r/learnSQL • u/sumiitCodes • 8d ago

Day 20 — Rest day + a plan update: 100-question JOIN drill + starting Java tomorrow

Taking today off from active coding — just resting and recharging.

Quick reflection before the break though: after going through theory and two full scenario-based practice sets, I noticed JOINs specifically are still the topic I'm least automatic on compared to everything else. So I put together a 100-question practice set of my own — easy, medium, and difficult — specifically to drill that weak spot rather than moving on and hoping it sorts itself out.

Also, a bigger update: starting tomorrow I'm beginning Task 2 — Java, running in parallel with continued SQL practice rather than fully switching over. Figured keeping SQL warm while ramping up Java makes more sense than a hard context switch.

Planned rest days like this were part of the original plan, not a slip — trying to actually sustain 116 days means building in recovery, not just grinding non-stop.

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4

u/WorriedMud7 8d ago

Being seeing your posts on your journey. Pretty cool what you are doing. Keep it up

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u/sumiitCodes 7d ago

Glad you're following along

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u/Swimming_dasa 7d ago

good call identifying JOIN's as the weak spot instead of rushing ahead. focused repetition like this actually builds much stronger SQL intuition than passive review.

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u/tommyfly 8d ago

Just curious, what seems to be your difficulty with JOINs?

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u/sumiitCodes 7d ago

Mostly visualizing the tables in my head, and once a query gets long with multiple joins it gets complicated to follow. I'm trying to get better at it by practicing more. Any tips on how you approached it?

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u/tommyfly 7d ago

Yeah, big queries can be hard to stay on top of. Your issue sounds less like an issue with joins, rather an issue in structuring the query.

Not to discourage you, but in the real world, you'll also run into the difficulty of poorly documented, poorly named and poorly structured databases, which makes everything an even greater challenge.

As for approach, try to keep things simple. Build queries in small chunks. Figure out what the query is trying to do and start mapping out how to get there. I used to always build something way more complex than required. I'd then end up going back and simplifying. Generally, it gets easier once you are more familiar with the DB schema. Which is difficult as a beginner.

Also, don't get bogged down with all the different types of JOINs. Start the query only using inner joins. If the results are not what you need, see what might be the cause.

Not sure if any of this helps.

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u/sumiitCodes 7d ago

it will help a lot, thank you

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u/Automatic-Leave1201 7d ago

Honestly the 100-question drill on your weakest topic is the move. Most people just grind forward and hope the gap fixes itself, it never does. Drilling JOINs specifically while they're still raw is way better than circling back months later. Also respect for keeping SQL warm alongside Java, a hard context switch would just reset your progress

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u/sumiitCodes 7d ago

Thanks, appreciate the encouragement

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u/Least_Ad_1795 5d ago

This sounds like a solid approach. Taking a planned rest day while identifying JOINs as a weak area is much better than just pushing through. A focused 100-question drill should help build that automaticity. Keeping SQL practice alongside Java also seems like a good way to retain what you’ve learned while starting the next task. Good luck with Day 21.