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JavaScript JavaScript Basics (Retired) Making Decisions with Conditional Statements Boolean Values

Trevor Katilius
Trevor Katilius
2,697 Points
Posted by Trevor Katilius
Trevor Katilius
2,697 Points

Feeling a bit overwhelmed

Hi all, apologies if this isn’t the correct place to post this. Ive made it this far in the course and am beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. I’m not remembering or grasping certain things and aren’t sure if I should go back a few videos and start over again.

I’d also love to hear how others go through each of these tracks. Are you stopping after each one and memorizing certain things before proceeding? Are you writing code out on paper then typing it in?

Ive been following along and using the workspaces but feel I may be going through too quickly because I’m forgetting small things here and there. Maybe theres a better way for me to retain this that I’m not doing? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks everyone! :)

5 Answers

Caesar Bell
Caesar Bell
24,827 Points
Caesar Bell
Caesar Bell
24,827 Points

I agree with Piotr Manczak , in this field you will have moments when you feel a bit overwhelmed. At times you might have to take a step away from your computer have some coffee and grab some fresh air. Once you collect yourself to dive back in with fresh eyes and a clear mind.

How I go about working through these courses is by taking my time, working on each section and trying to build it following along with the video and then again without the video to see how much I obtained. Food for thought tho, you will never remember everything, and no developer ever will, but the key is to have awareness of your tools so later on you can google and find the resource to help you build what you need.

Trevor Katilius
Trevor Katilius
2,697 Points
Trevor Katilius
Trevor Katilius
2,697 Points

Thanks so much, Caesar Bell ! I really appreciate you sharing your workflow as well. I think I was rushing a bit and moving on to the next video before stopping to think if I fully understood things. I like your idea of following along and then trying to do the same without the video. I'll start doing the same going forward.

Trevor Katilius
Trevor Katilius
2,697 Points
Trevor Katilius
Trevor Katilius
2,697 Points

Thanks for responding, Piotr Manczak ! That good to hear. Ive only been doing this for about two weeks now and was hoping i'd have a better grasp of at least the basics by now. I like the idea of revisiting that from time to time.

Fabricio Kawata
Fabricio Kawata
8,419 Points
Fabricio Kawata
Fabricio Kawata
8,419 Points

Trevor, I think this feeling is very common at the beginning of any new journey. The fact is that the journey will never be perfect. There will always be a gap here and there. The most important thing is to stay focused while attending classes and moving on. Putting the things you've learned into practice is the best way to internalize the concepts. At the end of each module, if you feel the need, I think it's worth it to watch it again, but without putting too much pressure on yourself. Only with time and much practice will the concepts be fixed in the brain.

Omar Ahmed
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Omar Ahmed
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 1,369 Points
Omar Ahmed
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Omar Ahmed
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 1,369 Points

Thanks for sharing this Trevor. I'm in the same boat, just starting 3 weeks ago. Two things I have done have helped me get in the right mindset:

a) I'm okay with watching all the videos in the same module again and again because I've learnt that this level of technicality is quite new to me. It's okay to not learn in the first go, or the first few trys.

b) The program is "ideally" meant for 5-6 months, but if it takes longer than that, I'm okay with it. I'm learning at my pace, not competing in a race to the finish line.

Konrad Dziekonski
Konrad Dziekonski
7,798 Points
Konrad Dziekonski
Konrad Dziekonski
7,798 Points

Hello to All,

And like the other I'd like to thank for starting this topic haha. It's comforting to know that many of you has been doing this material for about two weeks and have this same struggles as I have. I've been feeling heavy on my mind since I've started learning programming ;p especially that the course is supposed to take 6 hours or so and I've been doing this for much longer ;] For me like for you this is entirely new enviroment, I mean programming and my methodology is that i watch the video several times untill i am able to write that down in my notes in lest, lets say, logical manner or at least with my words. I dont rush myself - this is the advantage of doing online solo courses, instead of eg bootcamps. I try o understand but i also let myself go further sometimes with hope that this will clarify in the future along with some experience, as Steven Parker said before, and at the end of the day, although it takes time, and I have to look into my notes tor eg. syntax (or other stuff) I am able to complete all of the code challanges and after that I try to cover it up with my own words in my notes for a future reference. Also there is one great think i came across recently, I don know how it works, but it does. https://www.noisli.com/ when I run it quietly in background (set for productivity) i somehow focus easier and for longer.

Regards to All and good luck!