I've been feeling pretty lost with my coding journey lately. I started off having fun creating and automating things, but as I pushed myself to learn more complex topics like web apps with Django and REST APIs, then databases like PostgreSQL, and eventually diving into frontend development with React, it all began to feel overwhelming. It seems like everything snowballed, and I don't feel like I actually understand how to code anymore—I find myself relying too much on documentation and Stack Overflow, which leaves me frustrated.
To change things up, I decided to tackle a Python project that's more fundamental: building a chess engine. This was something I had considered before but never pursued. However, I quickly found myself confused and stuck, having researched for hours but still feeling lost. When I look for answers, I either find nothing for my simple questions or overly complex answers that just give me the code without context.
Now I'm thinking about dropping this project entirely and trying something different. I really miss the days when I could just create classes and functions from scratch without all these frameworks and libraries. I wonder if anyone else feels this way or if I'm just going about everything wrong. Should I focus on a project without any external dependencies? I'm feeling kind of demotivated and need some guidance.
3 Answers
You're definitely not alone in feeling this way. The balance of using libraries and frameworks can be tricky. It's important to understand the concepts behind them rather than just slapping things together. If you're feeling stuck on your chess engine, maybe try starting with smaller parts of the project like just displaying a board and managing pieces. Gradually build up from there—you'll find it much more manageable!
I completely relate to this feeling! You're doing just fine; it's a sign you're growing and pushing your limits. Instead of stressing about mastering every tool, focus on building stuff. As you tackle challenges, you'll naturally encounter your weaknesses and improve. Just keep coding, and don't sweat it too much!
It's totally normal to feel overwhelmed, especially when you're leveling up your skills. The thing is, going back to the basics can really help! Studying the fundamentals isn't a waste of time—it gives you a strong foundation for everything else. Just remember, every developer feels like this at some point, and the more you build and troubleshoot, the more you'll understand. Keep pushing through, you'll get there!
Great advice! Breaking projects down into smaller steps really helps. Sometimes just moving a piece around can spark more ideas.