I’m finding the challenges really easy btu when it comes to the actual projects I’m finding them extremely hard, it really seems like I know nothing and everything in the challenges seems useless. I might be taught how to do something in the challenges but when it comes to the actual projects and I do it I don’t get the outcomes I should have and when I check the code of the projects made by FCC (the ones I’m supposed to be replicating) it has a lot of code that has never once been mentioned in the challenges. I’m finding myself using outside sources more than the actual FCC syllabus content.
Am I the only one feeling this way?
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I’m the opposite. challenges are pretty hard for me while the projects come to me really easily.
We all have different talents. Don’t quit when it comes to projects–just review a challenge. I do that all of the time. The projects from fcc are made by extremely advanced coders. Your goal is not to copy them; make them out of what you know–what you want yours to look like and function.
I almost never use some things mentioned in the challenges. For instance: object oriented design, functional programming, css flexbox & grid and sass; They are hard for me, so I use them when I need to.
We have a great community here at freecodecamp that really helped me learn coding. Ask if you need help. There is nothing wrong with that.
Keep on coding and do not give up.
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Yes, because FCC syllabus is to just show you the way. Heck, i for React read documentation top to bottom(litteraly) and countless articles concerning of implementation of this and that for react. Trying to learn a pc way of doing it with react. Alongside MDN and w3schools and countless others. So what, it ain’t like written on your forehead …
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You may have not realised this, but you have actually been doing things in the right direction. 
See, the key to be a good web developer/programmer is to be good at problem-solving. Personally, I find the challenges quite hard and that is because of the instructions it has set to solve the problem, not the code itself.
Also, you have said it, you have to look at external resources to find out about something. Again, that IS part of problem-solving and that is what web developers (even seniors) do in a normal workflow.
So, you are struggling to do the actual projects. I am not sure what is your progress or where you are at, but if you, let say, have never done a project, look at another member’s project via Codepen, Jsfiddle etc. and work out why they have done that (again, another process of problem-solving)
Also, find a video course where it involves projects as you get to code along with the instructor as you learn what a certain coding is and what it does. This is for plenty of reasons.
a) By doing this, it will feel like you are actually coding in real experience and it will help you to feel more natural and get to absorb in your head of what you are doing.
b) Of course, you get to apply of what you learned into the projects in FCC
c) it is good for portfolio, but not in the way you think. Many beginners think that once you have done a project that you learned whether it is through FCC or a video course, it will look good if they added that project to their portfolio. This is not 100% correct. It is okay to put a couple to show how you have progressed (when you first started) on your journey to becoming a web developer. However, making up your own project and apply what you have learned is what will make you stand out more.
I will give you a quick example. I am learning Bootstrap through a different video course and I have got to build a first code-a-long project using it. However, once I am done with that course, I will be building my own project (I am thinking to do a website where you get to learn Bootstrap, but the style will be colourful, playful and it will have a infographic style to it)
So, do not give up because you have shown good signs of problem-solving and therefore, you have good potentials
I wish you all the best, however, if you have any questions or you need help, here is a great place to ask.
I hope this has helped you!
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When you are a beginner, that’s actually normal to feel like this this.
You can believe me when i tell you the challenges is much more difficult than the projects himself. Also projects help you understand more the items you have been learning
All you need to do according to me, it’s to do more research on the items that you are having the challenges for. For example when you are on HTML/CSS section, you can google for more websites like W3schools or openclassrooms to get better and start thinking how to build your website from scratch.
Trust me when i tell you give up is not the best options. I have tried this myself and he didn’t resolve anything.
Move forward, make research for all the explanation you don’t understand on they explain on FCC. You’ll find your out and you’ll get better.
ONE LAST THING! DO NOT GIVE UP! You on the right path!
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i feel the same. I used to code 6,8,10 hours a day for like couple months. Now i need to get a job, and feel i know nothing. Im stuck. Im not even feel ready to take an non paid internship they would crash me.
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Yes, I have been there but I always think of positive things to gain positive outcomes. And, ask questions if I need to,
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For me the question comes down to this:
Do I want a better life?
The answer is yes, so I keep going. I love to build things. Programming has a high barrier to entry, but unlike becoming a doctor or lawyer, it doesn’t take 8 years of training to start coding. No pain, no gain is cringe but true. Realize that the reason programmers don’t make 20k per year (US) is because it is frustrating, time-consuming, hard. Those people that give up will keep your job security and paycheck higher. The harder and deeper you go, the more rewarding it will be. I only wish I would’ve gotten into this years ago when Zuckerberg and people like him were building what today would be consider “just a website” and starting unicorn companies.
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I was in your shoes almost exactly 3 years ago when I started learning to code here at fCC. I blazed through all the challenges until I hit the first project. Then I felt like I had learned nothing. I was frustrated, too, and I still don’t think the fCC curriculum is perfect. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone start with fCC even though I now have almost every certificate they offer.
I looked at completed project code, watched tutorials for them online, and along the way something weird started to happen: I started seeing problems with their code. Things I thought I could do better, cleaner, and simpler. The fCC solutions were way beyond what I knew at that time, but the other solutions and tutorials were made by people near my level.
However, I didn’t want to “cheat” by looking at others’ code. Instead, I decided to take a step back toward the beginning and try a structured beginner course online. I chose Harvard CS50x on edx.org, and it was brutally hard. Wouldn’t recommend starting with that one, either.
After that, I took another beginner course on edx.org: MITx 6.00.1x - Intro to Computer Science and Programming Using Python. This is the course I’d recommend everyone start with. It’s a great course, and then take CS50x after.
I’ve been coding almost daily for 3 years now. I’ve got almost every certificate at fCC, and I’ve been working on some side-projects for fun with some professional coders I met via Facebook coding groups.
What I learned along the way is that everyone looks for help at some point. The languages change, new frameworks are built, and it’s completely impossible to know everything because it changes constantly. I took a break from fCC while I did those edx courses, but when I came back I was able to cruise through the challenges.
Learn from multiple sources, just like you’re doing. It is frustrating, even 3 years in, when I can’t figure out how to do so something. I just made a post yesterday asking for help here at fCC. The great thing, though, is that I got an answer that worked in no time at all. Lean on the community. We’ll help you.
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150%! great advise, and im similar, i use all the resources i know how to find and this is a great forum for feedback and help.
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