Am I the only one that feels this way?
I’m almost finished with basic javascript, and I’ve definitely spent more than 10 hours on this. What other resources should i be taking advantage of. I’m definitely spending the time to finish the course, but I want to use my time in the best way possible.
What has helped you guys? After I finish the javascript course, I am going to work on Hack Reactor’s bootcamp prep course.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
J
That’s okay. Especially, if you had nothing to do with programming before.
The first time I went through Basic JS section, it took me about two weeks (every evening 2-3 hours), and I didn’t finish it - stuck on Profile Lookup.
In terms of motivation it helped me a lot to consider FCC more like a set of exercises/challenges, while I used other sources to get things explained.
I am going through Colt Steele course on Udemy - he explains stuff in an easy and understandable way, and for JS I use different sources - you can check HeadFirst JS, maybe it’s not the most recommended book, but again it’s easy to follow and they explain things in a good way.
Don’t get discouraged by all those stories of quick success, because people are different. Someone needsone explanation to understand all this programming stuff, and someone (like me) needs to go over the same thing 3 times through different courses.
Oh thank God there are other people like me. I was just getting so frustrated on some of the Basic JavaScript challenges. I'm definitely starting to understand the mindset but I realise how much I don't fully understand some of the concepts like Switch statements and does the case actually mean in that.
Do you know fo other resources apart from the one you cited to really get the concepts?
I got stuck on the portfolio page and ended up going very very basic. I done as much of my portfolio page on my own and then went over to w3school and went through the html pages and then when I found something that I thought would be good for my portfolio page i added it in.
This comes highly recommended. I watched a few vids and I liked his style:
https://watchandcode.com/p/practical-javascript
the hackreactor prep course has this:
"Reference: Prerequisite Skills
This Study Program requires you to be already fluent with many basic Javascript topics. As such, there are some pre-requisite work you should complete before diving into this course, especially if this is your first dive into coding.
Hard Requirement: Udacity’s Intro to JavaScript course (estimated 10-12 hours to complete).
Please note: This requirement has previously been the Codecademy JavaScript Track, however, due to a change in Codecademy’s curriculum, we have moved to what we believe to be a better option.
Strongly Recommended
JavaScript for Cats
Gordon Zhu’s Watch and Code program ← this is the link I provided above
First four chapters of Eloquent JavaScript.
A list of all topics you should build familiarity with is provided below for your reference and benefit."
then a ridiculously long list of basic js functionality. Which I would recommended looking over to convince yourself you know the material.
from: http://prep.hackreactor.com/courses/118569/lectures/1732210
I’m sure you’re not because I feel the same way too and is one of the reasons I think why I’ve haven’t been here a while. I don’t think FCC is designed to use just their resources.
I remember that feeling. Keep at it and you will get it. Don’t spend too much time in one day on it though
Thanks for all of the replies.
For me personally, I would rather be stuck than to just give up, because the opportunity to apply everything learned from this course is so appealing. I: would literally be thinking about this all day every day if I stopped.
I just signed up for the practical javascript course that Darren recommended.
The best way, I found, to learn Javascript is just to practice every day. If you aren’t writing Javascript then read about it. The more familiar you become with what it is and how it works the better you’ll be able to use it as a tool to solve the challenges.
The best advice I saw within the last hour was on a stackexchange post. The poster said that his biggest pitfall was that he tried to learn the language in it’s entirety versus trying to build/solve problems. That has been super helpful as well.
It is ok. I teach FCC Basic Front end as a High School Course. My Students are often lost until they begin using the code in projects. https://www.youtube.com/user/SnowmanSpeaks | Here is a link to my classroom lessons I use with them, maybe they will help.
If you are still interested in HTML and CSS. Check out this book. I found this book really helpful and it is best for beginners.
Most of the time when we said “we got stuck” is not because we got stuck, it is because we didn’t find the book/course that fits us.
Most of the time we think that we got stuck is not because we actually got stuck, it is because the course/book you choose does not fit you.
For me I did try to go through FCC challenges (the javascript part) at 1st. But I couldn’t really get into it,. It only teaches you what, not why, not how.
Programming for me is all about input and output and the logic behind it.
FCC teaches js like html and CSS which I do not like.
I am the kind of person that has to understand something, then I can use it/memorize it.
So I jumped ship to YDKJS. And really digging into the world of js. It has been fun.
I’ve heard other more experienced developers talked about this before. A lot of the courses are basically talking about the same thing. Choose one that fits you. Don’t panic.
Take some time to rest your brain, and reset. You can do this!
Im not stuck now. What I found was my page didnt do what I wanted and it was because I didnt really take the course work in so doing a soft of refresher on another HTML tutorial helped me greatly.
that’s great! 
The first time I started the basic JS section, I didn’t complete it. I found it so time taking. But later when I started I completed it. You just need proper motivation.
Don’t get discouraged if it is taking longer. All the best. Happy Coding 
No worries. I’m where you were only I’ve been stuck in JS for a few months (I’ve faded a bit) and, while almost finished with this section, I’m lost. Thanks to your post and the many suggestions, I’m going to try another route to learn JS and then restart the JS section here in FCC. Thanks for your post!
I am not jet up to the JavaScript part yet but in general learning there is a concept called “desired difficulty”. If something is too easy we often do not learn it well. When going through it we think we understand it, but when we have to stand on our own two feet, we fall flat on our faces.
If something is difficult and you have to work to achieve it, we usually learn better. So don’t let some setbacks discourage you.
Of course, it should not be too difficult that you are getting bogged down for ages. If that happens, then make sure you take advantage of the resources others listed above.
Since writing this, I’ve moved on to basic algorithms, and I’m working through it. I just have to say that it’s worth feeling frustrated a lot of the time, because once you figure out the problems, it’s so rewarding. I’m constantly scouring the web trying to find the answers, and I will continue to keep reading through all of this.
FreeCodeCamp is the best.
I have never felt so defeated by going through some of this… I am on the basic algorithms and it is like I never went through the courses prior. HTML and CSS came easy but JavaScript is a beast for me 
I will look at the algorithms and just walk away a lot of times because I simply feel as if I don’t even know where to start.