I've been diving into programming seriously for about 8 months, but I'm struggling to keep the knowledge I've gained. For instance, I'm currently learning about the `sort` and `sorted` functions in Python and can use them today, but I find that I forget the differences between them just a few days later. What strategies can help me retain this kind of knowledge? I really want to move beyond the basics and avoid getting stuck on topics like loops.
3 Answers
It's totally normal to feel this way when you're starting out. I had to stay immersed in tech constantly, or I felt like I'd forget everything. I took a 6-week break recently and didn't miss a beat! You'll find that some things stick better than you think.
When you were a kid learning new words, remember how your teacher didn't just cover them once and expect you to know them forever? They'd quiz you and give you homework over time. The same applies here!
You really have to actively use what you're learning. Just studying without practice means it'll slip away. Keep coding regularly, and you'll see better retention! Also, just a quick tip: `sort` is like the action of sorting, while `sorted` is describing something that is already sorted, so that might help you remember.
Yeah, but just to clarify, `sorted` isn't about whether the list is already sorted or not in Python. It's actually a function that takes any iterable and returns a new sorted list. So they're a bit different in how they work!