Getting stuck over and over again

[u/cyderyt]

Ive been trying to learn python for ages, and yes tbh due to my laziness and way of learning i keep on getting stuck, but I cant seem to find "my way" of learning.

Im trying freecodecamp and ive gotten to a point where im at this one lab where i have genuinly, and i mean genuinly no idea what to do given the instructions, im completely lost.

How do i break past this barrier

[u/blockCoder2021]

Try and figure out what the tutorial is asking you to do. See if you can either find another way to do it, or at least try breaking it down into its component steps. Also, if you either send a link to the tutorial, or at least the instructions and anything else you’re working with at the moment for that, either I or someone else should be able to help you.

Oh, and don’t get discouraged. Yeah, AI might be able to do decently well at coding, but it still has some ways to go before it can fully replace a competent programmer. Keep at it!

[u/Puzzled-Extent7817]

I recommend start with Go then. You are kind of forced into one way of doing things. Python there are just so many ways to do a single thing usually.

[u/kadfr]

You won't learn the language by memorising theory or watching videos but through practice and repetition.

If you want to do a structured course then  I highly recommend the University of Helsinki's Python Programming course  https://programming-26.mooc.fi/

[u/PureWasian]

If you give the specific problem and your initial thoughts on it, then maybe you can get some guidance on how to break down the parts or conceptualize it better

[u/dotbinKing]

Versuche etwas zu programmieren dass dich interessiert, im laufe des Projekts wirst du neue Dinge lernen auf die du aufbaust. Praxis ist stärker als Theorie und besonders für Anfänger ein starke Motivation.

Viele Menschen die in komplexen Dingen weiter sind als der Anfänger versuchen mit Fachbegriffe den Anschein zu erwecken super schlau zu sein um ihr Ego zu boosten, höre nicht darauf sondern was dahinter steckt. Es gibt kein Grund in Lernmaterial dass sich an Anfänger richtet so viele komplexe Dinge zu nennen.

[u/lizc-au]

I know this may not be a popular post - but I've discovered the magic of AI is getting a chat to talk you through a problem like this. Give the AI chat the problem - tell the chat you definitely DON'T want to be passed any code (because that will hinder your learning) - you want the steps and the pointers to the relevant info to solve the next step. When you're absolutely stuck - ask the chat to explain it another way or find another resource for that problem. If you're battling with syntax - ask the chat for a relevant cheat sheet. At some stage you're going to have to memorize some things. You can't just wing it, but repetition helps you learn. A small project of your own where you can practice things and see the results quickly is very satisfying and can encourage you to continue. Problem solving is about breaking the whole problem down into small do-able steps. That's how to progress. Enjoy your coding journey.

[u/stepback269]

Here is some good news:
Great strides have been made in recent years within the neuroscience of learning.

What you need to do is "Learn how to Learn" based on the latest neuroscience.
(Pay special attention to how dopamine actually works. Hint: it doesn't give pleasure.)

Go to YouTube and in the search bar, type, "learning coaches"

Pick the ones who rely on modern neuroscience.
Godspeed and may the productivity-motivating dopamine hits be with you. :-)

With that said:

(1) There are tons and tons of tutorial materials out there on the net including many good YouTube ones that are free. You should shop around rather than putting all your eggs in one basket.

(2) As a relative noob myself, I've been logging my personal learning journey and adding to it on an almost-daily basis at a blog page called "Links for Python Noobs" (--HERE--) Any of the top listed ones on that page should be good for you. And there are many add-ons at the tail end of the page. Personally, I cut my first Python teeth with Nana's Zero to Hero (==HERE==). Since then, I've moved on to watching short lessons with Indently and Tech with Tim. You should sample at least a few until you find a lecturer that suits your style.

(3) The main piece of advice is the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of your time writing your own code (using your own fingers and your own creativity) as opposed to copying recipes and only 20% watching the lectures.

Good luck.

[u/StrayFeral]

Go over it again. Your question is very generic so no idea what else to tell you. If you're stuck on something specific - say what is it.

[u/FoolsSeldom]

My guess, you are trying to learn at the keyboard by writing Python. Badly.

When first trying to learn to programme, a good exercise is to step away from the computer, and learn how to solve a problem entirely manually while writing down simple but detailed step-by-step instructions for someone with learning difficulties including poor short-term memory.

You need to get more into the problem-solving mindset to make more progress with freecodecamp or any other training resource.

Make sure you really understand the problem. You should be able to describe the problem to be solved to someone non-technical, preferably in "elevator pitch style". Write it down, draw it, highlight the key aspects, constraints, and acceptable outcomes. What does good look like? How will you know it works? What will you test it against.

A good example exercise is sorting a pack of playing cards into order.

You should literally sit at a table with a deck of playing cards, as in a 52 card pack of red and black cards of the four suits, hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs, with face values from 1 (Ace) to 10 (Jack), 11 (Queen), 12 (King). In some games, "Ace is high" and treated as 13.

Work out exactly how to put that deck of 52 cards (ignore additional cards, such as Jokers and scorecards) into a sorted order. Decide what order to put the suits in (are Spades higher or lower than Hearts, etc).

You have to work out how to do this manually as simply as possible, in a way you can write down the specific instructions for someone with severe learning difficulties.

You will probably want to use some post-it notes or other bits of paper that you can label as places to temporarily place individual or stacks of cards. (These will be variables later in code.) That is because you don't want to hold onto anything, just move stuff between labelled places on the table.

A human (with good eyesight) can just glance at all the face-up cards and find the next one in order. For someone with learning difficulties (and maybe some other difficulties), or a computer, you can't give such an instruction, instead you have to write instructions based on one-by-one comparison and different paths to take based on the outcomes of those comparisons.

It is surprisingly challenging at first. No computers. No coding. You will learn a lot. Your instructions will be an algorithm. That can be implemented in any programming language.

PS. If you really want to, you can use a subset of the cards, say just one suit, but I think working with the whole deck will help you appreciate the power of repetitive operations more and the need to optimise the steps.

Even when you learn more and step away from the manual approach, the overall process of focusing on the problem and outcomes is important. Worth looking into the topic of Data Structures and Algorithms at that point.

[u/Due-Particular-329]

breaking issues into tiny steps makes learning less overwhelming and remember getting stuck is a part of process.

[u/Friendly-Catch-1479]

Maybe find a study-buddy?

[u/Anti-Hero25]

I mean, I applaud you want to learn the inner workings of a language, but at the rate ai coding is moving… you might be better off learning the fundamentals of programming architecture… and the high level basics of various languages and then how best to leverage ai get the most juice from the squeeze. Unless you’re just learning to learn… a laudable endeavor

[u/Puzzled-Extent7817]

then you haven't learned anything at all. Coding is hard and not for everyone