How to "reflash" the brain of a future programmer?

Question

IT education

I am a 3rd year college student. I am studying to be a programmer. I have a big problem: I can't solve problems. I don't know where to start and where to end. Also I don't know math. Especially discrete. In higher mathematics, at least the teacher is just a top man, I learned how to solve some sections and even understood something, but with discrete mathematics everything is dull, I just write it off. We also have a theory of algorithms now, where I am also absolutely helpless.

How can this be fixed? Many say: solve problems. Well, ok, let's say I take some task. Read the text. And then what? I do not know how to approach the solution of the problem, where to start, what to do and how to finish.

Now C and C++ are being actively taught here, and it's very hard for me. I can do something simple, but where you need to solve some problem or where there is some kind of algorithm (for example, bubble sort), I am absolutely helpless: I look at the screen like an idiot, but the brain cannot give birth to anything ... In programming, things are not very good. I can bounce somewhere up to cycles and arrays, and then "our powers are already everything" ... I take offense at myself that I'm so stupid, but I can't change anything. I can sit on a task for at least a week, but I can’t get off the ground ...

Help with advice, please :how to "reflash" your brain? How to learn to solve problems? How to learn to understand algorithms and at least fumble a little in mathematics? By "at least a little rummage in mathematics" I mean the ability to see the essence of the problem and find the optimal solution.

PS: for now, in order to somehow develop, I practice layout and C # (in the future I want to go to the backend).

Answer 1

Well, ok, let's say I take some task. Read the text. And then what? I do not know how to approach the solution of the problem, where to start, what to do and how to finish.

Analysis, decomposition.
Break common tasks into smaller, elementary ones.
Task: drink coffee.
We break it down into components:

• Get a Turk
  
• Pour the water
  
• Add coffee
  
• Cook
  
• drink
  

We divide the "Weld" subtask into even smaller ones:

• Light up the gas stove
  
• Put the Turk on the burner
  
• Boil
  

The task "Ignite the gas stove" is again divided into components:

• Take matches
  
• Click on the boxes
  
• Open the gas supply to the burner
  
• Bring a match to the burner
  

Etc. Down to the most elementary levels.

Answer 2

You don't need to flash your brain for programming, but for life in the real world.
First, you won't "lose" 4 years of training. You learned something there, well, a diploma in the end will not be superfluous.
Secondly, programming is not suitable for everyone at all. And here we must face the truth. There is nothing wrong with not being a programmer. I can't be a dancer, well, figs with him.

But, it seems to me, you won’t earn much in this direction, because now there are a lot of designers) That’s why I’m programming)

Stupidity. Entry-level programmers are also innumerable. And if you don’t have the slightest talent there, then you won’t break through this darkness of juniors.
You need to do only what you like (of course, adjusted for adequacy).

Answer 3

Many say: solve problems. Well, ok, let's say I take some task. Read the text. And then what? I do not know how to approach the solution of the problem, where to start, what to do and how to finish.

Take the task faster.
If there is nowhere to be easier - reconcile yourself to the fact that you will never be a programmer. Yes, it's not for everyone.

Answer 4

Mathematics is such a thing, of course it would be nice to know it, but it’s enough to know some basic things, and if you encounter a difficult task, then you won’t learn all the formulas from Google to help you, many will not agree well with me either.
But algorithms are a really necessary topic, you need to start with simple tasks and decide to decide to spend a lot of time to develop your own thinking, so that you are given a task and an algorithm for solving it is already built in your head, or better several.
Find problems for school-level programming olympiads and start solving one after another, if you can’t solve it, think again, and only after that find a ready-made solution with analysis and study it and put it in your brain.
In fact, programming to a greater extent consists of patterns (mini tasks) that you have already done somewhere, you just combine them in different ways. In fact, once you need to learn how to work with strings, find out what methods are there, with arrays, there are sortings, permutations, with cycles, and as a result, you can program in any high-level jap. A particular language is usually just a syntax that may look different but essentially does the same thing in all languages.
And well, if you don’t have anything to do with it, you’re bored and don’t burn with the desire to do it, but you do it through force, then forget programming is not for you.

Answer 5

For this specific example: "find the maximum element of a one-dimensional array" - I would do this:
on paper I would write an algorithm in simple words, such as: we consider that the largest element of the array is its first element - we write the variable MAX - then we organize a cycle through the array - compare each element of the array with the MAX variable - if the element is greater than MAX - write it to MAX. Well, of course, for this example.
In general, you can read a book on algorithms"Грокаем алгоритмы" Адитья Бхаргава
Well, about "reflashing the brain" - here, it seems to me, there is only one way out - to study, study and again, well, you understand. Nowadays, there is just a huge amount of educational materials on the Internet. On any topic, there is for children, it is generally simply explained there. Try to search for a topic of interest and add "for children", there it will be chewed straight vapche.
It would also be great to find a comrade / friend who would help you.
Good luck!

Answer 6

K_A_S_H_E_Y , I strongly suspect that you cannot solve problems for the 7th grade precisely because in the 7th grade you were not interested in mathematics, and you guessed where, where you cheated, and drove off. You can't "reflash" this: for the effort that you need to achieve and start playing math, you simply have nowhere to get motivation.
Look for near-IT niches, since you got into it anyway. I don’t want to program through it - it’s completely pointless.

Answer 7

If it were possible to reflash the brain, no one would force you to spend years and decades on training.
The brain is not reflashed, but trained.
Trained by MULTIPLE solving various problems. Therefore, there are no options but to solve different problems, in the process the brain adapts to such an action and the solution will be more obvious to you.
So yes, take it and solve problems. Lot. Take tasks easier than you can solve. Move on to the next level not when you could solve one, but when you easily solved 10-20.

Answer 8

Also I don't know math. Especially discrete

Mathematics and programming are completely different things.

I have a big problem: I can't solve problems

the inability to solve problems is ALWAYS the result of two factors:
- ignorance of the tool
- ignorance of the theory
before solving problems in PL, it is necessary to study the possibilities of the language, orally, by reading the "theory" (textbook) and understand what tools the language provides.

Answer 9

If you are interested, then you can download it. Without interest, you won't get far.
1. Ask yourself if you know well the basic mathematics that is given in grades 5-11? Perhaps you need to start from the very basics and gradually work your way up, making things more difficult. Just from the 5th grade, problems are well solved and logic develops. Perhaps, in the beginning, you need to pull up this knowledge.
2. Read books about logic, develop logic, try to see the algorithm in your every day.
Today I was looking for a book and many advised: Logic. Vinogradov S. N. and Kuzmin A. F. _ 1954, Nepeyvoda V.V. - applied logic.
3. Try all the programming languages ​​and choose the one that resonates and you like it. You may not have other languages, but when you try everything, you can decide and find your language. If none of them fit, then you need to look at another area. You can work in IT and not necessarily be a programmer. After choosing a language - study it, move in that direction, set a goal and break it into several parts. Follow the plan.
If you put in the effort, work on it, you can become anything.
The main thing is hard work and that you like it.

Answer 10

Better, better, faster, but more expensive - to hire an experienced specialist who can train you. In the case of self-learning, it will take much more time, but this approach also has its advantages.
Discrete mathematics and similar disciplines will not help in any way to learn programming on the web, if you do not run into highly specialized tasks.

I practice layout and C#

It's better to leave something alone.

Answer 11

I look at the screen like an idiot, but my brain can't give birth to anything...

I'm studying to be a programmer

What for?
Become a web macaque and whine in forums about low wages, animal employers, and professional burnout in three to five years? Maybe you should think about what it is worth doing something that you like?
They don't become programmers. They are born. As well as writers, singers, doctors and even CNC machine operators. (I, of course, mean good programmers, etc. - it is quite possible to become a mediocre programmer, etc.). Well, the Lord did not give you what a programmer should have - why force yourself? Do what you like.

Answer 12

Just like in the gym they "reflash" the body. A 1kg dumbbell is taken or even without it at first.
Solve the simplest problems: those that seem even too simple to you, those for children, those for the exam, solve them in different ways, in every possible, most optimal way, and from them move on to more complex ones.

Answer 13

It seems to me that my friend is being disingenuous here. Looking for easy ways, which are not and cannot be.
I'll just say. Do not give complex problems - solve simpler ones. More simple ones are not given - solve very simple ones. Many, active and intense. It's the same as if a novice pianist played scales and arpeggios all day long.
I repeat. There are no other miraculous ways and there cannot be.
If you want to learn how to solve problems - solve problems for 1000 hours as intensively as possible, at least 3-4 hours a day, and you will learn without options. And no - and no.
Oh yes, the problems are not solved, because master the decomposition and composition. Nobody swallows elephants whole. They are eaten in small pieces.
But in general, I just think that this is not yours and you are torturing yourself in vain.

Answer 14

No problem, I
'll teach and suggest
... https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor/?tutorial=home Even if you don't know math, but are able to think logically, this is the solution. Solve through logic, not mathematics .. that's how I do it ...

Answer 15

I will say this, for example, I worked as a tester (QA) of various projects, and during this time I realized one thing, it is given to someone, but worse to someone. For example, I could analyze systems, and derive possible problems and suggestions for solutions.
So even if it doesn’t work out correctly to build a solution algorithm, you can simply first find someone (I forgot how they are called) who could explain / offer at least two or three suggestions step by step to implement the task. Usually, you just start to catch the logic of some systems. (Although, in the end, it can get boring when you had to be too much in some project, and you already understand how absolutely (almost) everything works.)