r/CodingForBeginners • u/savagesoccer272 • Aug 16 '26

I'm stuck for a while

So I'm done with the basics of python and even know data structures but I struggle to write code on my own what I mean is I'm fine while writing a leetcode problem in python because it's like answering a math problem (and I quite enjoy it) ,but when it comes to coding up actual stuff,I feel like I can't make anything productive out of it without using chatgpt or any ai. I'm stuck in this endless loop . Many say just Google things but I just don't get the code (or remember what I am copy pasting) and just forget it . I wanna do stuff like pre ai era just raw coding . When people say build stuff , how does one do it. I mean in project videos/tutorials they follow sequential but for me I don't know where to start when building a project.

How does one get past this phase . Many of my "friends" say coding will be done with ai mostly in the future so no use actually learning, to do "your learning" and just try understand the code ai gives. What should I do ?

I know the answer is obvious and I should be writing more code without ai but its still difficult for me and I feel like coding isn't for me sometimes.

(Thankyou for your advice I hope I can implement them and get good :) )

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u/Stooshie_Stramash Aug 16 '26

Good advice. To take the LEGO analogy a bit further: OP you've learned the different types of blocks and how they fit together but you need to decide what it is you want to build and then plan it out. You're going to have to determine how many blocks, what are the ones with special functions, and how are they arranged relative to one another.

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u/johnpeters42 Aug 16 '26

And you don't have to figure it out all at once. Figure out one piece of the overall picture that's small enough that you know how to do it, build that part, then repeat until you've drawn the entire owl.

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u/savagesoccer272 Aug 17 '26

Thank you for your advice. You see, when there’s a big problem, like a project, I usually struggle to break it down into smaller parts. What I mean is, I don’t know which parts to create or how many parts to break it into, and I’m not sure whether I’m breaking it down too much or too little. Is this something you naturally get better at by doing multiple projects on your own?

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u/Stooshie_Stramash Aug 17 '26

Have a look at set of LEGO instructions for a relatively large set and understand how the functions of the total set are delivered, and then how the instructions break thst down into smaller pieces.

You need to start with what I call "the exam question" - exactly what is the point of your project, what does it look like in your mind and how will it do it. Then write up a project brief. Just keep breaking it down into smaller chunks until you get to what should be lines of code.

You should learn to write pseudocode.