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Alan Bares
2,312 PointsSo is it normal being lost on how to start challenges?
Just curious since every challenge so far I've had no idea how to start or type up anything. It's only after I look through the forums or watch the solution video that I figure out what's going on.
I can roughly understand how everything works when I see the finished code but I just have trouble typing up the code out of thin air without having examples to work off of.
With that said not letting dissuade me but it's def frustrating when I actually do have some understanding of what's happening. I am hoping attending hackathons and all the meetups I signed up for this month will help me in this regard.
Alan Bares
2,312 PointsThanks for replying. I pretty much always end up looking at someone's code then kinda reverse engineering. Though I'm not sure if I can call it that since I'm just copying it lol. Though, I usually understand what's happening and I'm determined to not just copy and paste without an understanding of what I was copying. In the end I usually figure out why the solution is set up that way. But yeah again I'm sitting there like how did people come up with it in the first place?!.
I tried so hard not to just look at the solution videos or someone else's solution. My goal was to figure out how to finish the challenge using previous videos and code as a base. But in the end I always end up looking at a solution since otherwise I have no idea how to get started. Also having issues with the JavaScript challenges, which are the only course I've tried that has from scratch challenges.
Just hoping it's a part of the learning process since I'm trying multiple avenues of learning coding but with a focus on web dev and JavaScript in particular.
1 Answer
John Hill
Front End Web Development Techdegree Graduate 35,236 PointsI just ran into this today in my own brain. A couple things that help this feeling of not knowing where to start:
1) Try to work out the large concepts instead of the syntactical particulars by identifying the players you'll be needing in your script. You can say, for example, "OK, I know I'll need three variables and the function needs to do something like this. Then I'll want it to do this and here's how it might happen." This will take the load off from essentially trying to memorize a dictionary's worth of commands and help you to see what's REALLY going on. Keep an eye out for patterns in what the instructors show. For example, "OK, first they import libraries, then they define some variables, then they do a 'for' statement…."
2) Fill in what you know and be OK with not knowing it all right now. If a code challenge asks you to swap two items in an array and you know how to call each item, but don't know how to swap them, just type out what you know and then reference the rest. This will help you get an idea of what's sticking and what's not.
Definitely be patient with yourself and enjoy the time you put into it. Think looseness, be easy-going, and celebrate small accomplishments. IMO, our earliest goal should not be mastery of a language or completion of a project, but to see how consistently we can learn and practice. Then you can say, "Well, I'm still fuzzy on how to get started, but I was on Treehouse each day this week, and the laws of practice-makes-perfect state that in some near future, I will be slightly less fuzzy -- one day, lucid!" Mastery comes from consistency, so stick with it! And to make that consistency enjoyable, have FUN! (<---seriously, enjoy the challenges; see how they make you grow! Laugh at it all!)
Another idea: google simple project tutorials and follow along. For brain-boosts: change up where you study & exercise/meditate prior to study.
Jack Gordon
9,232 PointsJack Gordon
9,232 PointsHi Alan!
In my personal experience with learning on treehouse, there have been a number of times a challenge has started and I have had no idea what to do. In this case I sometimes utilise the forums or documentation for the language and tried to tackle it that way.
The best thing in my opinion is to carry on and at some point go back to that course that you found so difficult and try it again. I notice that I can work out the problems intuitively and completely understand what is being asked of me and it's a great feeling.
To summarise, the learning curves can be massively steep sometimes but in looking back on it as you advance you will notice your knowledge expand and understand how to solve situations you had no idea how to before.
Sounds like you have a great month lined up ahead of you, I hope you enjoy it.
All the best!!!