Is Coding Really Hard, or Is It Just Me?
This post is mostly a self-roast.
And also an attempt to answer one question that keeps wandering around in my mind:
“Is coding really hard? Or is it just me who is struggling?”
There are multiple tutorials, courses, websites, YouTube videos, paid courses, free courses, bootcamps, roadmaps, cheat sheets, and probably another 500 resources that I haven't discovered yet.
And somehow, finding the right resource feels harder than learning the actual topic.
Sometimes a free YouTube video explains something perfectly. Meanwhile, I pay for a course, watch three videos, understand absolutely nothing, and start questioning my life choices.
Then there is another problem.
You search for "One thing" and suddenly you have 47 tabs open.
And then someone on Instagram says:
"You don't need to learn anything. Just build projects."
Then comes the most common advice: "Consistency is key."
I absolutely understand that.
But there is one small problem.
The moment I open a coding platform, I become extremely sleepy. I'm not even exaggerating. Coding platforms have somehow become my personal sleep aid.
And then I start wondering:
Has my brain completely given up on coding? Or am I just too lazy to sit, think, analyze a problem, make mistakes, and try again?
And then I see people who don't even have a traditional computer science degree.
They take a course for a year or two and suddenly they're building applications, solving problems, and writing complex Python code.
Meanwhile, I have completed a four-year undergraduate degree and I'm still staring at an array problem wondering what the array wants from me.
Is there some secret?
Some hidden hack?
Some magical step that everyone else knows about and I somehow missed?
I honestly don't know.
The puzzle is becoming increasingly unsolvable.
And then comes another question: "Maybe coding just isn't my thing?"
This thought becomes especially strong when I see concepts like Dynamic Programming, Tries, Graphs, Backtracking, and so on.
I'm still struggling with arrays.
How exactly am I supposed to reach Dynamic Programming?
The only DP I'm currently good at is changing my WhatsApp DP.
Somehow when it comes to coding, something happens.
My brain just says: "Nope. We're done here."
And then came AI.
We all have our favorite AI tools. Thanks for ruining everything.
Initially, I thought AI was going to be incredibly useful. And of course, it is.
But sometimes I feel like it is becoming a threat to my own ability to think.
Because if I get stuck on a problem, I can simply ask AI.
If I don't understand the solution, I can ask AI.
If I don't know how to write the code, AI can write it.
If I don't know why the code works, AI can explain it.
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Sounds perfect, right?
That is the whole problem.
I'm not sure my brain is getting enough exercise anymore.
I recently had a moment that made me realize how ridiculous this had become.
I was asking a fruit vendor how much the fruit cost.
He said: ₹60 per kg.
I had ₹40. And I suddenly realized I wasn't sure how many kilograms of fruit I could buy for ₹40.
Instead of doing the calculation myself, my first instinct was:
"Let me open Gemini."
And then I thought: Wait!
I used to solve differentiation, integration and algebra.
And now I'm asking AI to calculate how much fruit I can buy for ₹40.
What happened to me?
But I did find something useful.
For people like me who struggle to understand code even after looking at the solution, I recently came across a website called Python Tutor.
It lets you visualize what is happening when your code runs.
It supports Python, JavaScript, C, C++, and Java.
Python Tutor – Visualize Code Execution
I found this particularly useful while trying to understand code because sometimes reading an explanation isn't enough.
You need to see what the code is doing.
There are obviously many visualization tools and learning resources available online.
But this one has been useful for me, so I thought I'd share it.
So, Is Coding Really Hard?
I still don’t know.
Maybe coding is hard.
Maybe I’m making it harder than it needs to be.
Maybe I haven’t found the learning method that works for me yet.
Maybe I need to stop jumping between 20 different resources and actually stick with one.
Or maybe I just need to stop expecting myself to understand everything immediately.
I don’t have the answer yet.
I'm still somewhere between:
"I want to become good at coding."
and
"Maybe I should change my career and open some random shop."
But I'm still trying. And perhaps that's the important part.
If you're also someone who struggles with coding, you're definitely not alone.
And if you're someone who is actually good at coding, please share your process in the comments.
How did you learn?
How did you get past the stage where even simple problems felt difficult?
And if you know any good free resources, websites, or platforms that genuinely helped you learn coding, please share them in the comments.
Maybe your recommendation will save someone from opening 47 browser tabs.
And maybe it will help me too.
Good luck to all of us who are still trying to figure this coding thing out.
