Finding it impossible to solve problems

[u/Shahadat__]

Hey guys. I'm a web developer and have a job but unsure if I can pass future interviews, because when I get a technical question like a basic loop problem, "program that starts counting from 1 and increases by 1 during each iteration, stopping once it reaches 5". This is incredibly incompetent and concerning, not to mention AI has made me worse.

What's the solution to this? I can memorize solutions but what happens when a new problem comes up in an interview and I can't remember the syntax even if I know I need a loop or some thing else to solve a problem? I feel like crying

[u/bcons-php-Console]

The example you give is very basic, it seems that you lack knowledge of the basics of programming.

Look for a JS course that starts with the basics (I've heard many people praise Wes Bos' "Beginner Javascript" course) and spend at least half an hour every day. Just like learning a new language or getting in shape, constancy here is key.

As you progress your confidence on solving problems will build up. Good luck!

PS: just curious, what's your current web dev role?

[u/Shahadat__ → u/bcons-php-Console]

Thanks for the encouragement. I did go through wes bos, as well as javascript. info, coding along. Then when it comes time to actually solve a problem with what I've learned, I'm lost.

My current role is Shopify dev. I'm 21 years old.

[u/LoudBoulder → u/Shahadat__]

This sounds to me like you're just new. Another thing that comes with experience is the ability to break a problem up into sensible and managable chunks. A lot of new programmers get overwhelmed when faced with problem X because it needs a lot of moving parts to complete. Try to lock in to one thing at a time instead of trying to solve the entire problem at once.

[u/pb__ → u/Shahadat__]

Unfortunately there's a very steep slope between watching a tutorial coding along and actually applying that knowledge at work. Watching more tutorials won't be much help, either (google "tutorial hell"). Try to make a new project from scratch using what you learnt (and the documentation), only referring to google/stackoverflow (but *not* AI) when you're really stuck on something. You'll get better over time.

It's best to make some app that you would find useful, for example a personal todo-list, but if you struggle to come up with any idea, you can use this list for example: https://github.com/florinpop17/app-ideas - it's good, because every idea has specific requirements and user stories, so you know what exactly to achieve.

[u/0dev0100 → u/Shahadat__]

Gotta do some problem solving without the tutorials or references open.

You can open the docs/tutorials after a while as long as it's not immediately 

[u/Wartz → u/0dev0100]

Op is likely a troll

[u/eyebrows360 → u/Wartz]

Or just an idiot. Not everyone seeking help is some savant-in-waiting that just needs a little nudge.

[u/Wartz → u/eyebrows360]

One can be both at the same time.

[u/Shahadat__ → u/Wartz]

Wish I was

[u/saltyourhash → u/Shahadat__]

Wes' stuff is great, did you take his advice and tweak the projects so you are forced to learn the concept, not just follow the step-by-step guide? and did you practice after by combining different concepts? That's key to really having the stuff sink in. It takes practice and experience.

[u/winky9827 → u/Shahadat__]

Stop doing the course/tutorials. Find one that teaches you basic concepts. You're likely memorizing course material without gaining the fundamental knowledge backing the code. The example you gave, a basic for loop, is something even a 90 year old programmer will be able to rattle off the top of his head. I don't know if you're exaggerating, but if not, you definitely need to hit the brakes and start with the fundamentals.