Starting the projects, argh

You Can Do This!
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Hi everyone,

I’ve been doing the Responsive Web Design challenges and made my way through them, and now I’m at the Projects. I understand that the projects are where the real learning happens, and up to that point it’s just a matter of getting your feet wet with the challenges.

But oh man… the projects.

I looked at the user stories for the Tribute Page, then I looked at other learners’ examples and I am feeling so intimidated. Some people have stuck in some Bootstrap and others JQuery for their tribute pages, and overall their coding looks insanely good. However, I plan on using only HTML and CSS, as this is what I have learned so far in the Responsive Web Design cert and surely that should be enough to get me through it? All the other stuff comes later, surely?

Apart from that, I’m just worried that I’ll be out of my depth and feel defeated before I’ve even begun. I’ve taken pretty extensive notes to refer to on Notion (haven’t taken notes for the Applied Visual Design section as there is. Just. So. Much. But I will, in bite-sized chunks :slight_smile: ).

Is it worth looking at other courses, like the Odin Project’s HTML and CSS section, before I start the projects? Or is that just putting things off?

Above all, I think I’m getting jittery. None of this stuff is coming naturally to me, even something so basic as HTML and CSS. I understand most of what’s come up, and if I don’t understand something, I’ll google around until I at least get the main idea. But there’s so much to learn and bear in mind that it’s quite overwhelming for a noob. I’m worried that I’m just too dumb to code, or my brain isn’t wired the right way or something.

I love the idea of building something from nothing, and being able to code opens so many doors in terms of career, lifestyle, and in my case, a sense of accomplishment. Has anyone felt the same way? Am I on the right track? I just don’t know!

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Hi @ZaraK,

Don’t compare yourself to others, you don’t know how long they have been at it and by doing so, you set yourself up to failure before you have properly started. Compare yourself only to your past self. :slight_smile:
By all means, check what others have done, get ideas, be inspired and aspire to one day be able to accomplish the same but don’t beat yourself up over not knowing everything today.
The projects are designed to be completed after relevant sections and you can always revise them after you learn new skills. You can use any tutorials side by side with freeCodeCamp but don’t get stuck completing them one after another. Use them as a reference point if you need a certain concept to be explained differently. And don’t forget, Google is your best friend.

Happy coding :slight_smile:

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it is ok to feel that way , in fact it is a feeling that you gonna have every time you start something new ,you need to know that if you want to became a programmer it s gonna take time and persistence , time and persistance through practicing will become a habit and once it become a habit thing will seems easy :smile:

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I wouldn’t even say that. I’d just say that they’re the next stage in learning. Then building your own complete projects from scratch are the next. And then it’s your first job.

and up to that point it’s just a matter of getting your feet wet with the challenges. … But oh man… the projects.

You’re the first camper to ever feel intimidated in the transition into the projects.

Oh no, wait, the opposite of that. It’s almost universal. Pretty much everyone at this point, unless they’ve done some web dev before, is at least a little freaked out. It’s normal. It’s healthy. It’s a big transition. Cut yourself some slack.

Some people have stuck in some Bootstrap and others JQuery for their tribute pages, and overall their coding looks insanely good. However, I plan on using only HTML and CSS…

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In some ways it’s almost a good thing - it’s harder to make a responsive menu from scratch - you’ll learn more.

Apart from that, I’m just worried that I’ll be out of my depth and feel defeated before I’ve even begun.

You’re only defeated if you give up. Don’t judge yourself based on other people’s projects. Build your own. I hereby grant you permission to make a less than perfect project with some mistakes in it. Actually, I order it. Just build something. And then the next project will be a little better. Just build.

Still intimidated? I haven’t used this analogy in a while, but… Do you remember the movie, The Martian? Here’s a guy with an insurmountable problem - he’s stranded on Mars, with limited supplies, no way home, and he can’t even communicate with Earth. So, he breaks things into smaller problems: he needs food. He breaks that into smaller problems: to grow food I need something to plant, soil, water, head, and light. And then he breaks those down. And then he works those problems one by one. That’s how we code.

So, work the problem:

User Story #1: My tribute page should have an element with a corresponding id="main" , which contains all other elements.

You can do that, right? If not, figure out how and do it.

User Story #2: I should see an element with a corresponding id="title" , which contains a string (i.e. text) that describes the subject of the tribute page (e.g. “Dr. Norman Borlaug”).

OK, work that problem. Just work the user stories one by one.

I would suggest to not worry about making it pretty yet. Just get the overall structure down. Work the HTML, get it functional, then you can add some CSS and make it purty.

That’s my advice, anyway. Just keep moving forward. Solve problems one at a time.

I love the idea of building something from nothing, and being able to code opens so many doors in terms of career, lifestyle, and in my case, a sense of accomplishment. Has anyone felt the same way? Am I on the right track? I just don’t know!

Sure. It depends on what you want Are you having fun? I think that is the most important thing. If you want to work hard at it, yeah, you can turn it into a job. It can be a fun job. My former musicians make fun of me - but I tell them that I now make more than double what I was making and I get paid to solve puzzles all day. It’s hard work, but it’s also fun.

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that is just putting things off
go do that Tribute Page

that’s awesome!
you should not strive to memorize everything, googling and consulting documentation is part of the job

just start, I am sure you can do at least the first user story, an element with an id of “main” that should contain all others elements

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If this is too hard for you, you can even divide this thing into smaller parts.

My tribute page should have an element with a corresponding id="main" , which contains all other elements.

Do I know how to open the tribute page?

My tribute page should have an element with a corresponding id="main" , which contains all other elements.

Do I know what “an element” is?
Do I know how to add an element?

My tribute page should have an element with a corresponding id="main" , which contains all other elements.

Do I know how to give an element a corresponding id=“main”?

My tribute page should have an element with a corresponding id="main" , which contains all other elements.

Do I know how an element contains other elements?

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hi @Zarak

i can’t agree more with all those pro just wrote above.

as a beginner, i just want you to see it something like this:

had you ever intimidated by other people’s look so preety and glamour (i assume that you are a female), instead just to envy their appearances, you may searching tutorial about how they made it. and at somepoint you found it beyond your knowledge or access to have such luxury stuff to be glamour.

But, you do understand you can be preety without that glamorous items. so you start practicing to what knowledge and stuff you had and applied in.

And on the proccess, you keep getting better and more depths, to understand which best combine with what, or what should you do before applied other stuff in order to get what you wanted.

So i guess, don’t feel so overwhelmed by other people’s look, just start with your base ‘foundation’ and makeover your whole appearance.

good luck.

regards

note: just flag this post, if it was off topic.

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@ZaraK

I’m so glad you posted this - I feel like I wrote this as I’m going through the same thing right now. I’ve been really enjoying The Odin Project up until now - and have taken their advice seriously to stay on track and not get overwhelmed and trust that everything will be presented at the right time based on what has already been covered. But this Google project has made me feel like something is wrong with me and I somehow have missed loads of stuff?

I tried to get as much done as I could on my own but in the end I had to look at some student submissions and there is a ton of stuff involved we haven’t learned so now I feel disheartened and a lot confused. Don’t get me wrong, I know as future coders we have to learn how to problem solve and get out of our comfort zones but to complete this project I feel at this point like i’m going to have to basically ‘cheat’ by looking at other peoples’ code because it’s too advanced for me. I’m not going to do that though because that isn’t how you learn, I’m going to find the answers myself it’s just that I don’t even know what questions I need to ask to find the answers if that makes sense.

Anyways I didn’t really help lol just came to empathise but reading the responses you’ve got from people in this community have just galvanised me to get back to it! We can do this!

Step by step, just break it down into smaller pieces…

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Thank you for your kind words! Truly, I know the very worst thing someone can do is compare themselves to others. And I think you’re right about getting stuck in an endless loop of preparing for the next stage, and not actually achieving anything. I’ve started now and Google and I are building a beautiful friendship.

Thank you :slight_smile:

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I’ve started now, and it really is a case of breaking it down just as you have! Thank you!

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Haha, I know you’re right. Thank you so much for this.

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Hi, thank you for such a great reply. I love The Martian, and this analogy. You’re so right. I will cut myself some slack, as you say. Strange example, but I learned to crochet last year, and the hardest part was picking up the yarn and… starting.

I’ve started now and it’s slow-going! I’ve completed the challenges, but I want to spend some time tinkering around and seeing how I can mess with it and have some fun. I think it’s too new to call it fun, but I love starting up and getting into the zone, as it were.

Thank you for taking the time to write this - it helped greatly!

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Thank you! You’re right :slight_smile:

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I’m so glad it’s a common feeling! It shows we’re going through the ‘right’ process, somehow! As long as we keep it up.

Good luck! :slight_smile:

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