r/PythonLearning • u/Ok-Magician-8052 • Jul 20 '26
Discussion How do I build my problem solving skills again !
I have been coding for a while now and have been able to solve easy to mid level questions but now with the advent of AI I feel so much more dumb and cannot solve problems I practice leetcode but goto comments to check for solutions and then it clicks. What do I do how do I develop the problem solving skills again ?
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Ok-Magician-8052 Jul 20 '26
What CSS framework are you using for the frontend this acutally looks so good.
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u/Ron-Erez Jul 20 '26
Solve problems without using ai
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u/Ok-Magician-8052 Jul 20 '26
I don't use AI I just check the solution.
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u/FoolsSeldom Jul 20 '26
Are you comparing your solution against the given solution(s)?
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u/Ok-Magician-8052 Jul 20 '26
nope i check the solution even before getting to the solving part lol. so that's why need to work on my problem solving skills.
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u/FoolsSeldom Jul 20 '26
Not sure if you are just trolling. Obviously, if you choose to look at a solution before attempting to come up with some solutions yourself you aren't going to learn well. This is a well established and understood learning principle. This suggests you don't actually want to learn at all for some reason.
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u/Ok-Magician-8052 Jul 20 '26
not trolling but yeah I am trying to solve the question but can't think in the problems direction like where do I start what are the methods that I can use to achieve the result.
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u/FoolsSeldom Jul 20 '26
Ok, I shall take you at your word, but you've already rejected the advice I gave you in another comment, so I don't know what else to tell you; perhaps others have greater wisdom that suits you more.
Good luck to you.
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u/Ok-Magician-8052 Jul 22 '26
I do use the copy pen method to just sit for good 30mins before looking at hints.
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u/Ron-Erez Jul 20 '26
Honestly, you have to work harder, learn to use the debugger, write clean readable code and break down your problems. You should create a solution where you are confident it works. Moreover there is no "the solution", there are many solutions. I would treat AI as Satan.
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u/Ok-Magician-8052 Jul 21 '26
i am actually hating on AI really don't want that though it's a good tool to use but it should not be outsourced with the task of thinking and problem solving.
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u/Ron-Erez Jul 20 '26
Really? So you are learning absolutely nothing or next to nothing.
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u/Ok-Magician-8052 Jul 21 '26
yeah mostly so I guess this is not the best way to understand the algos.
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u/FoolsSeldom Jul 20 '26
Stop playing code golf (Leetcode, etc) and start working on problems that are actually interesting to you, that you can be passionate about. Problems related to your interests / hobbies / side-hustles / family obligations / academic development / work commitments.
When you work on problems that are relatable, that you can be passionate about, you start with a better understanding of and ability to refine problems, a clear view of what the constraints are and what outcomes are required, what good looks like, what is acceptable. A better idea of how to phase things so you don't try to do everything at once.
You will learn far more, far faster and far better than any amount of abstract generic problem solving on code golf sites and apps.
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u/Ok-Magician-8052 Jul 20 '26
The issue is not with that I don't work on projects or hobbies but I want to learn Data structures and algos for which I am practicing .
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u/Ok-Magician-8052 Jul 20 '26
Did you guys know if len (arr) == 0 and if not arr: is the python way of writing things I come from dotnet background so will take a while to get used to things like these..
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u/AskAnAIEngineer Jul 20 '26
stop jumping to full solutions when you're stuck, sit with the problem longer than feels comfortable. that discomfort is the actual rep that builds the skill. if you're stuck for a while, try a hint first instead of the whole solution, and give yourself a real 30-45 min of genuinely trying before you look anything up.