100 Days of Code: Day 17
I was only able to finish one section of FreeCodeCamp today, and that was Seek and Destroy. And sadly I had to see how the answer was completed in order to understand the problem.
I hate doing this since it’s basically looking up the answer, but I’ve been stuck on this problem for 2 days (minus yesterday since I once again desperately needed sleep) and wanted to know what exactly I was doing wrong.
Come to find out I was using the .filter() method incorrectly. To set up .filter(), you need to do this:
array = array.filter(function(val) {
return val !== 5;
});
I was being an idiot and just doing this: array.filter(); Of course nothing was happening since I was using the method incorrectly. I also had some other things set up incorrectly too, but as I mentioned, I was able to read the basic solution provided by FreeCodeCamp and I now understand the problem and what needed to be done. (Wow! That’s a loooong sentence!)
I’ve started Where do I belong and had to look up how to do comparisons for using .sort() again. You can check that out here. I think I know what I need to do, but I also said that with the previous problem.
I think what I’m currently going through is what I like to call “coder depression.” It’s when you feel like you’ll never understand what you’re doing, you start to question your abilities and if coding is actually right for you. And you also start to beat yourself up, thinking you could be spending your time doing something more productive instead of staring at code you don’t understand. You start to hate the people trying to help you on the FCC Chat since it feels like they really aren’t “helping” even though they are. And there’s also the feeling of wanting to throw your laptop out the window or against a wall because you’re so frustrated with it all. You may even feel like crying or screaming or hitting something or some combination of all the above. And you also feel like no one else can possibly know what it’s like to be in this position.
Truth is, all coders go through this, and it’s okay. Actually, it’s totally normal. The best thing to do in this situation is exactly what I’m about to do after finishing this post:
1) Walk away and don’t look at/think about it for the rest of the night (unless it’s your job — then work on another project and come back to the previous one later)
2) Eat something or just rest. You’re brain has been working overtime most likely and you just need some down time.
3) Do something you enjoy. I’m getting ready to pick up a book I’m reading called The Circle about a young woman working in a tech company. It’s incredible and very hard to put down! I have to do my hour of code before I start reading since that’s all I’ll want to do for the rest of the evening.
This is what I end up doing to stop my “coder depression.” You’re methods may be similar or completely different, but as long as you can go back to your work feeling better about the situation, you’re on the right track.
Coding isn’t for everyone. It’s HARD and takes a LOOONG time to get down. But the rewards afterward are totally worth it!
And now, I’m off to read. My brain needs to rest.
