I’m currently working on the Javascript Algorithms And Data Structures on freeCodeCamp. When I figure out a problem it’s actually fun and quite rewarding. But not being able to figure the problems out and constantly clicking the hint button is becoming mentally draining and taxing.
I want badly to learn coding and get a job as a developer so I’m trying to push past it. But I can’t seem to grasp big picture on what I’m doing, so stuff isn’t making much sense and I feel like that’s why I have a hard time remembering stuff, is it just doesn’t make sense.
My brain works very analytical and usually when I understand big picture, it becomes easier. Any suggestions on how to get to those ah ha moments? I’m dedicating 10 hours a week minimum to practicing and I practice every single day and I’m a few weeks in…
Thanks, Marcus
It sounds like you may be hurting yourself by over-using the “get a hint” feature. Looking at solutions improves your code reading comprehension, but that is a different skill than solving problems with code. Maybe next time you feel stuck, it would help you more to come here and talk through the problem instead of reading the hints.
Memorization doesn’t play a major role in programming. We look things up all the time. The things that we know off the top of our heads, we know because we have done it thousands of times.
There very often isn’t an “aha moment”. A lot of times it’s a process of pushing and moving and wiggling things until they fit into place. You come up with a logical plan. Then you translate that plan from logic to code. Then you test it. Then you look at what kind of wrong it is. Then you fix it.
3 things I do to alleviate this is to take notes (if I absolutely need them) on the things that I am having trouble remembering. I usually do this on an index card so I can treat them as flash cards and quiz myself.
Break out of FCC- I do everything in a text editor. and use console.log to check my returns. Pick a fun text editor that you can set the style on, there are many out there. I don’t think we can promote anything here, otherwise I would offer options.
Finally, create your own problems to use certain things you are having trouble remembering. The great thing about this is you will tend to use other pieces that you may also be having trouble remembering. And since you need to think more about what needs to be implemented, it forces you into more “real-world” situations. 5 years from now, you may find yourself trying to figure out a problem, and realize, it is something you once did using this method.
Yeah makes sense, I will try that next time I’m stuck.
Figured I would give an update on the situation. I went back and restarted the Javascript Algorithms And Data Structures section. This time I slowed down to try and understand the concepts and took notes. Taking notes and writing information down helped me to understand a lot more and can serve as a reference later if I need it. I think I expected to learn on the fly and didn’t understand the basics early on so it made everything more difficult the further I went on. Thanks for both your responses, I feel like so much more of the basics make sense now. And it helped me to stay encouraged and realize how much I enjoy coding and figuring out problems. Thanks for your replies, they were extremely helpful!