Im feeling very discouraged...

Question

I just started coding at 24. To save you all the sappy sad details, I'm not the smartest person even though everyone around me tells me how smart I am all the time. I'm just getting into the real programming with JS and suddenly hit this brick wall where everything seems impossible to me and I feel like this may be too hard... I really wanna do this because I enjoy it and I wanna put my family in a good place but I feel like I'm having really bad imposter syndrome. Am I right that this is too difficult or am I overreacting and overthinking and just need to tough it out and stop feeling bad for myself? Would really love to hear some of your stories and hear some words of encouragement...

Answer 1

Hey Steven.
I think everybody struggles with imposter syndrome from time to time, and when you have just started programming, it can be quite frequent. I started my programming journey two years ago, and I have struggled a lot with imposter syndrome. I was 33 when I started my journey, and I hadn't touched programming before starting. Like the others in the comments, I will also tell you that it takes time to learn programming, and it is very easy to feel like you are a failure because programming gets more and more complex the further you progress. This can seem overwhelming, and you can have a rough period, but it will get better. Just take your time understanding the concepts around programming. Because you will reach a breaking point where the pieces just start to fall into place. You will start to gain more and more confidence in your programming, so just keep at it. I use Sololearn to help me strengthen my basics and learn some programming I don't really use in my everyday life. I do this to get a broader understanding of the programming sphere.
I can understand that working with JS from the beginning can be very frustrating because JS can be harder to debug or get a response out of, but that being said, I also think it can be very motivating because you can see some visual output faster than with most other options. I would keep at it with the JS, and do the different JS courses on Sololearn and combine them with the web courses as well. They can give you a good foundation for learning more advanced JS.
Hope this can help you stick with your programming journey.

Answer 2

Hi Steven Burke Learning programming takes time; it's a journey to master these languages. Even experienced developers can find JavaScript challenging, despite its versatility. Its primary purpose is to add interactivity to web pages. Understanding HTML and the HTML DOM helps you grasp how JavaScript works. If web development isn't your primary focus, starting with Python's user-friendly syntax provides a solid foundation for comprehending core programming concepts. I hope you find this information valuable.

Answer 3

When I came to learning JavaScript years ago, it was the same for me. I completed the JavaScript course in Sololearn, but I felt not being able to create simplest codes for myself. So I made a wide detour around JavaScript because it was a complete mystery to me. And I already had knowledge in BASIC and Python.
By the beginning of this year, when ChatGPT became famous, this was a gamechanger for me.
It feels like having a good friend who already knows a lot about the matter, sitting right next to you at the computer, ready to assist you at any time. You can ask them the most basic questions for the umpteenth time, and they have infinite patience to look at what you've done and correct your mistakes, well, most of the time at least.

Answer 4

Mirielle, I think Steven Burke is new to programming.
By looking at the profile, there is Coding Foundations and Intro to JS only. Most importantly both of them are In Progress. Without basic concept such as loops and decision branching really make JS difficult to understand and discouraging. Needless to say the messy syntax of JS comes into play in my opinion.
However you are right, having a project in mind (no matter how small); a problem to solve or try to automatic simple task can push you to learn and develop problem solving skills. Of course it needs to pick the right language to implement.

Answer 5

Learning programming as a self-taught programmer can be very difficult. You also have to create you own learning structure.
Make learning as comfortable as possible and give yourself enough time. For me it's very motivating if I see other people do cool stuff. That's inspiring me and I want to create something similar. I'm sure you can do it. Good luck. 🤗🍀

Answer 6

You can try the Intro and Intermediate Python courses first, getting some basic concept of data type and functions.
Once you learn the basic, virtually you can transfer your knowledge to other language such as Java and C.
In my opinion, javascript is not easy to understand because of the wire syntax.