Javascript issue

[amiraabdu02]

I am currently on the javascript basics course and I am feeling overwhelmed now. I am doing these courses to change my career path. I am currently a medical college student and I am finding it hard to balance it. I even thought of quitting medical school too. I am just confused!

Also I am thinking of reading head first javascript along with the course. Do you have any opinions on that book?

[kevinSmith]

As to being overwhelmed, yeah, that happens, this is hard stuff.

As to quitting medical school, that is a much bigger discussion. You need to do some thinking about what you want to do with your life. I think you should pick one and give it your all, but that is something that should take some thought. I’d discuss it with your family and friends - that is a big decision, either way.

[jwilkins.oboe]

Hi @amiraabdu02!

@amiraabdu02

I even thought of quitting medical school too.

First off, please don’t drop out of medical school based on the advice from strangers.

That is a bad idea.

As mentioned earlier, that is a big life decision that you need to make without the internet’s input.

@amiraabdu02

I am currently on the javascript basics course and I am feeling overwhelmed now.

If this is your first programming language, then it is normal to feel overwhelmed.

If you comb through the You can do this section, you will find plenty of posts from people talking about the same thing.

Imposter syndrome and struggle

Did any of you ever have that feeling that you are halfway through the JavaScript Curriculum and you still feel you did not learn anything yet? Ulrich

I think I'm gonna quit

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 workin…

Just take your time and know that there is a learning curve for programming.

@amiraabdu02

Also I am thinking of reading head first javascript along with the course

I haven’t read it personally, but I have heard good things about it.

[kevinSmith]

@jwilkins.oboe

First off, please don’t drop out of medical school based on the advice from strangers.

That is a bad idea.

As mentioned earlier, that is a big life decision that you need to make without the internet’s input.

Yeah, I was trying to find a delicate way to say that. This is a biiiiiiiiiiggggg decision. There are also be factors like what country you’re in (the culture) and your family dynamic. I would be very careful about “Well a bunch of random people on the internet that I don’t know think I should…” Talk with your friends and family, people you know and whose opinions you value.

[amiraabdu02]

Thanks for the suggestion.
As for the quitting medical school. It is a thought I had a long time ago. I just didn’t know what other career path I should take till i started web development.

[kevinSmith]

Well, if it’s something you really love, and if you really don’t like medical school… But how far along are you in medical school? Could you switch to CS? How would your family feel about that? It looks like you are in Africa - are there cultural implications to a decision like this?

There are a lot of really important things to think about. You should discuss this with your family and friends, people you know and respect, people that know your situation, know you, and have your best interest in mind.

[amiraabdu02]

Switching to CS is kind of impossible right now! And about the culture thing, here anyone with a relatively good marks is thought to be fit for medical school. I now know i am not fit for such kinda thing but pursuading my family about is difficult. So I wanted to show them I can be successful in another field too. So I want to be qualified to work as a web developer. It a thing I enjoy doing too

[JeremyLT]

It’s nearly impossible for us to give you much advice about whether or not you should continue with medical school.

But we are here to help if you want to learn Web Development. It is very natural to find JavaScript much harder than HTML/CSS. JavaScript is a complicated tool and it can take some time to understand and become proficient with computer programming.

[kevinSmith]

I understand, that’s kind of what I mean by “cultural issues”. And there is no way for us to understand exactly what the family issues are.

I would do some research into dev jobs and salaries, opportunities, etc. and have a talk with your family. Tell them you don’t want to be a doctor, tell them you want to be a web dev, explain what that is, what the salaries and opportunities are like, etc, and see if you can get them on board. I would hope they would want you to be happy.

As to “am I qualified” - I would say anyone that is reasonably intelligent (you mentioned good marks, so that should be no problem) and enjoys doing this is pretty much qualified. If you like puzzles and figuring things out, all the better. This is hard work and takes an inquisitive mind, but so does being a doctor.