Determination: The Brick Wall

Around a month and a half ago I was accepted to a program at General Assembly in New York City. I was so excited to have the opportunity to learn all of this new information about Web Development. Before the class we had around 50 hours or pre-work to do before being fully accepted to the program. This seems like an extremely daunting task for someone who is just starting his coding journey. This was my first meeting with the aforementioned Brick Wall. Of course it's not a real brick wall that would be silly I would break bones if I tried to ram my body against that but honestly that is not what this is about.

This mental brick wall is always in your way no matter what you do in life let alone coding and I was about to experience my first taste of what it means to be determined. Those 50 hours of pre-work were finished fairly easily. This mean my metaphorical brick wall was thin this time and I was able to break through easily without so many "dents" in my determination. Then after I was accepted to General Assembly and started my first week. A couple of obstacles immediately presented themselves a.k.a. more walls in my way. One for waking up early which as any insomniac can tell you including myself is extremely difficult, the learning speed which was several magnitudes higher then what we had been doing for the previous pre-work, and the unfamiliar situation I was in being in school after not being in school for several years.

It was like shell shock going from one metaphorical wall to three in an instant and to be honest I struggled at first for sure. Between not getting enough sleep and going from a generally flexible schedule to a strict school schedule for the first time since high school I had a hard time adjusting and those brick walls I had put in front of myself. Then when we started React as a class I watched every person in my class hit a brick wall or two in an effort to understand what we were doing.

With that in mind here are a couple of strategies to keep on track and to burst through these brick walls with the determination of a bull.

1) Calm Down: This is a strategy I wish I had come across sooner as I often get very frustrated with myself for not knowing certain information right away but you have to stay calm in order to stay on task. If you find yourself getting frustrated with your material or the project you are working on STOP IMMEDIATELY and step away from your computer. You need to take an appropriate break before you revisit your assignments or project again it will help to take a breath and relax for a bit before returning.

2) Brute Force: On the other side of the spectrum some people like to hit their head against the wall of code until they get so sick of it they just have an epiphany and figure out the problem they have been staring at for the last hour an a half. Now this works for some people but for the majority I would say steer more towards option one it is a more stable and functional option for keeping calm. For those who want to use this strategy though I say go for it, you may get frustrated at times but if you look at your code closely enough and for long enough eventually something will click so keep at it.

3) Don't Worry, Everyone is Having Trouble: If you find yourself having trouble in class don't worry just take a look around you and you will see you are not the only one. This is not a unique situation, people who are sitting around you at this moment are having some form of trouble with something they are currently working on. For myself it was React, but for others it could be different you could have problem with CSS or Express I don't know but just be calm everyone has some difficulty at some time.

4) Don't Be Afraid to Feel Low: Lastly I know this seems counterintuitive but it is a necessary strategy in my opinion. If you can't admit to yourself that you are having trouble you will get nowhere because you don't even know you are having a problem. About a week ago I had my lowest point in my program to date. I felt terrible about not getting React and not knowing how everything was supposed to work. I felt honestly depressed when I got home that evening. It allowed me to realize that I for sure needed help with this subject otherwise I was not going to be in a good place for my second project, so I asked for help. Don't be afraid to ask for help in a situation that you need it, this applies to any situation not just for coding. If you need help ask for and often you will receive just what you needed, that is what the low point are good for they tell us when we need help.

Let the record show that at one time or another I did not follow my own advice an that was a mistake. It often put me in situation where I would constantly be frustrated with the work and with myself which is like a death sentence to coding in general. However if you keep with these four strategies you should have no trouble bursting through any of your brick walls either.