i just want to run this by . i know our philosophy here is try not to look at other peoples code while working on the challenges. but is there an exception to that ? like sometiumes when our sincerely stuck with no clue and consulting the forums seems to not be making a breakthrough. maybe looking at stackoverflow or studying the solutions here might help just as long as hyou make sure you fully understand it line by line and be able to redo the project on you own without referrring to the solutions of ourside resources, after letting it sink in hyour for a few days up to a week. i mean i think the solutions are there for a reason, part of a programmer is about finding ways to solve problems by any means necessary even searching for outside help. tell me what you think, i can also be wrong in this reasoning.
Hi @fredsmith27182 !
I understand where you are coming from regarding the solutions.
But you might also need to try a different approach.
I saw your earlier post, and a lot of people struggle with the intermediate algorithms.
When I went through it, it took me forever to figure it out.
What I ended up doing was pausing the FCC curriculum and doing additional algorithm practice with codewars. Then I was able to go back to the curriculum and solve the rest of the challenges.
When you start doing enough of these problems then you start to see the patterns and will be able to solve them faster.
I just think you need extra practice before tackling more of the intermediate problems.
Newbies are all looking for a solution in such forums. You also need to help other programmers in solving their problems so you will accumulate the experience you need. My thoughts.
yeah i started on code wars befoe i came here. i solved the first challenge to return the sum of 2 numbers. then after that , i was like WTF so i figured i needed some practice here.
I would make sure to start with the 8kyu problems and work up from there.
I like to make sure to choose the ones with positive ratings.
You don’t want to waste your time trying to solve a problem when the issue is that it is poorly written.
It does get better.
I used to be terrible at solving algorithm challenges.
I couldn’t solve codewars challenges, leetcode, or FCC challenges.
But I just took it one day at a time until I got better.
Now I actually enjoy algorithms.
You just have to give it time.
If you have been programming for a few months then you have to be patient and take it one day at a time.
I think that is why a lot of people quit because the early stages of learning are tough to get through.
Just keep trying your best. 
Looking at solutions isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s a “use with caution” tool. Learning to read and understand someone’s code solution is a useful skill, but it is a different skill than learning to break down the problem and solve it yourself. What often tends to happen with students is that they’ll look at a solution and think “Ok. I understand that.” and copy it a couple times and then they are quickly in a place where they need to look at solutions to all the new challenges they encounter because they haven’t been building up those problem-solving skills.
This is an amazing community, and I genuinely believe that you are almost always better served by talking to someone here on the forum. Our goal is just to give you nudges or explanations to help you solve the problems yourself.
(This has the added benefit of teaching you how to ask good questions which is a VITAL skill for a professional developer.)
oh im definitely not quitting. i much keep on struggling with this instead going back to school for a masters of EE, which will cost alot more money and still have to learn programming eventually to succeed in that area. Besides i think coding is more interesting and has more opportunities to choose from.
but thanks for the suggestions. i dont think ill fully take a break from fCC because im afraid i might never come back to it. but nexttime i get into situation of being frustrated i will just work on my codewars kata while building up my confidence. i realize i been a little engaging on FCC. i a break here and there would be good. balance my time with some dnd , reading fantasy , magic the gathering, pc gaming. i abandoned many of my creature comforts and devoting 100% to FCC but this is a marathon and not a sprint. sometimes over exerting things can go against you instead of helping you.
yeah you got a valid point there. i only look at solutions as a last resort and i rarely do that. i do it just as self assurance im headed the right direction but then again , i can just use the forums for that as well.
This topic was automatically closed 182 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.