algorithms challenges made me really nervous.

So I had to take a break. After a month of “no coding at all”, I went back and start to build my personal project.
I built these two sites, one with bootstrap one with vanilla CSS.
I had a ton of fun doing it, at the same time had learnt a lot.

My suggestion is take a break. Do something that interests you. Algorithms are important, but you shouldn’t solely focus on one thing. Anyone is gonna get burnt out if you ask them to do algos day in and day out.

Watch this video too.

If you get burnt out when doing algo is because you are doing too much algo.
Take a step back, breathe, and diversify your skills, build something that is fun to you.

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yeah, thats the thing, taking a break can be very difficult, because you’re thinking “O, there isn’t much time”. “O how can I learn this faster” and sentences like that.

But, I’ll stick to this advice.

I’m gonna take little break days in between.

thanks for the video.

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@QuincyLarson changed this category to - You Can Do This.
Thanks Quincy. Very encouraging.

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