Welcome to the Treehouse Community
Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.
Looking to learn something new?
Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.
Start your free trial
Jae Kim
3,044 PointsHow do I go about learning OOP in Java?
Before I get into this, kudos to Craig as he has inspired me to take coding more seriously and pick it up again after fearing it for so long.
I am having enormous difficulty in learning object-oriented programming in Java and am getting frustrated as a result. There are parts I understand and other sections where I feel absolutely clueless without the community.
I took some Python in college and have found it a lot more easier to pick up, but Java is proving to be one heck of a beast. I don't want to jump ship since I do love the challenge and want to get into Android programming, but I am wondering how people got good at OOP or just Java in general? Are there any external resources like readings or websites I can utilize that will assist me in obtaining a better grasp at OOP?
2 Answers
Evan Demaris
64,262 PointsHi Jae,
I've found that when Java feels a bit overwhelming - like I feel that I'm not really "getting" concepts - going through Android or the Python courses helps me quite a bit (you don't need to be excellent with Java to start the Android dev courses, just know the very basics; the rest is useful, but not needed per se). The Python courses because Python is a very clean, user-oriented language that uses many similar concepts (also an OOP language, also uses Regular Expressions, etc.) and Android because it helps me get a 'big picture' view of Java.
Android is also heartening because you can make simple apps to put on your own phone and show off to people. Even if you followed a tutorial, it's still your app. It's not really as easy to do that with web apps or console/command line scripts; a good UI makes a huge difference!
Furquan Ahmad
5,148 PointsTrust me just keep going through the tutorials and never give up, it will eventually click, it has taken over 6 months for me to grasp the basics, and i still need don't understand it fully, just wait for it to "CLICK" and don't stop programming.
Jae Kim
3,044 PointsI think that's really what it is becoming. From several users and other forums most people have not had that "CLICK" moment yet or it has happened at a later time in their studies.
Thank you so much for the words of encouragement Furquan! It is exactly what I needed to motivate me to code every morning and night!
Jae Kim
3,044 PointsJae Kim
3,044 PointsThank you Evan.
I am currently doing Android on top of my Java learning and am finding it to be thoroughly enjoyable. In fact switching between Java & Android has given me instances of fresh creativity and a willingness to learn.
OOP just seems very abstract -something that I can't seem to wrap my head around- and has a lot of moving parts. It will probably be best at this point to supplement my learning on Treehouse with some other external resources like Code Academy or perhaps a book.