Failing to Learn How to Code in College

Problem
It really sucks to be in college to learn programming and computer science with no experience. Everyone else seems to have at last some experience and picks up on solving coding problems. I can make simple things with code, but I just can’t solve any of the problems that are on the tests or homework. It’s just depressing that I may want to do this one day, but is not good enough to do. No matter what I do, I’m just stuck with my dumb logic and imperfect solutions that lead me nowhere. Will I ever become a programmer? Am I just inherently illiterate in coding? :pensive:

What I’m Going To Do
I’m purposefully failing my computer science class in order to retake the class again for a higher grade, since there is a GPA requirement (3.3 B+ average) at my college for the CS program. I hope that in the mean time, I’ll learn more about coding logic. I feel like it’s not something you pick up easily, but more like an inherent thing. This really discourages me from pursuing CS.

Question
Does it really get any better? Will I get better?

I believe coding is one of the most challenging subjects to learn. It requires lots of patience and an ocean of determination. However, I don’t think it’s hard to solve coding problems. It’s just a way of thinking, really. You will only get used to that process if you constantly practice. When I took up my dream of programming an android app about 2 years ago… I felt useless and depressed… I couldn’t understand anything. It was a terrible experience. But I persevered, and today I have 3 apps under my belt. I’m still a novice yet it feels very good to have come this far… It wasn’t without tears that I got here.

If you are really passionate about programming… Don’t bother about what others think or do… Just keep tinkering and trying! All the best!

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I started coding in university as well. The first 2 subjects I had that involved it I bombed completely, the only reason I passed was because I had people smarter than me to carry me.

Coding didn’t really hit me up until a bit later on, when I got a lecturer who really had a great way to explain things. I started to become more interested and then actually started to enjoy it, and that was when I learned how to code.

Don’t despair too much about not being able to solve the problems, I wasn’t able to either. Try to understand the solution and why it is implemented that way, eventually you’ll build up enough knowledge to solve it yourself. The problem solving approach is different and not something we learn in other subjects, so just try your best to understand and you’ll get there eventually.

In the mean time, I recommend trying an online course, like those at code academy. They have short courses on specific material and you get feedback all along the way. I didn’t have them back when I was in uni but use them a lot now, I use them as my main learning tools now.

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I’m actually going through those right now. They’re really helpful, but they are limited in giving me practice with tougher logic and problems. I feel like I understand the function and the syntax of languages like python, but I just get implement them to solve problems. It’s like having the pieces to solve a jigsaw puzzle but not knowing how to put the pieces together.