Some people might think it’s a bit early to rejoice - I’m not even halfway through the challenges and I’ve sometimes spent hours and hours to solve one, and with that my solutions are complicated to the point of absurdity.
But here’s the thing: I’ve had a serious mental problem with anything even remotely linked with mathematics. That is, if you ask me what 2+2 is, I’ll say 4 because I’ve heard it was the right thing to say. If you keep silent however, and wait a little, I’ll start twitching uncomfortably until something else blurts out: Yes, I can say it’s 4, but I’m not sure I believe it. I mean, I don’t feel it, not the way I feel things in other topics.
And for those who say challenges are not maths, well a + sign is usually enough to have me break into sweats (I’ve even found myself crying one day because I had to calculate a percentage).
Needless to say, I’ve had a lot of problems with logic.
So solving these challenges… I can’t express how it makes me feel…exhilarated, I’d say. Wanting more. Loving it. Thinking about it day and night.
Of course I might be completely stuck tomorrow and have to look up the code elsewhere…but until then, how beautiful it is! (not my code, no).
So a big thank you, I don’t know to who, just thank you.
well done … its even better when you grind through and solve it yourself … you really get a feeling of achievement … i love the algorithms especially when i can figure them out … and your absurd solutions will slowly turn into better solutions … and late on you can go back when you know more and have another challenge of redoing them.
Yes, that’s the thing isn’t it? Although I must confess it’s also nice when you’re only starting to fight with it! I also hope and think I’ll get better at writing code.
This will be another challenge … depending on your definition writing code.
For me its to write code that others can read and understand and follow … as i try to read other peoples code and am still lost looking at it … found this set of videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoYCgNOIyGABs-wDaaxChu82q_xQgUb4f
and he shows the starting code and then he rewrites it so it more readable and easier to understand … and i was like ahhhh i want to write my code like that because it usually like the first section … hell some times i go back to a project im working on after a week or two eg weather app and im going what dose this do … lol and i coded it. (im all over the place … have some of my weather app done … some of my wikipedia project done … some of my portfolio done.) so just finished my calculator project and made a extra effort and tried thinking like the guy in the video and made a much better job of the code and find i have no problem understanding what is going on in it. so with a some thought and effort and following some good advice from that set of videos i feel im finally starting to not only write code but write cleaner more understandable code … next i will have to work on more efficient code … that though is going to be i think the biggest challenge.
I’m not very gregarious so when I say better code, I mean more efficient, instead of my current piles of lines.
I agree though that making it more understandable to others implies that you are very clear about what you’re doing, and that’s important. I’ll check your videos (I’m starting to have more work checking all the links I find here on the forums than doing FCC…hmmm…)
Hi there. Sorry to burst your bubble, and I haven’t read all of the replies in this thread so I don’t know if this has been addressed already…
BUT
The “algorithms” in Free Code Camp are not “REAL” algorithms. They’re like a distant cousin at best. To know what I am talking about please spend an hour or so watching some video’s from these course’s:
you can audit the courses which is completely free.
I used to feel like you, trust me I did, until I got my preparation guide from Google for their 2nd interview and learned what types of algorithms they expect us to know.
It’s alright, I never meant to say these algorithms were real or hard… they just feel like it to me but I’m very well aware that’s not a reference !
Also don’t worry, my bubble’s been burst already…I would say this morning around 1:30 am!
That being said, the feeling was still great
Besides, any advice you could give me? I already knew the link you gave me - and obviously nothing like that.
My struggle is with the documentation FCC refers to: I find it hard to understand and it just opens more and more questions on prototypes etc. Maybe I should just stick with it but if you know another link where it is more gently introduced, I’d appreciate. I’m reading YDKJS but I don’t know if he’ll actually work on this sort of things and I’ve only started anyway.
for me I depend on www.w3schools.com for quick “just see something work” & “easy examples” A Lot!
But seriously try to train your mind to use
Even though it’s way harder.
If you’re asking about algorithms… I suggest just going through the learning pains of reading and trying to understand
Introduction To Algorithms, CLRS
This seems to be the de facto resource/textbook for computer science algorithms. Real algorithms require a substantial amount of prerequisite knowledge to truly “grasp”.
It’ll probably just take months and months of reading, implementing the textbooks algorithms from pseudo code to working JavaScript, and research, practice, practice, and practice.
But at the same time, I think there are plenty of companies who’ll hire you without the computer science algorithm knowledge so it’s up to you whether or not to study it. Companies like Google will want you to know this stuff though.
It’s a good thing I’m not easily scared - that’s a 1200 page-long book you’ve referred to!
Thanks for your answer though.
By the way, it’s a good thing I don’t want to work for Google, then!
Oh thank you! I’ve actually been reviewing the tips you’ve left here and there on the forums. I think I’ll just step back from the FCC algorithms a little and study YDKJS to start with. That way maybe I can continue some of the FCC curriculum and come back to the algorithms later. It’s also about getting familiar with the way JavaScript is written about… YDKJS is very well written but it’s still a whole new world for me and I need time to wrap my head around things.
and I have an excellent memory! Good night (or not, depending where you are. Here it’s past midnight)