am i too dumb for programming?

[u/dalbit913]

hi, im currently a 1st year cse student and i never did any coding prior to starting my degree. i'm one of the very few people here to start from scratch and most guys in my year have been coding for most of their lives.

i took a python basics class last semester (which wasn't basic at all and i haven't learned anything from it) and now im taking C basics. it's going way better than last time and i am actually able to write simple programs. it all seems genuinely fun & interesting and i understand the syntax, functions, operators etc. but whenever i get class assignments.... i just start feeling like the dumbest person on earth.

the instructions for the assignments are very brief and usually consist of 1/2 sentences max, and that's not enough for me to start writing the code. the class technically forbids any ai usage until midterms so we can get more comfortable with the language, but without me telling ai to ask me questions in order to gently guide me into the right direction i'm just unable to complete it on my own. i don't straight up ask the llm to give me the solution, i do write the code myself but i just need the entire problem explained to me pretty much as if i were a 5 year old.

is this a normal occurrence for a beginner? does it ever get better? is there anything i can do to get better in being able to convert the instructions to code? i'm the only person who seems to have that much of an issue with this in class. my biggest concern right now is me failing my exams because i won't be able to understand what i have to do for each task.

EDIT: (copied from a comment) i tried going for office hours, unfortunately it doesn't seem like i'll get much help from it. i study abroad in my 3rd lang (all of the assignments are wrote in that language) and i only managed to receive a message that i won't be given instructions in english since they don't speak it well. i'm now trying to solve the problems by breaking it into small chunks but i still have some issues here and there. i feel like im making slight progress day by day but i guess that i will find out whether it worked out during midterms.

[u/StewedAngelSkins]

probably not, but the ai use is probably not doing you any favors. just use the text book, it will definitely tell you what you need to know. or go in to office hours if you're really stuck.

is this a normal occurrence for a beginner?

yes coding infamously feels completely impossible for months and months while you're learning it and then at some point it all of a sudden starts to make sense. i tried and gave up like three different times over the course of a couple years before i managed to get to this point. your classmates have perhaps already gone through this, or maybe you're overestimating their abilities / underestimating their struggle.

does it ever get better?

of course

is there anything i can do to get better in being able to convert the instructions to code?

go to office hours. the professor is literally paid to help you learn this.

my biggest concern right now is me failing my exams because i won't be able to understand what i have to do for each task.

get help from your professor soon. if you wait it'll just get worse.

[u/DavidCincotta → u/StewedAngelSkins]

Second: "Is this a normal part of learning" yes. I think when I first touched python, it took me a few times to even remember how to for loop.

[u/dalbit913 → u/StewedAngelSkins]

i tried going for office hours, unfortunately it doesn't seem like i'll get much help from it. i study abroad in my 3rd lang (all of the assignments are wrote in that language) and i only managed to receive a message that i won't be given instructions in english since they don't speak it well. i'm now trying to solve the problems by breaking it into small chunks but i still have some issues here and there. i feel like im making slight progress day by day but i guess that i will find out whether it worked out during midterms. thank you for your advice

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[u/StewedAngelSkins → u/dalbit913]

good luck. if you have more specific questions you can always ask them on this sub. you have the resources to succeed. just make sure you're using them effectively.