NEW CHALLENGE – I keep getting stuck!
I know this is to be expected when learning a new programming language but really I keep getting stuck…. [insert ANGRY EYEBROWS]
We are now meeting every Sunday – Thursday as a class which is great but the pace is a bit faster than expected. Turns out we have experienced developers in our class! That may be the reason… not sure. I think that has increased the intimidation level just a bit and everyone seems hesitant to speak up when they are stuck OR it’s just me??
Surely, I can’t be the only one that keeps getting stuck! Or can I?? 
There are multiple Ruby exercises we have done to this point, I’ve stopped counting and our instructor has been very good about working them out afterwards going through the logic and solutions BUT when I’m alone at my Mac trying to recreate without looking… I get stuck every time. For example, I could not get out of my loop yesterday!
The exercise required collecting a list [array] of names then grouping them depending on the number of students. If even group into twos, if not then groups of twos and threes. Then display the results with each group on its own line. Chalk it up to a lack of sleep but last night I could not get my while loop to break… per our instructions it was supposed to end when the user typed “done”. Long story short it was a simple fix… I was not adding the students to my array and I was telling the loop to stop when the array equaled “done”. It was a mess… the good thing about having some experienced developers there is that I could ask for help from more than the instructor and TAs.
**Please note I have not completed this assignment…I’m stuck again. After getting my student array to POP into a new group array. I have to split these groups so that they display one group per line… Have not figured that out yet… I know I can get the answer from others but DARN IT I want to get more of these programs on my own!!!!**
Another example… we were reviewing constructors… I could not recall what that was for the life of me.. at all!! But when Jay demonstrated I totally knew what it was so again, lost in translation I guess. Why do they say constructors anyway if ‘initialize’ is the only one?!?!
Today’s plan is to move onto HTML and CSS which I know very well. We will be returning to Ruby coding but I’m not ready to leave it!!! I need to figure this stuff out!! NEED not want NEED!! I love the challenge but I hate to feel like I’m not keeping up… I wish I had more time to study. This is only the first week on-site and its been a struggle. I think is where online videos and tutorials stop… I can always follow along but when it comes to independently coding I am still … LOST IN TRANSLATION.
I hate to whine without a plan so my plan will be to watch all recorded sessions and review all the material we have been provided with up to this point every waking chance I get for the remainder of this week and weekend…. as well as prepare for Pentecost. (Oops… how’d I forget that?)
