Hello Guys… I am currently a final year Engineering student(CS). Frankly this is the first time i have taken programming seriously. I am on the path to earn Front-end certificate. I spend my whole day solving a single algorithm Because of this i get frustrated. I want to ask if it is worth it to spend so much time solving a single algorithm… Or should i quit and say good bye to FCC. Or should i proceed by copying code from somewhere else just to earn the certificate?
Please Help…
This kind of struggle was really helpful for me. I remember having spend 1 or 2 day on some bonfires, really trying to understand the mechanics of it. That moment when you do solve it though, is really addicting.
I wouldn’t copy anything if I were you, what’s the point of it, and what are you gaining by “cheating yourself” ? You can alway log on gitter and ask around for some pointers. The people there are really helpful and take time to explain when something is not correctly understood. I would definitely start there if I were stuck.
You can even ask here if you want 
Oh thank you for offering the help and being kind. But the struggle its very hard and i know it is good for us. So as you suggested i will not cheat myself and would complete my course. But sometimes it is difficult to keep on moving when you get stuck at something. But i will try.
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If you think that one day for an algorithm is too much I’m sure there are a lot of people here who would like to be there and are themself struggling much longer.
- If there is an algorithm you struggle with and you want to see/ do something else you can always skip and come back later
- If you copy someone elses code just to get on with it you may get the certificate but you won’t have earned it. It’s a question of attitude and I believe one should be willing to work against the struggle and not take a shortcut. A certificate is supposed to attest competence if people can get them by cheating they become meaningless for everybody.
My suggestion for you:
- Skip the algorithm
- Work on having a positive attitude
- Come back to the algorithm on a day where you feel fresh, ask for help and solve it.
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well Thank you for the help and specially the words that “you may get the certificate but you won’t have earned it” touched my heart. BUT asking for help doesn’t that also means copying someone’s code?
Yes, the struggle is real.
It’s definitely worth it. You are pushing your limits by spending time understanding an algorithm. If it gets frustrating, take a break. You can later go back to the problem with new and fresh perspectives.
Most people here won’t just straight up paste the solution for you into chat. When getting help there should always be a moment of “Aha, that’s what the problem was!” and from there on you should feel able to solve it from scratch.
You are asking for help, not someone else’s code. Those who are determined to help will not just give away a solution, because that’s not helping at all.
I think too many people are against “cheating” when learning should be the goal of everyone not finishing a certificate by yourself.
Ultimately, the only thing that matters is if you actually learn the material. Skipping to the answer after being stuck for a while is perfectly okay in my opinion. After looking at the answer you definitely want to make sure you understand every single part of the code though. You will probably have to google a bit to understand some of the stuff but make sure you actually are learning.
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