The thing that really frustrated me when I first started learning to code was what I now call the “foggy bridge”. It’s a long and dark bridge where...
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What a great article!
I feel you on ,
We need to be patient with ourselves and find our own way.
We have the same goal: to learn how to code.
We have different pathways to get there. It's all about patience, knowing yourself, and knowing what works for you.
Thanks for writing this! It prompted some great introspection.
Thank you! I really enjoyed reading your post on Frankenstein code the other day; it's pretty much exactly how I learned. I started that journey about 18 years ago with mIRC scripting. Mmm, nostalgia. 😎
I'm addicted to edabit. It is so much fun. I 100% agree that it is the best way to learn. I've been programming for over 20 years. I learn something everyday on edabit.
Some users like to play code golf with it while others post more readable solutions. Either way, you learn and have fun.
If you're looking to level-up, do enough of these and you will find that you need the internet less and less. Then, the next time you're asked to live code in an interview, you'll crank it out.
Thank you Matt!
Wow! Thank you. Can I use this comment as a testimonial?
Absolutely!
You're now on the landing page!
👍
Matt, thanks for the article and the creation of edabit. In about 2 days with edabit I feel like I have a much better practical understanding of how to manipulate python lists and I've even learned some new approaches (syntactically and otherwise) thanks to the resources and solutions tabs on each problem. This is a great tool and I feel like I'm perfectly in the middle stage of programming you describe in this article (i.e. "They have no direction other than vague advice to start making things, which is kind of like trying to ride a bike without ever having used training wheels.")
I've occasionally jumped into making stuff (because I had a problem to solve), but even with those wins I felt like my general understanding of programming was limited to the problems I solved (and therefore limited to the problems I could come up with and devote time to). This didn't help my overall feeling that I could really leverage code effectively/quickly enough to invest the time.
In short: thanks for edabit. It's proving (to me) that I basically understand the syntax and how to do things, but it's also increasing my self-efficacy for generally being able to approach problems more quickly with code―which changes my calculation for whether or not it's worth investing the time in coding up a solution.
Thanks for making making more accessible.
Thank you for the encouragement! This kind of feedback really makes doing what I'm doing worth it. Also, I fixed that annoying Python indentation error yesterday (I'm sure you ran into it a few times). If you've got any ideas for site improvements please let me know!! :D
I did run into that error many times! Glad to know it's fixed! I'll certainly send some improvement ideas along as I progress through. I'll try to keep a running list of minor annoyances. The core concept is great though, and really helpful to someone like me. Very much appreciated!
This definitely describes my experience with learning a new programming language.
I really appreciate you creating the Edabit website. It has definitely helped me by putting my Python experience to use to solidify what I have learned.
The "foggy bridge". That's a good one. I think we will always keep experiencing the "foggy bridge" even if we have many years of experience as a programmer. Due to the evolution of tech. But experience gives us the know-how to navigate better through it.
I don't agree with "coding is easy", because it depends. There is a big difference between coding a function that returns a sum of two integers in comparison to a function that displays an image randomly by the hour across the globe without a back-end.
But I liked the post and I'm enjoying Edabit. From all the problem solving sites I've come across Edabit seems the best one to code with JS.
Great Article!
I really enjoyed reading through all of it.
I used to struck in the endless loop of tutorials, docs, and other material but I never new the way to learn coding the best way and make the progress..
You helped me to understand today.
Thanks!!!
Thank you Matt for this wonderful post. I myself being a self-taught developer struggle with this daily. I feel by implementing some of your strategies it will help me to become a more confident developer.
Fantastic article.
You put into words how I have been feeling recently, stuck in-between two experience levels. Not quite a beginner anymore, but not heavily experienced either. I have been extremely fortunate that I do not burn out easily, so I have stayed motivated. Someone once told me the number one reason people don't make it, is persistence. I hope others realize you have to keep going, keep problem solving, and you will grow along the way. I think this puts that sentiment in a more actionable context though, and I think it will help people getting started who are growing frustrated.
Also I have just signed up for Edabit, it is very well done. Did you make the validation tools for the problems yourself? Or do you use a api service like Judge0 or Sphere Engine?
Keep up the great work, you are helping change lives.
Hey I just recently signed up and paid for edabit PRO, but my email is not verifying, and i'm getting no support from edabit to verify my account or reset my account. How can I get in contact with someone?
Good article. Great work. Equally useful to the newbies and oldies. This infographic will help in understanding the Artificial Intelligence Trends & Applications To Watch In 2020
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Grate article
Thanks, Matt! I'm in about step 2 of my journey into programming :D
I don't even know where to begin. This post is exactly what I have felt for a while now. You are so correct when you said a big industry is built on beginner books about syntax but then when you jump to things like design patterns and data structures and algorithms it leaves the people who are self taught or just beginning with this paralyzing fear or view that they are never going to learn this stuff.
Many thanks for this great article. If you have time could you expand on problem 2. solving problems. I think the step from 1 -> 2 is by far the biggest but once you get to 2, I think jump to 3 becomes easier.
Wow this is a great article and it sounds like what I'm going through right now. I'm 46 and I've been learning to code about a year. Right now I'm an intermediate coder, and I'm in a situation where I can't find any intermediate stuff online. Luckily, someone from Reddit told me about edabit.com. All I can say is it is a great place to practice. I solved a couple of Mr. MacPherson's script. Thank you very much.
Love Edabit. It's my deliberate practice for Coding ! :D
Thank you
This blog post and edabit.com looks like an answer to my prayers! Thank you!
I thought it will be stay free.
Damn. Needed this.
Hi, please check mail registration and approve them. thanks so much
I liked the approach, but for someone who is beginning, it would be important to choose a language wich its syntax and problem solving patterns are inherited by major of languages.
Most popular languages are based on C syntax. Exceptions being Python and Ruby. Problem solving patterns are pretty much universal so far as I can tell... Functions, loops, variables, conditionals, etc. I don’t believe the syntax part is very important. Most people can pick it up relatively quickly. Solving problems with syntax is the challenging part.