I had previously worked the course up to exercise 26 Project Logfind, then was out of commission for a while (long story). But I finally got back into the course. Breezed my way back up and figured out my own solution without looking ahead at the video, lecture code, etc. The process was quite enlightening. I think I’ve definitely gained some confidence in working with C. I have a long ways to go in respect to doing professional work, but I think I did alright. Currently this is the initial version of the program. Figured I’d share the ‘unspoiled’ version that comes purely from my own problem solving efforts and working with what I’ve learned so far. I realize it’s far from optimal code. But I made it solid enough to build without errors and show clean in cppcheck and Valgrind. I’d call it functional and not completely horrible
Awesome, that’s something I’ve found too. The idea that you lose a skill if you don’t use it turns out to not be true. Sometimes taking a break actually makes the skill stronger later.
I think that’s especially true when things get overwhelming. Taking a break can let things sink in, cool things down, and open the door for a comfortable re-approach. Only this time equipped with even a little more familiarity. I’ve been in coding as a hobby for nearly 20 years. In the beginning it was exactly as you might say, “I was completely stupid” on the subject. Now I can sit down in almost any language & platform and build a simple application. If I could only count how many times I got overwhelmed, it was probably close to that many times I just needed a break. Now I’m not afraid to shove off and do something else for a bit. I never really unlearn anything that won’t come back to me with a little refreshment, so no worries.
This happened with my guitar playing. I took a 6 year break to learn to paint, and then I came back and honestly I’m better than I was before. Not sure why but it seems like the break probably allowed physical things to heal and I could start over fresh.
