Programming

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Feeling dumb (feddit.nl)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/programming

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I've been learning on and off about programming for 3 years now. Mostly front-end, html/css/js, for school projects. My degree isn't in CS or IT, so projects that give the opportunity to code are scarce and often short. So I get that I may simply may not have enough hours in coding.

So I'm delighted to be taking CS50 as a Minor at the moment, this has given me the chance to sink a lot of hours in coding, and currently I am in week 5 Data Structures.

But every time I start on the problem sets, I feel overwhelmed and feel like I don't understand anything. I have to Google/GPT the most basic of things. Even though I've been programming regularly the past 6 weeks, I don't feel as if I have improved and I'm starting to doubt if this is a career for me.

In a year I would like to find a career in development. Have any of you felt this way? And what has helped you get rid of this imposter syndrome?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Don't rely too much on chatgpt before you understand the basic concept.

You should also read the books. E.g. pick axe book(i.e. programming with ruby). You could also find the recommended books in your CS50 course. Also ask your online course buddies and instructors for help.

If you only have exp in html, css and js, don't regard yourself as you are already familiar with programming. Learn as a beginner. Go back to the earliest topics you have trouble with. Try to get the concept and work your ways to the situation where you feel overwhelmed.

Good luck!

[–] Lmaydev 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I personally disagree with this massively. ChatGPT is really good at explaining concepts.

Don't ask it to write your code though.

[–] bnjmn 1 points 1 year ago

The problem is, ChatGPT tends to be very willing to throw code at you, even if you didn't ask for it.

[–] atheken 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

LLMs aren’t going to give you a roadmap or prioritize concepts. They also frequently produce contradictory information.

They’re good tools if you already have some experience and vocabulary in the field, but a more structured approach to building some projects and acquiring skills is better.

[–] Lmaydev 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Indeed. But you just have to learn to use them like any tool.

Most things that used to be a Google followed by skimming articles can now be a question to them.

They are also remarkably good at explaining code snippets. If you drop a line of code in there and ask it what it is it'll explain it piece by piece with correct terminology and answer any follow up questions really well.

That gets around the not knowing terminology problem that many beginners have

I do this frequently with the legacy SQL I have to deal with at work. It can handle some really nasty stuff very well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

If I go over existing code then it all seems to make sense. And when I start coding I can recall the relevant code from the lectures, notes and previous exercises. But I often get stuck on using the right syntax when working with new concepts. Then I prompt that part like a debugger, and ask it to explain how and why it works; so I can proceed. I haven't check any of the recommended books so i'll dive into those