How to overcome being discouraged

Hi Brad

I had the same feeling as you too, but maybe only keep practicing is the thing to overcome your discouraged. Don't feel so stressed about it, you can try it again and again or find another good resource out there. Good luck.

Hope this helps.

Don't give up!!!

Is what I say. From time to time, all programmers will face difficult challenges and, we actually learn from overcoming problems (I think this is actually what I learn the most from).

As for zooming through the challenges but not retaining the information, I always have a Google Doc I add to every time I learn something new. I'll write down what I've learnt here and how to use it so, if I ever want to use it again, I can just grab the document and take a look at how to do it. I also find writing down what I've done twice actually helps me remember things better so, I'd highly recommend it in your case!

I'd also recommend seeing if you can answer any questions on the Forums. It can often come in handy to refresh your memory by helping out someone else in something you've already done. You may need to take a look back at your own work but, even doing that will remind you about how you did that.

I sometimes have this problem. The code challenges are great but sometimes it feels like I am not retaining the information. This is what I do:

I watch a few videos and then open my favorite text editor and then try to replicate the examples without any help.

I also listen to the audio of the videos when doing leisure activities like playing video games. I listen to the same video multiple times until it sticks into my mind.

I find CSS quite difficult at times. Not because the language is hard to grasp or anything, but when you aim to make a really good looking and modern website, specific design-problems can really mess your day up.

Complex websites tend to get so complex and the elements so intertwined within eachother that one step in the wrong direction can give you a real headache further down the line. CSS is very different in this respect, in contrast to other languages that are more straight-forward.

I'm more of the logial-thinker, and so I find PHP and similar languages a lot easier than designing a cool website. So the fact that you find CSS overwhelming may also be because you are, just like myself, more of a logical-minded person than a creative-minded person?

Whatever it is, I still think that practise makes perfect - so keep practising!

As someone who felt he would never learn iOS Programming who is now working in a profitable, VC-backed company in California as an iOS developer, I can tell you that you will often feel that. Don't let it pull you down. Keep fighting. Sometimes it's just the way the information is presented that confuses you. My advice is to seek other resources if you can't understand it here. Look for as many explanations as you possibly can until it finally starts to sink in. Also join local meetups where you can learn about a plethora of all things CSS/JS/HTML. See if they have pair programming meetups in your area too. That'll give you the opportunity to ask anything you want to someone who may know the answer.

You guys all have great ideas. Thanks for the support. I am a more logical thinker and so design does come difficult to me. I took a c++ basic class. Once I got to more advanced things like classes, I had to abandon ship (my teacher was very passionate and set unrealistic expectations). I think I will start my own section of notes. Im gonna make a website for fun and just see where I get stuck. I want to be able to make appealing things, but my kind doesn't quite think that way. I'm totally not giving up, though. I love code dispute the difficulty