I was feeling very confident with my JavaScript until I arrived at the Fizz buzz exercise. Fizz Buzz is a word game that replaces any number divisible by three with the word "fizz", and any number divisible by five with the word "buzz" and any number divided by 15 with the word FizzBuzz and all coded in JavaScript. To be honest JavaScript is a constant problem that I’m dealing with, and to be more specific I’m having trouble with loops and arrays. I know how it works and I understand the code when I read it most of the time, but for some reason I can't write it myself. It is very annoying because I really like JavaScript, it is like a love and hate relationship.
In the beginning I always feel anxious and stuck, so I take my time, reread the instructions again and again, and try to write it in pseudo code (plain language description of the steps).
Pseudocode is amazing, because it helps me to organize my code and organize my instructions without interfering with the proper code. I can delete them when I’m done with it (if I want).
Then I visit my friend Google, it actually knows everything. The only problem is that sometimes I really don’t know how to express myself and ask what I really need.
Also console.log is a great help, it checks if my functions or code are actually doing something or if they are just taking up space.
If I’m still stuck I send some private messages to people that I feel comfortable with. They are always amazing as they have the patience to explain the logic behind it all. If they don't know, they encourage me to ask the Foundation chat. I’m very shy when I don’t know people, so I tried to leave the foundation chat as my last resource, but I learned that is a very bad decision, because when I asked for help I got an amazing answer that opened up my mind and made me understand even more.
In the beginning I got very panicked and stressed, I tried to relax by taking a break and doing some breathing exercises before starting anything.
I also have the bad habit of immediately trying to code before even reading all the instructions, which makes me more anxious and stressed when I realize that I don’t know how to solve it.
I have learned to slow down even more and slowly read all the instructions. Once I understand and manage to get something working I just keep going.
Reading Mindset by Dr. Carol S. Dweck is such a great help. It keeps my mood up, it encourages me to believe in my abilities, and it keeps pushing me on the learning process - JavaScript is brain killing at the moment.
I learned that I know that I can succeed in web development, and that asking for help is a very human thing to do - I shouldn’t be scared of that.
Needing help or time is not a weakness, it is a motivation to keep growing as a person and a student. We are all on this path together and we should help each other in the process.