I am struggling in my first python class. Does this mean the computer science track isn’t for me?

I would be more worried if you were not struggling with your first class. Maybe try thinking of solutions in pseudo code first.

E. G. You want to print the numbers one through four. Easy

  Print 1
  Print 2
  Print 3
  Print 4

Ok, but now you want to print one through four hundred... It might be easier if we could just tell the computer to reuse the print command

  Print x, but do it 400 times

But what is x? And is it going to print the same thing 400 times? This needs more definition, and should be broken into smaller steps

  Let's set x to 1
  Let's print x
  Let's add one to x
  Is x larger than 400? 
  If so we should probably stop. 
  If not, we should print x... 
  But instead of printing here, let's go back to that previous print command!

And that right there would be a "while" loop. Not the best solution, but you can better understand the process. We would need to move the steps around a little bit too.

  Let's set x to 1
  If x is less or equal to 400, carry on.
  Otherwise, stop. 
     Print x
     Add one to x
     Go back and check the value of x to see if we can stop. 

It might look like this

  x = 1
  while(x <= 400):
     print(x)
     x = x + 1

You may notice the psedo code has an instruction to go back. This part happens "under the hood" when the end of the "block" is encountered. The end of the block is when the code is no longer indented.

But for a loop that counts sequentially, we typically would want to use a "for" loop for this process.

  For a variable x, let's start at one
  Let's limit x to increment up to 400
  Let's only increment x by one.
  And after each increment, let's print the value of x!

This solution might look like this

  for x in range(1,400,1):
     print(x)

This needs some explanation though. The range function starts at the first digit (1), and continues until it reaches the second digit (400). The third digit is how much to increment (by 1).

But since incrementing by one is the default, we can simplify by writing

  for x in range(1,400):
     print(x)

But then you might run this code and realize only 1 through 399 printed. That is because I made a mistake. With range, the first number is inclusive and the second is not. We need to type 400+1 or 401, so range stops at the right spot. A lot of it is trial and error :)

  for x in range(1,401):
     print(x)

I'm sure this has been explained better than I have here, but I just wanted to show how thinking in pseudo code can be more beneficial to learning how to program than memorizing syntax.

I hope this helps! (and I hope I formatted this OK!). Best of luck to you on your journey!

Edit: Thank you all for the kind words! And awards!! It makes me happy to know that any of you found this helpful 😊 Programming is often arduous and is always a neverending journey. The best we can do is to try helping one another on our way.

No, I'm a python engineer at a fortune 20 and I struggle every day with somethin.

Nah, keep going. I took a C class in college and totally failed it.

Your grade does not matter. Do you enjoy the class and programming in general? If you enjoy it the computer science track is an option for you. If you hate it now there's a strong chance you will always hate it, so I'd advise you to look for another career track.

Ask yourself, "do I enjoy this subject?" If you say "no because it's hard" this is a meaningless argument, just because somethings hard doesn't mean you should stop doing it. It is human nature to avoid doing hard things because it brings us out of our comfort zone, you must avoid this temptation. This comes with practice; you won't be scared to fight the lion after you've done it 100 times(please don't fight a lion). I struggled with math for years and have it only click at the age of 19 seems insane, but it's normal because things take time to learn. A strategy I used and currently still use is "do it every day"(code in your example), this will help you develop your skills constantly. I can even relate so close to you when I took AP C.S in high school. I didn't understand "for loops" at all, I hated them, they were so confusing! Look at me now a couple of years later I can program independently which isn't a special talent I have, it's just a skill that took lots of time to develop; we are human after all. I struggled with dyslexia for all my public education, for a long time I thought I was "dumb". Years later I top my classmates in college courses not because I'm gifted but because I changed my mindset, told myself I can do anything I put my mind to and most importantly worked hard. If I can do it you can do it. You should feel blessed you are struggling because the ones who don't struggle will never grow.

The only real way to learn a new languaje is failing a lot. You are ir the right direction, just try to do exercises in python, or even better, try to make a project in which you dont have any idea where to start. When you are pushed to learn something that you dont understand you are forced to search information an try to understand everything. It can be so frustrating, but in that way you will get a lot of knowledge.

Richard Feynman has a great take on how we educate people and its worth looking him up for some sage advice.
I personally believe that we should be teaching how to solve these things by working through them with people rather than giving tests asking people to solve these things.
If you can find a tutorial that works through making a thing like sudoku solver for example and that explains the thinking behind why they go down this road to the solution.

This needs to be how we teach programing rather than stressing the shit out of people we need to show and explain how and why of the thing. Lose the testing completely and spend more time on teaching how to think like a programmer as well as the programming side of things.

I was dogshit at C# in college and I use VBA & SQL every day. Sometimes some things will click and others won't. Doesn't mean you aren't suited to a subject. You'll find whatever method is best for you to accomplish your goals, so long as you stick with the overall path

Every single person in your class is struggling as much as you are. They just didn't tell anyone, which makes it look like there's a bias. Learning a trade/craft/profession takes decades not just a month or two in a class. You'll get there, just be patient with yourself and learn to forgive yourself :)

No, first class always sucks, this also happened to me when i was learning my first programming language, just keep learning and practicing you will get better

This returns a False from me.

Keep going. Maybe my story will give you some perspective. My first CS class was one that was pass/NC which I took in 2014 as one of my last classes before graduation with a non-STEM degree. I did not get credit.

Recently, I decided to go back for a CS degree and retook that course. I came out with a high B. My programming projects were all high As. It was some lesser scores on theory that dropped me down, but going from an F to a high B shows that people can do this. Trust me, just keep working and focus on the fundamentals.

I have a good grade in the class thanks to the help of a tutor

This is the main bit I read.

Your tutors are there to help you.

Keep at it and you'll get there.

If you find something isn't making sense, find someone who'll explain it differently and or draw it out on paper. I liked the Socratica youtube videos when I was learning. Work out how to say it in 'plain english'.

EG "for each item in the list, do this, then do that, then move onto the next line." or whatever loop/code you're working on. If you can explain what it's doing it will start to make more sense. Say it out loud, you'll hear what bits you don't understand well, work out how to reword it. Personally, if I don't understand something I'm reading, I end up just skim reading and telling myself I understand even though I've only recognised the words. Say it all out loud.

Post here what part is confusing you, and you'll get a bunch of people explaining it different ways, and some of them might make more sense

Programming is really more about solving puzzles than "speaking a language". If you enjoy the challenge of finding a solution to a problem, then keep going. If you don't enjoy the process of finding a solution, you may want to think about what you want moving forward.

Not at all first class was Java, got a 1.8 GPA in it and I’m a successful data engineer now. Just keep at it mate

Abstract programming problems are fucking hard. I couldn't solve the simplest leetcode problems until I had been programming for over a year. That shit is not enjoyable as a beginner at all and super discouraging and if your school is teaching through abstract problems like that, that's just bad pedagogy and not your problem.

Find the things about python that you enjoy and do them. Do your best in the class, but don't see the grade as a reflection of your self worth.

Don't give up. You can do this! We're here if you need help with anything too :D

I barely passed in calculus II in college. I barely made it through my pattern recognition class. I made it through somehow. If I can do it, you can too. Just keep going! And don't hesitate to ask for help. From my experience, people are scary until you talk to them. Have fun!

If this is your first time learning a programming language this is totally normal. The simplest things eluded me starting out. On the plus side once you understand the concepts they translate to nearly every other language. The only difference usually is the syntax.

Part of programming is learning a specific type of problem solving (how to ask the right question, how to phrase your internet searches to get meaningful results etc). It gets much easier with experience.

Are you able to put into words what it is about loops you are having trouble with? If you can do that we can probably help you work through it.

I teach python at a top-tier university. You are not alone. Many students are in the same boat at this stage.

There are some concepts in programming that literally require an epiphany, and then it all falls into place. Keep working until you have that, and you will be fine. Try to come at the things that are confusing to you from different directions. It helps to:

1. Have many different people explain the concept to you - they will use different words and analogies, and maybe find the one that solidifies it for you.
2. Try to explain the concepts to someone else, even an inanimate object - the process of explaining out loud forces your brain to work through things in different ways, and often causes a *click* moment.

Feel free to ping me if you want my explanation on some topics :)

Everyone struggles at some point. Then something will click and you can move on with some momentum :). If you love it and want to stick with it, that can be enough to get you through. This is a great forum to post code blocks that you're having trouble with (and you can read other people's post and see that they are probably having the same struggles you are :)

I barely made it through in college. I hated programming so I went to be a Network Administrator and after 5 years in Ops work, something clicked when I was writing a python script. Hopefully it doesn’t take long for you but it will click. You may want to look at different resources like Udemy or YouTube to see if different person explaining the concept may work better, just because they are college professors, they may not best person to explain the concept.

I am a mechanical engineer, but as a freshman, I was taking a physics class that involved thermodynamics. I didnt get it at all. It made no sense and i started to hate it. I was looking through my requirements for Mech E, and there was a complete class later dedicated to only thermo. I decided that i better start liking it, so i gave it another try, started to understand it, and then took the mech E thermodynamics class without a problem.

​

If you like it, give it your best shot, and you might just start to get it.

Learning opportunities only come from times of struggle. If you aren't struggling, then you have no chance to learn anything. So struggle lots, but most importantly learn from it.

You arent the first person that's struggled with a class. When I started with Python I struggled with loops and functions. About a year after that class and using it on and off, I am a lot more comfortable now. I look back and wonder why I struggled with those things but that's just part of learning. I just started learning Java this past fall and I felt like I was back at square one but I know I just need to put in more time and hopefully it will start to click.

It could be the teacher tbh. I cycle through so many guides on youtube lol

Loops give trouble to lots of beginners. I got past them by just memorizing stuff like how to iterate over an array (which you don't need to use a counting loop to do anymore). Don't give up!

Hey, OP, can you say what you find confusing about loops?

Use your words and we'll try to help you.

Start writing your own code and it will click. And use Google/DuckDuckGo/Stackoverflow if you are stuck!

a beginner here, I am following python crash course and I get a little confused with loops too, especially the ones used for lists for numbers :)

Imagine your kid coming to you saying "It's taking me longer to learn to ride a bike than the other kids"; would you tell them that it's just not for them?
Learning curves take a while to peak. Keep hanging on, it'll get easier every time.

No. I used to teach some Python courses. The most successful students weren't the ones that understood everything first time. They were the students that would find something difficult and fail, but still percevere until they understood it.

Only if the struggle isn't worth it, is it not for you. You're always going to be grinding through material trying to figure something out in programming.

Your brain plasticity increases ONLY when you struggle and make mistakes. Your frustration is billions of neurons firing and learning. The best thing you can do is continue struggling and making mistakes, then get a good night of sleep. Notice how some mornings things click but the night before you were trying and failing for hours. You are basically running a machine learning algorithm, and mistakes+sleep are necessary paths.

Everyone learns at a different pace. Coding generally doesn't just "click" for most anyone in the classroom. That generally happens after a few years of experience. If you're enjoying what you're doing, continue on.

I struggled in my first year of cross country running, so I figured it wasn't for me and quit.

Then I struggled to learn the cello at first, so I figured it wasn't for me so I quit.

Afterwards, I wanted to play in a chess club, but when I started, I kept getting beat, so I quit.

Everything that is good and important in the world takes work. Hard work.

Keep at it. Ask questions. It's supposed to be hard in your first class.

My first Python class was an Intro to Scripting and it was the first time I had dealt with a programming language. I didn't do well and thought it was my fault for not understanding the material. 2 years later and I had a project for my last class that involved me using Python to model a population curve. Since it was something I was interested in, I spent a lot of time online searching how to format my math equation into Python and get it to model out the data that I was wanting for my paper. I enjoyed that experience and learned more from that than I did in the actual Python class.

Sometimes it's hard to learn something from a class if the projects aren't something you're interested in. Don't beat yourself up, it's alright to struggle.

I struggle doing any of the assignments on my own.

You're supposed to struggle. Why would they give you easy assignments?

I struggled heavily with my first class, but I persisted and it got easier.

Just keep at it, it's the highest dropout major for a reason.

I’m taking python as my first as well and I’m struggling through it. But my teacher says the other languages are similar to python basics and will get easier as you move along. Just practice like I do and it’s extremely satisfying when you finally figure out how things can be run

It's better to learn from a college class that genuinely challenges you instead of one that doesn't. I can relate to your struggle, as I'm just starting to learn how to write code in Python. Reading and writing it out on your own seems impossible without researching the meaning of what you're doing. In my experience, though, the more I research the more I'm able to understand certain what certain methods are, how and when to use them. If coding interests you, even just a little, I recommend that you keep going.

I've been learning python for a while and I've found that the beginning part was the hardest by far. Like I'd write some simple code and it would take forever to figure out that you can't add a string to an integer. It might get much easier once you're passes that hump.

Does the triumphant moment of finally typing python my_script.py or putting a line into the interpreter and getting no errors give you existential joy?

Are the hard parts getting easier the more you do them?

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My first loops were bad.

I thought the ; was going to be the end of my C/C++/Java days

I stuck with it, found a way of learning that worked with me, and now it just makes sense.

The only time I'd gatekeep someone from programming is if they truly look inside themselves and just can't find a personal reason for doing it besides money. Even bad programmers get it right sometimes, and we all get better with practice and determination.

There will eventually be an aha moment. You should only give up when you no longer want to keep trying.

Nah. Just means you're struggling right now. Happens the to smartest of us. You got this.

Man I failed our "weed out" class in college three times before I got through. Hang in there. If you are dedicated and enjoy it, keep at it. If you don't enjoy it, you may want to look around at other careers. Although I started in developmebt, I really didn't like it and looked at some other areas. I did technical support instead for my career. Really fun and you can get into network support. If you decide to leave development, try a networking class and see how that suits you.

Maybe, but probably not. If you enjoy it and can push through, then no. If you hate it and don't think it's worth it, might be better to find something you enjoy more. Sometimes things just take a while to fully click. Could also be the teacher or course work. Try to find some resources on your own for learning and see if those help it click. Youtube is a great resource for the basics. Check out a few different instructors and see if one of them works for you. Even a few hours on a weekend with the right instructor could do wonders.

Keep rolling, after a few years if it still isn't clicking, then perhaps think about an alternative career. Don't knock yourself down right now.

Sheesh In the same 🚣‍♀️

If programming draws you in, Like a Moth to the 🔥, then yes, keep with it.

Honestly it comes down to how much you enjoy coding. I tried for years but I just wasnt interested so it was always boring and tedious for me. I enjoy networking and systems administrator roles more personally It seems like a lot of people who aren't into computers are like forcing themselves to make that their career.

Most people who struggle with their first programming class aren't even managing to get good grades so you're in a better position than many.I would say calm down since you're not in risk of failing and rather than worrying about big questions like "is this meant for me?" just take some time to review loops. Don't limit your self to content and texts from class. Codecademy is great and Cory Schafer on Youtube is also an excellent resource. Ask questions here. You have all the time in the world to tackle those concepts again and get your head around them better.

Nah, I met a lot of people in my college who were struggling at first. Does your college offer any kind of peer tutoring or learning center help despite Covid? I found tutors extremely helpful in my programming classes because often times they know exactly why you're stuck on a certain concept.

Edit: I now see you said tutoring is something you did, but I would say keep at that for sure, and even go another step to ask your friends/classmates for help.

Eventually, it will click! :)

Nah I failed comp sci 2 and now im a software engineer

You got it. Please keep going...You should continue writing code and doing projects on the side to supplement your learning. There could be a disconnect between what you’re being taught in class and your assignments. This is usually the case but it definitely doesn’t mean that you should consider an alternative career.

Just keep doing it, but only if you enjoy it. Some people have a real knack for it, but the rest of us need time to carve out the neural pathways and learn by slow accretion.

You will learn to enjoy the incremental break-throughs as they happen. The process is cumulative.

While True: Try: If you enjoy it: Return False Else: Return True Except failure as err: Print("stick with it”)

No, If you're doing bad means it's working (programming is just fixing problems you don't understand), keep going

Nah man, this shit is hard. You just have to keep grinding - it will get better.

Years ago, I enrolled in a masters of data science program with very little programming experience. I had to take an intro to programming class (Python) my first quarter. I struggled. I even cried working on my final project.

I got an A in the class, and I’m about 2/3 through my masters program with a nearly 4.0 GPA. And the majority of my classes since have included heavy programming in Python, R, SQL, Hadoop. I also write Python and SQL (and some R) at work all the time now. I still occasionally cry out of frustration when writing code.

So keep going. If it was easy, would it be worth it? But what is hard now will become easy later on. And then you’ll face new challenges :) But you’ll get through it.

I'm an electrical engineer who nearly failed my first introductory course in basic electrical concepts..

Just give it time and identify your weak spots.. ask questions, practice lots

I studied Computer Engineering in one of the best universities in my country years ago and I had to drop out because of unrelated reasons. Now I study Software Engineering in another university and I can tell you that universities suck at teaching programming. You have to find a way to learn and improve yourself on your own mostly. Don't be discouraged by not being good at the course.

I took a java class, android class, visual basic class and it wasn't until a later java class that I actually started to grasp the whole idea of what I was doing. I earned a post baccalaureate certificate in programming and I saw a lot of people taking those classes who were obviously programming for the first time and watched them struggle too.
It's like when people discuss learning a new speaking language, something just clicks and your brain starts to think a different way and all that muscle memory of typing out things starts to make sense. You'll start to wrap your mind around things that once made no sense.

It may take you a long time but hang in there if it's what you enjoy.

I think you can look up to corey chafer on YouTube and then try to solve those problems again,try to give it a push with full dedication and then if it still doesn't works then leave it for now and focus on other things i would say.(i hated programming till my college because i was super bad at it then somehow i self taught myself in last two months of final years, landed in a development job, now i don't really hate it,but i kind of get most of the things, hence don't jump on conclusion too quickly)

That's perfectly normal..keep at it and it'll click sooner or later..I was struggling to learn even how variables work lol...but after a year of coding, I can't get enough of it..nothing pleases me more than seeing whatever I build is working...

No. You are not hopeless. I tried jumping into complex computer science and programming and felt overwhelmed. I had to keep at it for things to finally click and make sense. In fact, it's been over 10 years and I'm still learning things. I've been writing Python code for years and I'm still getting my mind blown away each month with new things I had no idea I could do.

Keep at it, friend. Work the fundamentals. Practice the example code and ALSO write your own examples! This is key, because this is how I started to really learn code. When I wrote my own code to solve real or imaginary problems, the fundamentals started to truly take root in my mind.

You got this!

It gets alot better after this unit. I remember wanting to drop out right away on 2nd week of java lol, just hang in there

I am almost done with my CS program and still sometimes struggle to do stuff without help but am much better than in Intro CS. It has started to click for me though and it will for you as well. Keep with it.

What is your issue with loops?

A For loop iterates through something.

Exampe:

For x in range( 1,5):
    print x

output: 1 2 3 4

It doesn't print out the 5. So think of it as 1234 and the for loop is just separating it out a bit(1 2 3 4)

similar with a string:

For x in "rabbit":
    print x

output: r a b b i t

A while loop is slightly different. It is no longer iterating though. It is only running while the conditions are True.

i=0
while i<9:
    i = i + 1 #this can be shorthand written i += 1
    print(i)

output 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Each type of loop has its own uses sometimes either can be used but usually one will work better than the other

Nope. I nearly failed my intro C++ class freshman year. Am a software engineer now. Don’t give up.

Struggling at the first hurdle never means it’s not for you. Learn and accept that failure can and will happen. Keep going. Trying different things. Learning to fail. Especially when it comes to programming and the need to work through programs will put you in good stead. If you enjoy CS. this is all that matters

I tried CC++ and Java. Made it through the first semester in both with a 2.7-3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Never got past the second semester break. Totally kicked my ass when it got to using matrices. And I thought I understood those. But in application not so much.

Good Luck if you decide to stick it out.

In a positive note. They say some of the most successful managers graduate with a 3.0-3.5 GPA. If you have good people skills you could be quite successful.

Watch cs50 lectures. Prof Malan is the worlds best cs concept explainer

Honestly if you're not struggling you're doing it wrong :D Dw that's completely normal. It's gonna click soon enough, I promise. Just keep on practicing.