Hi everyone, I just started programming in C ++ (2 ½ months) and I was reminded of this question that I wanted to put to the people of the comunity very certainly more experienced than me. I have no major problems in learning the language, contrary to what is said on C ++, but being a beginner I often get stuck on some problems.
Let me give an example, when I have to solve the exercises at the end of chapter sometimes I can perform the exercise very easily while others use I can not solve them, and this makes me very disheartening. How did you feel when you just started programming? have difficulty in some things and ask if anyone in your place would know much more quickly solve you and then not feel up to it?
In programming, well in life for that matter, never compare yourself to others. Some people have a knack for things, but programming I'd say isn't something you are born with, it takes a lot of time and dedication to get right.
When faced with a problem you can't solve, don't discourage yourself because "people can do it better or faster", there is things I can do that many people can't, but when it comes to programming, there is a lot of things that JLBorges, Duoas, Disch and MiiNiPaa can do, that I probably couldn't even read, let alone comprehend.
If someone can do it better, nag them, ask them why, how, what etc. Pick the brains of those who came before you, so you can do the same for beginners several years from now.
Don't use energy discouraging yourself, use it to learn.
You say you're young? How young? If you're a teenager then don't worry about it one bit. I started programming when I was 25 if I remember correctly. So if you started any younger than that, you've got one up on a lot of us. At one point I was pretty disheartened when I joined this forum to be honest. I saw all these "kids" talking about programming at 12 - 15 years old. And I think to myself, "Hell these kids started waaaaay earlier than I did, and they're already programming full games or fully functional applications, when I STARTED. So as megatron said, don't compare yourself to other people, that's one fast track to quitting, and if you are "young" then give yourself a break, you have time to learn. That's exactly what websites like this are for. A few more are stackexchange.com(there's a few programming relevant sites in their network.) or dreamincode.net. There's a ton. If you ever have a problem that you can't get past just Google it and you're bound to find a number of posts that have had the exact problems you are having.
When I first started programming at around 16, I quickly left it after a few weeks because of the many mistakes I made. I wanted my code to run flawlessly. Serveral years later and here I am again, trying but this time not quitting. I got struct by lightning last year and my neurons misfired and now I am more dedicated than ever!
The other day in class I talked to this guy who seemed like 19 years old and had been programming for a good while. I felt kinda bad being older (24) but I quickly turned that energy into motivation. Every time I am stuck on something and whether I pick ppl's brains here or figure out the problem myself, I feel this SATISFACTION that motivates me to continue onto the next exercise. I sometimes look at my older code and I'm like "wow, I can do it way better now!"