Problems I faced when studying programming

What are the most common problems when we decide to study programming?

I’ll describe some of the problems I went through during my life as a programming student. This post is part of the story of how I studied the wrong way.

When I started, we didn’t have all the resources we have today, like Google, Stack Overflow, and others.

The first question was: what should I study, and how do I start?

HTML and CSS tutorials I searched the internet for tutorials that taught how to build websites, and I jumped straight into the fire without knowing anything, without understanding what HTML is or what impact CSS had on a site. Then came the first bruises: since I didn’t know what I was doing, I did things any old way, expecting the same results as the tutorials.

Tips: Before jumping into the fire, study the basics, and don’t move on until you understand how the ecosystem works, no matter how simple the language is. Find someone to use as a reference. Someone more experienced will give you important tips. Create a study routine with focus and discipline.

Study whatever is hyped? I was a bit lost when I started. With no direction, I studied everything that came along, so I didn’t learn anything.

Tips: Pick one resource, whether a course, a book, or a blog post. Study it, understand it, and then move on to the next one. Be disciplined when studying that material, and set a time for that study routine. It’s hard at first, but with focus and discipline you can do it.

Organization? As I described above, I was lost and didn’t have a shred of organization. I didn’t know what I was studying, and I didn’t know how to organize my studies and materials, so when I jumped to another tutorial, book, or course, I almost always found myself studying the same content.

Tips: When you pick your material, make a schedule of what you’re going to study. If it’s video-based, first watch and write down the important points, then practice. If you didn’t understand the process, watch the video again. In your head, rewatching the video will set you back, but believe me, it will help you down the road.

Questions? It’s natural to have questions about the content while you study. When I had questions, I simply had no one to ask, so I skipped to the next part of the content, thinking there would be an explanation in the next chapter or video.

Tips: Find a mentor, someone who can answer your questions and guide your learning process.

Ask smart questions. I admit it’s easier to get answers today: Stack Overflow, Google, communities, and more. I got snapped at by some people early on, simply because I didn’t know how to ask, or because the problem was simple and I hadn’t read carefully, or hadn’t even searched beforehand to see if I could solve it myself.

Tips: If you feel you need a “one-on-one” approach, do the following: Search on Google first. The problem you’re facing today was someone else’s problem in the past. If you couldn’t understand it or find it, write your question and make it as clear as possible, showing the person exactly the part you didn’t understand. When you reach out, remember that the person you’re asking for help has commitments, so don’t waste their time. Be direct and clear.

This post was meant to give tips to improve your performance when studying programming. I hope this content helped.