Feeling demotivated

[00Gambit]

I Started to learn my first programming language - Python about 2 months ago and I'm 3/4 the way through my book Introduction to Programming using Python - Daniel Liang and I've started to lose interest. I don't actually find programming fun par se, just when I figure something out or create something that works, it feels good, but the whole task of learning is really boring.

Has there ever been times when you've lost interest? How do you keep yourself motivated. Today I opened my book and within 30 seconds I just had no motivation at all.

[deceptikon]

The bad news is that if you're not digging it this early, hardcore programming probably isn't for you. Casual programming can remain fun, of course, but any push into serious development or even a career doesn't strike me as promising.

The good news is that it can be easy to get burned out, especially if you're pushing hard to learn and don't really have a solid goal. My suggestion would be to take some time off and do other things[1]. When you feel the itch and return to programming, give it a go and if you lose interest again quickly, put some thought into whether you really want to be a programmer.

That's probably not the answer you wanted, but in my experience, good programmers love it to death. You have to to keep up with constant changes, constant learning, and being slapped in the face with errors and bugs at every turn. Real coding isn't pretty, and it takes a certain type of personality to tolerate it for any measure of time.

[1] Maybe a game that's popular with techies and programmers like go.

[00Gambit]

Thanks for the post deceptikon. I currently work a dead end job with no career in sight so I started to learn programming as a hobby and hopefully if it went well, I could make it into a career of sorts.

The issue is all the programs I'm making at the moment are boring, they don't serve a purpose really so it's just learning that is the problem. Once I can actually code, I can start making my own programs using the knowledge I've learned. I honestly think that once I get passed the basics and have the ability to create my own programs that actually have some sort of purpose, I'll find it more rewarding.

[deceptikon]

The issue is all the programs I'm making at the moment are boring, they don't serve a purpose really so it's just learning that is the problem.

I understand that only too well. When I was learning, the toy programs to test out new ideas and practice felt empty and boring. That's one of the reasons why I developed an interest in compilers and standard libraries. While I literally burned through three copies of K&R due to them falling apart from constant use, my favorite C book is still The Standard C Library and it encouraged me to write a number of my own implementations.

That obsession with tool building kept my interest when learning. More importantly, it gave me a base to become the go-to toolsmith programmer at work. :D These days I work more with C#, but reading the .NET reference source for fun and using dotPeek to decompile whatever I can get my hands on makes me think that I never lost that initial spark of wanting to look under the hood for seemingly innocuous things and figure out how they really work.

You might try finding a similar niche that keeps your drive going but also promotes your programming education.

[~s.o.s~]

Start hacking on websites like https://www.hackerrank.com/ which give you opportunities to solve problems using your favorite programming language. Trying to work towards a problem will teach you a lot about the different data structures and algorithms.

You gain points and improve in rank as you keep solving problems so that might be one of the motivating factors. I know problem solving doesn't interest everyone but just mentioning in case you might find it interesting.

[iamthwee]

Hey it's OK to admit programming just might not be your gig?
You might actually enjoy networking, or something altogether different...

Sales and marketing, just be honest with yourself and make a decision.

[vegaseat]

My horror would be to end up with a dull and boring job/career.

[00Gambit]

Thanks for the comments. I guess I'll just try to stick with it and get over that initial hurdle of making junk programs. I would have thought that after two months I could make a simple program like Hangman or a Wordsearch solver, something like that.

I can make these kinds of programs but the code is bad and it's not done the way it's meant to. I'll keep at it anyway, I guess 2 months is still early days.

[vegaseat]

I am a scientist and studied biology. chemistry, computers, process automation, physics, management and engineering. I am gainfully retired now, but had one heck of a good time in my job. Almost 50 years later I am still learning and love it!

My advice is "learn as much as you can" and don't waste your time on TV and games.

[00Gambit]

Hi Vegaseat. I'm not sure how to quote on posts on this forum but what you said about not wasting my time playing games and watching TV... you've hit the nail on the head. I easily spend 6 hours a day playing games and about 2 or 3 watching TV and it drives me crazy.

It drives me crazy because I want a career and I want something that I can do at home or from behind a desk so programming matches that criteria. I do get frustrated a lot when I get stuck on problems and I'm not great at problem solving and understanding programming logic so I get angry when I can't do something. I think I should try another learning resource, this book is great but I'm thinking I should buy another book, maybe a pygame book or something.

[vegaseat]

I keep reading that at least the US will be facing an unbelievable shortage of people with good programming skills. I am not sure about other countries.

The problem with TV, at least in the US, is the huge amount of violent and downright stupid solutions presented to the viewer, everything is dished out to you and you are not required to use your own creative talents. The same can be said for most games.

[~s.o.s~]

@00Gambit:

If it helps to motivate you, I was a gaming and anime addict long time back (before I had a programming career). These days I have a full-time programming job. I still haven't given up on games/anime but the addiction is no longer around. I make it a point to spend at least some time helping out other folks on forums, learning new things and so on.

I wouldn't really consider myself a very "strong-willed" individual, so if I can break out of the addiction and set my goals to learn something new every once in a while, I'm pretty sure you can do it too!

[00Gambit]

I might try and set out a timetable so I can allocate time to certain tasks. That way I can still play games and watch TV but it's all allocated and a bit more structure. The biggest issue for me is losing interest or motivation because I get stuck a lot of the time on a simply bit of code that I can't figure out. Need to learn to push past that. Do you have a python 3.x book you can recommend to do with game making?

[~s.o.s~]

Don't try to "push" things, it can have a backlash effect. Let's say I have allocated 2 hours for coding, I try to do whatever I can and break out so that I can relax. Even if I don't manage to solve the problem, I leave all the mental baggage behind when I relax and come back to it later.

The point is that you should feel motivated and not forced when trying out the problem again. If you think of it as a 'chore', it would be difficult to get things done. Also instead of staring at the problem, I tend to browse online forums/resources for related issues. There is a very high possibility that reading something random over the internet gives me a hint to solving the problem at hand.

Regarding game making books, Al Sweigart has a couple of free highly-rated books on this website, check them out at https://inventwithpython.com/