You are not as good as the average. Personal struggles

It has been a month shy of the one year mark for me. I wanted to give people another un-glittery account of learning to code.
I face anxiety to start study sessions every day, an eating disorder coming from that anxiety, and thoughts of intellectual inadequacy. Perfectionism or the belief that I need to know more than I do have held me back at Front End Certification, Sass. I will understand more than I did last time ‘round Intermediate Algorithm Challenges.
“Comparison is the thief of joy,” said by Theodore Roosevelt can be true. I am sharing this from my own curiosity of what my brain tells me average pace of FCC is. School schedule made me think that average learning goals sat on timelines made by IQ. Learning is about making vivid memories through failing to understand and making one’s own way to a working answer.
Different beliefs have gotten me this far, at the moment it being, I am excited to understand more of Intermediate Algorithms in JavaScript than the last time I struggled to understand many solutions. I went through to jQuery, revisited Basic Algorithms and Data Structures in JavaScript and will end that review after intermediate and projects in JavaScript.
Due in large part to believing that something was in fact wrong with using solutions for challenges, I re-tried them. It was rewarding to learn that I had forgotten less JavaScript than HTML/CSS post-introduction and with help of my notes with help of techniques, forum questions, and solutions was able to create some of my own solutions. I was surprised how simple the concepts seemed with exposure to harder ones.
Three months ago coding brought me my most difficult learning period. This could sound silly but nothing was so difficult to learn as algorithms in my first programming language. It is natural that I fear reviewing the two chapters I have left to go before continuing Sass. If someone is out there who wants to hear someone else’s disappointments, I hope to give you the reflection you desire.
This is some of what I have told myself.
~ It is important to learn how to create questions on the forum. For the longest time, I thought the site was broken before understanding what “Ask for help” does.
|8? Emotions have truth to share. It is possible to listen to them with a future-forward mind. It is beautiful how that person inside never lets me down when I contact them.
|( It is acceptable to use others’ answers if done in a careful manner. Interpret every line. Take notes on steps or the largest steps. Reread notes.
:o While copying, seemingly every challenge with original contributions that seem inadequate, remember that it is easy to lose your pride. You may think your ability to become a programmer grows more shadowy with a solution. Acknowledge danger to have solutions ready before morale flickers and the danger wipes one out.
`w’ (shrug) Do not feel obliged to do something that you already understand from experience is unhelpful. Some blocks one’s thoughts are on time pressure and inadequacy that build up to meditation into a drooling nap. The convenient people who don’t understand might still not understand. It would be nice if learning something within a timeframe were never a difficulty for me.
p: Belief in others diminishes fear of judgment and weakens some of fear’s arguments that support has been less than it had seemed. It is not a healthy practice to force myself to feel bad to even out feeling good and bad in pursuit of being more realistic if that doesn’t seem to be useful.
:] (matter of fact still lip-chewing) Everyone has issues. If anyone has to get help from professionals, they are okay individuals. Everyone has at least one light to severe problem in their life. Admission may help turn one’s approaches to themself around.
Good going, valiant students. You’re almost to your next goal, or you are doing what you can.

Good job making it so far! Learning to code is hard stuff.

For what it’s worth, I recommend that learners ask for help from others rather than duplicate someone else’s solution. You can learn by taking apart someone else’s solution, but you can typically learn more by working to build up to the solution with help. We’re here on the forum to help.

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Hi @crystalio303 !

Thank you for sharing your story!

It takes time get comfortable doing algorithm challenges.

In addition to FCC, I would suggest practicing with coding challenge sites like codewars

Start with the 8kyu beginner problems and work your way from there.

Hope that helps!

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