Just share my thoughts, I (don't) give up. Need your opinion!

Hello everyone. I just wanna share my thoughts, english isn’t my native but I’ll do my best to write.

My Background:
Just a guy who loves computer and music, abandon his Computer Science college 5 years ago, and mostly work on non IT related, know some basic programming language, didn’t consider himself as intelligent person, and his dream job is Developer stuffs (Frontend, Backend, etc)

Story:
It’s been a year since I quit my last job (non IT related) and I dive back into coding to get my dream job. I practice and practice, do a project-based tutorial, buy a course, do a FCC curicculum but still didn’t find any difference with my problem solving (Well, I still lack of discipline and focus whenever on practice)

I am currently taking an Internship on local company as React Native Developer, the people are good, they willing to help and teach me whenever I face problem. But the thing is, I don’t really want to rely on them too much and yet I still face a lot of problem and needs their help.

I’ve been asking often to myself, “What did you really do last year? Do you even practice? It seems didn’t pay off, isn’t it?”
I almost gave up, willing to abandon my dream, everything. But I don’t, why? Cause I have this mindset to reflect my life. So 10 years ago, I practice music, 8 hours a day, I dive deeper to explore. Then 8 years later, people’s like “Are you sure you didn’t take a major on music? You seems pretty good at it”
Well, I never take a music school or anything. I am self-taught, I just dive deeper and explore a lot.

And now whenever this setback came in, I triggered this mindset and say it to myself “Don’t give up. Remember 10 years ago when you start on music? You’re gonna do this again, on programming, and get your dream job come true!”

That’s it, this is why until now I still focus on my programming stuffs. I know, it will be paid someday. End of the story…


Like I said, I don’t consider myself as an intelligent person, but is programming really for everyone who willing to try and never give up? What’s your opinion?

programming is a difficult subject, and it is normal to ask for help
also, you are doing an intership, that is a sign that you have reached a minimum level to enter there.
You need to decide if it’s for you or not, but it’s not about your skills and ability, but if programming allows you to stay with your core values.

Asking for help is totally ok, even expected. Consulting documentation, asking for help, researching, it’s all part of the development process, no one has all the knowledge in their brain or knows how to solve all problems.

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For me programming isnt so much about intelligence, the way people perceive it. Its not about knowing tons of information and be knowledgeable on many subjects. Its about your ability to process, or handle information. It takes a certain type of logic, you might even say, your brain need to function very similar to a computer machine. That is what i think is valid for me and what makes me believe programming is meant for me, altho i lack on the type of dedication you describe in your post. Its hard for me to get the inner drive to focus enough, in order to succeed.
Programming isnt for anyone and i dont think its a subject you can grasp and adopt only by sheer dedication and spending time, like i said, it takes a certain way of thinking.

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Guess I can’t decide it soon. Well, I really enjoy it on some part, fetching the data, implement the design based on mockup, here and there and so on.

I think this is what I lack off. Whenever I try to solve something, I torn them piece by piece, but yet still missing some piece.

Ah I see. So it’s a different subject, even after 8 years practicing if I don’t have a good logic, it’s a waste.

Ofc, its just my opinion and i dont know if this applies in your case. Only you can tell(and people around you) if you possess the logic/skills needed, plus while i claim this to be the main feat of a programmer, other factors do matter, dedication one of them for sure. Another i might add, depending on the field you work can be artistic sight, when it comes to web appearance and visual content. Those can make up for sure

@nitrostrike . I started two years ago the same path. Good thing is that I made up my mind before Corona, it was a conscious choice. Bad thing is that i am almost 50. What a junior, eh?
I just finished my Front-End course. With the whoile pandemic, took most of us a year almost. And this are my conclusions.
2019. I took a MEAN-STACK course. Sort of ironhack but provided freely for the unemployment national service… I almost cried every day. With twenty years of experience behind me, no IT studies at all, no idea of algorithmya, loops, conditionals… HTML and CSS were delightful to learn (I studied design and photography once upon a time LOL) but when JS stepped into the front line… Tears. I don’t mean a few. Imagine the monsoon falling from your eyes. And then Angular with its lovely TypeScript alongside. Then Node, and Express and Mongo… Out of 18 people who started the six months course we finished only six. Out of those six only one (Grande Marcela!) got a job. I remember one day at class. OOP. Classes. Holly… I couldn’t handle it anymore. I told my teacher that I was going to quit, to leave. He grabbed me, stopped me right in the spot, and shouted at me:
“Do you truly believe that is taht easy? Did you thought that won’t take an untrained mind time to expand?” That was a hit. I always been quite physical. Due my previous job as waiter and a fantastic genetic (thanks mum!) We all know that takes time to prepare your body to start to be fit again after some time of no exercise it, but I didn’t think the same way with my mind.
Graduation day. Sme beers to celebrate the end. My teacher comes along and said:
-“Roberto, even if you picked up only 5% of the course, is worth it. Don’t compare yourself with anyone. Just push your boundaries. Make a plan. You can’t pretend to make a marathon by just starting to run. And remember, whatever time takes”-
I thought, honest to God, that I was useless. That I will never understand programming.
2020. second course, thanks again to th city Hall of Barcelona. Front-End. perhaps been a bit less ambitious might help. Fundamentals of programming. is the first month. Done it twice. Suddenly things start to get a bit easier. Do I need still to look out for help? Indeed, but I start to understand what I am reading, to transform it at my needs. OOP. constructor starts to make a bit more of sense. Methods and properties start to be sort of friendly fellas, objects are cool. Objects are fricking cool when you start how to get to their properties and methods. Blimey, TypeScript starts to look sexy…why JS is such a relaxed language? Things would be better if …wow…components? I can “one module to rule them all”!! Services are no longer wc cubilets…
As you pointed out, time and practice give us better skills. The problem is on us. When you play music you know that those 8 notes can do wonderful things, and they are only 8. Is IMPOSSIBLE to know everything in programming. Is way too deep. Functional programming? OOP? ECMA6 or js2015? and so on and forth.
Cherish the hard times, when you thought that you weren’t the choosen one. Truly hope your internship becomes a permanent one. Because that day you’ll realise what a long way took you, and you’ll , and should feel, proud.
Sorry for the extension everyone, more of a personal statement than an answer, but to anyone who is willing to take this path: you are worth it. You are as smart as anyone who has studied an engineering career. The fact that you are here, reading, testing, learning, says a lot about you. Never forget it

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Ah, feel free to ask me on private where I did my courses. Due Covid-19 they are online. Free. And amazingly good. For obvious reason the masterclasses are hold in Spanish or Catalan, but pretty sure that if you speak with the mentors | direction shouldn’t be any problem to work with them.

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