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Edward Babino
3,579 PointsFeeling overwhelmed
I just thought I'd share and express. In the past few months, I have been a treehouse member. My brother in law introduced this to me because he thought it would be of interest since I have experience with SQL. He said I should start learning JavaScript, which I have been since December. It's been slow going because I have to balance life with work and as a dad, making time can be difficult. I have to say I love this website and the avenues it offers. I never thought I could ever come close to what I see in shows like Mr. Robot, Silicon Valley or any other computer programming group. It's been fun! But lately, I have felt a bit overwhelmed with where I should continue or start regarding courses. I have finished JavaScript Basics and Loops, Arrays and Objects. Someone was kind enough to point me to Getting Started with ES2015, and after viewing some of the changes to what I just began getting used to, I started to feel like maybe this is way over my head. There's so much to learn yet retain. So much to catch up with. I guess I was hoping with enough time and effort, I could try a career in this. But there is so much that is connected, I don't know if I might miss something important, or better yet, remember how it comes together. For instance, I know now that HTML, CSS and JavaScript go hand in hand. I still need to understand everything about JavaScript first before I go into the others. Plus, SQL is part of my job, and the only reason I have been doing it well enough is because I spend time in it every day, and even then, there is a lot I'm not privy to. What if this is also the case with JavaScript? I'm pretty sure the job market is looking for the standouts of this world. Not me. I've finally found something I enjoy but I don't think it will be enough in the long run.
Sorry if I am being a downer. This might be a temporary feeling I have or maybe it's mental exhaustion.
Has anyone felt this way before or been in my shoes? If so, how do you overcome this huge hurdle?
I'm only saying all this because I really want to take this somewhere and it can be a bit difficult for me to process what I'm learning for the first time.
1 Answer
Steven Parker
231,007 PointsThis is not at all uncommon, and has been the focus of one of the episodes of The Treehouse Show where it is referred to has "hitting the wall". You'll find a few strategies for dealing with it in there, including some suggestions from me! And there are some links in the Teacher's Notes you may also find helpful.
Edward Babino
3,579 PointsThanks, guys. This really helped. I think what prompted all this is that I've felt undervalued and cannot seem to find the ideal career because I'm not fully equipped with the best skills out there.
Alexander Solberg
14,350 PointsAlexander Solberg
14,350 PointsThis is something I hear every developer at some point will experience, especially today considering all our options and how interwoven it all is.
The good news is that the feeling of being overwhelmed is completely natural, and in fact, healthy(not to the point that you get stressed out ofc). The part of your brain that works in high gear when conceptualizing code functionality, is exactly the same part that will leave you feeling mentally drained and even sometimes dizzy from the amount of information it needs to process.
It's the same as torn muscle fibers after a hard workout session, it hurts, but the body initiates processes to repair, reinforce and improve. So think of your feeling of being overwhelmed as, the result of a hard day at the gym. Just take a break and get back to it. Over time, what overwhelms you today will eventually become trivial.
What helped me was a combination of careful reflection concerning what I actually wanted to accomplish, and researching what technologies would get me to that goal. I have a personal curriculum I follow now, it really helps me keep focus and not get too distracted by the overflowing amount of libraries and frameworks.
Also, a huge part of being a developer apparently, is being an efficient googler :P As long as you can conceptually understand the quirks of programming, and on top of that know how to google properly, then I think you're set :) Don't focus on memorizing every single syntax out there. Work on your ability to "know what you need to do" in certain daily coding scenarios, and then how to google your way to the "how". After a while, things will flow naturally.
So yeah, just keep at it and it will get easier :) I still have a lot to learn, the topics become increasingly more complex, yet somehow easier to digest.