How do you guys stay motivated to practice/get better at programming? Ever since I went back to school I have been struggling to do ANY programming on my own time. I just have no drive at all anymore. I was making good pace but now I'm on arrays and i've been there are like a month. I think I've done MAYBE 5 hours in total these last four weeks if that.
What do I do to get that fire again to program? Before anyone asks I am a CS major, but since I'm on probation at school I'm only taking two classes, one of which is computer systems. Everytime I try to program for fun/knowledge I either flat out don't want too, or I think to myself fuck this, I don't feel like trying to figure out this programming challenge right now
Angel Reed
I don't
I realized inspiration and motivation are fleeting and discipline is required. But I never did anything to become more disciplined.
Thomas Jones
Okay, I'm not really following you here. What I'm trying to say is I want to break out of this pattern I'm in but with school, being unemployed, and all the other shit it's seems difficult as fuck. Is this just a mentality thing? Not to mention the huge uphill climb compared to where I want to be programming wise
Ethan Collins
Work out a lot. Force yourself to do it.
Henry Sanchez
For me, the hardest part is being inexperienced. It's like starting in a video game. You have to grind through the first levels in order to become more experienced. Once you get rolling, it gets easier. Also, find some sort of goal, like a project. I started by making an eeprom programmer. If I hadn't had a real, tangible goal I probably would've given up. I know it sucks to hear, but you've just gotta tough it out at first.
Christian Martinez
You don't know what it's like to suffer.
Ryan Clark
Are you ?
Charles Lee
yes
Nicholas Brown
If you don't enjoy it fuck off.
Also it's not hard to be good at programming. It's literally this:
>always code so that you are operating on many things instead of one >always keep code as modular \ separate and singular as possible
That's literally it.
Eli Ward
you can laugh at me now
Chase Scott
I just thought it was cool to find you posting in multiple threads. I can't even program myself, so I'm in no position to laugh at you. I come into threads like this where people are asking about learning to program, and I hope to find answers that will help me also.
Parker Wood
You sound like a shit programmer yourself
David Morales
bump
Adam Roberts
whos is this semon demon?
Isaac Parker
I know that exact feeling OP. I am a CS major as well but am trying to get a leg up on C++ and finding the motivation can be hard.
Connor Lewis
How far along are you? I lucked out of not taking structures because it was full, but computer systems is kinda beating me down. Not that it's really hard, just extremely boring to put in the effort. You ever take this class before? I was hopeful that by not taking structures I would be far ahead of the game but at this pace I dunno. I can definitely get started on structures now if I want but I still have to do arrays and pointers before that. Paige on mfc
Eli Scott
i'm putting in as much time as i can manage, because like professional sports, programmers peak at around 25, and if they haven't done any notable work by 30 they aren't going to. I want to make sure that I know enough by then that I can do something notable.
Leo Stewart
Explain "notable"
Aiden White
I spent a lot of time programming screensaver type things that just made interesting color patterns. It gave me addictive instant gratification while learning programming. It's like how slot machines and video games give flashing color patterns to reward you; but even stronger when you're coding the patterns.
Jace Wilson
>if you don't enjoy it fuck off not him but I don't agree with that. Education has a tendency to kill things you once found enjoyable and drain the life out of you
Julian Gutierrez
>on probation at school >worried about comparing yourself to professional athletes Here's a revolutionary idea, why don't you focus first on actually making good grades and finishing your education. Then focus on getting a decent job and doing well at whatever work you end up doing. After you get settled with that is when I'd start worrying about doing something "notable." I have a feeling once you finish school, get a job, and find some direction/purpose for your work and life you won't be very focused on being "notable."
Brayden Mitchell
Source on semen demon. It kinda looks like a young version of Lucy Cat (amateur porn star, it's NSFW).
Juan Wright
Some people just love the process, most people just love the salary. Programming is not the craft for wizards anymore, so you either accept your slave life or try doing something else that gives you that inner fire.
Owen James
That's kinda part of the problem. I'm already 25 and I still haven't finished school. At this point I pretty much have no choice but to do CS otherwise I'd have to start all over again. I've already wasted years of my life dicking around and doing nothing. Shit is depressing man. I do want to do it and enjoy programming, but lately it just feels like a chore rather than knowledge building. Plus the other areas of my life(health, social, financial) are so badly out of whack that now I kinda feel hopeless
Matthew Phillips
Judging from your post you can neither program nor speak proper English. And yet you've somehow enrolled on a university programme.
Samuel Martinez
Paige on MFC, formerly PrincessPaige. Pretty good camfu. 10/10 ass.
Camden Reyes
@OP This right here, you just need to do be disciplined enough to do it every day. There's no external factor stopping you from coding, there's only you. If you force yourself to do it you will.
Angel Gutierrez
YOU HAVE TO LIVE IT
Joseph Powell
She's pretty hot for sure
Sebastian Baker
What works for me is that I really enjoy programming. I think that is thry key thing that gets overlooked in these discussions.
Henry Reyes
I didn't do the whole school thing. However, I remember when I started working as a software engineer. It had a similar effect on me as what you are describing. It took about 1 year before I felt motivated to work on my personal projects again.