I'm feeling really defeated right now and need to vent a bit. At 26, I always thought I wanted to make video games. I took a few computer science classes in high school and some basics in community college. After getting my associates, I took a break from school for about five years and joined the military, but I tried to keep studying programming. Currently, I'm enrolled in a coding class. I can do the assignments, but I'm noticing that it takes me longer and longer to finish them, which is super frustrating. For example, I spent around 30 hours on a recent project, just to realize I misunderstood how to implement a binary tree correctly, so now I have to redo a lot of work. It's really demoralizing, and I'm questioning whether I'm cut out for this. If it feels this hard, should I keep pursuing programming? I've said all my life I want to be a programmer, but what if this frustration means it's not the right path for me?
2 Answers
Nah, you're actually doing better than a lot of people! Don't be too hard on yourself. Remember, many of us faced setbacks when learning to code—it’s all part of the journey!
What you’re feeling is totally normal. Everyone in this field hits walls like you’re experiencing; it just takes time to build that experience. Remember that challenges exist in every career path. If making video games is still your dream, keep that goal in sight. I know a guy who had a similar dream and ended up in web development, but he still wishes he had stuck to his passion for gaming.
Thanks for that! It’s nice to hear someone thinks so. I guess I just needed a little encouragement.