I've been dabbling in programming for a while and thought I was making good progress until I hit a wall with data structures. I initially grasped the basics like arrays in multiple languages, but as soon as I encountered linked lists, stacks, and queues, everything fell apart. I understand the concepts but translating them into actual code feels overwhelming.
I've been seeking out resources and tutorials, but I just don't seem to understand how to implement them correctly. There are so many different approaches out there!
Another challenge I face is retention. I learn something new, but by the time I need it again, I can't remember the details. This is particularly true with web development, where I often find myself stuck, either because I haven't fully grasped the concepts or I've forgotten them.
I just want to clarify that I'm a total beginner—my experience so far includes languages like Python, C++, C, PHP, and Java, but I'm only familiar with arrays for now.
1 Answer
It sounds like you're trying to memorize coding techniques instead of just practicing them. The key to learning programming is writing code. Think of it as an 80/20 split: 80% practice, 20% theory. Choose one language to focus on and really dive deep into it instead of jumping around.
School mandates that I learn several languages, which is frustrating. Data types can be really confusing, but I’m planning to apply what I can into my projects. Thanks for the tips!