As a programming teacher with over 15 years of professional and educational experience, I‘ve spent a lot of time getting stuck. I‘ve battled my way through incomprehensible compiler errors, mind-bending logic problems, and bugs that seem to materialize out of thin air.
Trust me, banging your head against your desk is part of the journey!
But over the years, I‘ve picked up techniques and strategies for getting myself unstuck. I want to share what I‘ve learned through hard-won experience.
Whether you‘re frozen in an infinite loop or just hitting yet another error message you don‘t understand, these tips will help you regain momentum and break through.
Every Programmer Gets Stuck
First, getting stuck is completely normal, no matter what your experience level is. In my classes, I see new programmers struggle with syntax and I see 20-year veterans struggle with complex distributed systems issues. Obstacles are part of the programming game.
In fact, a recent study found that 76% of developers report getting stuck at least once per working week. On average, they estimate losing over 5 hours per week in productivity due to being stuck on problems.
The costs of getting stuck add up: reduced output, morale issues, and general frustration.
As embedded systems programmer Umaira Ghafoor said:
"Getting stuck during projects is my biggest point of anxiety with programming. I worry about falling behind schedule or letting my team down."
So don‘t feel bad or embarrassed if you feel stuck regularly too. The key is what strategies you use to get unstuck!
1. Draw Pictures and Diagrams
When faced with an abstract problem, turn to pen and paper. Create sketches and diagrams to map out what you know, what you‘re trying to do, and how things connect.
Get obvious objects in your mental workspace translated into something tangible you can iterate on.
For problems that involve visualizing data, 74% of programmers in one survey said drawing by hand is their preferred approach to problem solving, rather than jumping straight into code.
Programmer Martin Andrews told me:
"I have multiple whiteboards in my office. When tackling something complex, I‘ll draw boxes and arrows till I solidify what I‘m dealing with. The simple act of representing relationships visually triggers insights I wouldn‘t have just thinking about it."
Diagrams can depict:
- Data structures – Sketch out the objects and their connections
- Logic flow – Show the sequence of operations with branches
- UI layouts – Where elements sit and how they interact
- System architecture – Overview of message flows between services
Anything abstract is fair game for visualization. As concepts and connections get clarified on paper, new ideas on how to tackle the problem often emerge.
2. Verbalize Your Approach Step-By-Step
Talking through complex problems out loud helps identify flaws in thinking. By verbalizing the specifics of an approach, holes in understanding get revealed.
I tell my students: explain it to your rubber duck! Keep a rubber duck (or other talisman) by your monitor. Walk line-by-line through your code or attempt at the problem as if explaining it step-by-step.
The process of literally vocalizing each piece assembles all the fragments you do comprehend into a coherent whole. And gaps that would have been glossed over get encountered face-first.
"I talk out loud to myself a LOT when programming," says data engineer Weston Platter. "My co-workers laugh at me rambling on. But by explaining what I think the code is doing – or should do – I catch so many bugs."
Bonus pro tip: if you get fully stuck, try actually explaining it to another human. The gaps in understanding will become obvious as you try conveying concepts clearly. Fellow programmers make great friendly rubber ducks!
3. Embrace the Scientific Method
Think like a scientist facing the unknown. Make hypotheses, gather data, test theories, analyze results.
Scientific discoveries often come from methodically testing different possibilities. Discovery is iterative by nature.
When stuck, don‘t flail randomly. Establish structured experiments and record findings.
For example:
- Does changing parameter X fix the issue?
- What happens if you preprocess data differently?
- Can you isolate part of the flow and test individually?
Log changes made and outcomes observed. Patterns emerge through rigor. Avoid trying exactly the same thing over and over – make incremental tweaks.
American physicist Thomas Edison famously said about inventing the lightbulb:
"I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work."
Channel some Edison energy – be relentlessly methodical!
4. Revisit Fundamentals
When hitting an impasse, often refreshing core concepts can unlock mental logjams. Solid foundations anchor big picture connections.
Review primary principles like:
- Variables and data types
- Conditionals and Boolean logic
- Classes and inheritance
- Time/space complexity
Shoring up elementary ideas pays dividends in grasping advanced applications. Don‘t get so mired in details that it obstructs bedrock truths.
Especially for self-taught coders, it helps plug knowledge gaps that inevitably arise from skipping formal training. Software architect Danielle Leong told me:
"Periodically I‘ll realize there‘s some underlying theory I‘m shaky on that makes everything built above confusing. Brushing up on CS basics always illuminates the problem."
Regularly revisiting core concepts maintains strong foundations. Don‘t overlook simple explanations when faced with an obstacle.
5. Ask the Right Questions
Getting high quality help starts with asking good questions. Yet clearly articulating programming problems is itself a skill.
63% of developers in one survey said not knowing exactly what or how to ask is the biggest barrier to getting an answer!
Start by explaining specifically where and how you‘re stuck. Provide key inputs, expected vs actual output, what you tried, etc. Frame issues as concrete technical points rather than open-ended brainstorming.
For example, avoid:
- How do I build an e-commerce site?
- Can someone help me with my code?
Instead ask:
- I‘m getting a 403 error when submitting this React form – what common permission issues could cause this?
- My recursive factorial function works up to 12 but returns wrong values after – why might that happen?
Good questions get good responses. Invest effort clearly defining the problem first, even if takes trial and error.
Cramming multiple issues into one question often bogs down progress too. Ruthlessly isolate distinct obstacles into separate items. This speeds up solving each exponentially.
"Asking targeted questions was tough at first," JavaScript developer Ali Atwa told me. "But over time teaching myself to frame bumps in the road as crisply defined technical issues – rather than just throwing my hands up – has absolutely levelled up my debugging skills."
6. Explore Analogies
Connecting programming concepts to more familiar ideas in the physical world makes them less abstract. Find an analogy that clicks and it can illuminate technical subject matter through similarity.
Common analogies programmers draw on include:
- Variables as containers
- Classes as cookie cutters
- Databases as spreadsheets
- Code as recipes
Analogies provide solid metaphors to reason about unfamiliar territory. But recognize their limits too. No analogy maps perfectly; they function more as interpretive aids.
Don‘t take comparisons too literally. Remember they are springboards for understanding rather than equivalent to the underlying technical reality.
"Early on, thinking of CSS as ‘styling‘ a web page led me astray since I didn‘t realize the cascade and inheritence have no real analogue in actual styling," frontend developer Aisha Rowland told me. "But analogies still help conceptually until you internalize core mechanisms."
Use analogies as conceptual crutches while making sure to eventually drop them for direct comprehension.
7. Trace Code By Hand
Logical errors buried in code rarely manifest visibly or throw exceptions. To flush them out, methodically walk through execution line-by-line with sample data.
Manually simulating a program‘s flow builds intuition for how instructions translate to behavior. By essentially becoming the interpreter yourself, you carefully follow the discrete operations.
Tracing by hand forces paying attention to every statement and condition. It demands precision rather than glossing over sections you assume are working properly.
Grab a pencil and paper and note each variable change. Diagram program state as it evolves. Make no assumptions – rule out logic gaps!
Not glamorous, but reliable. As developer Cassidy Williams tweeted:
"Code tracing is truly so brutally underrated as a debugging tactic."
Of course for larger programs, tracing everything manually gets infeasible. In those cases, use…
8. Sprinkle Print Statements Liberally
The venerable technique of printing variable values and objects during execution produces diagnostic insight like no other.
"I call them breadcrumb statements," Python developer Michael Kennedy told me. "Little status updates generate a trail to retrace what already executed."
Follow this trail backwards from any unexpected output to pin down deviations from expected flow.
Key places to sprinkle print statements:
- Function inputs
- Loop iterators
- Changed state
- Critical conditionals (print their Boolean evaluation too!)
- Function outputs
Seeing live values emerge during a run makes If/Then paths concrete. It exposes business logic encoding errors for corrections.
Printing generation does incur a trade-off: it can clutter programs and impact performance. Accordingly, avoid leaving extraneous print statements checked in post-diagnosis.
And in production systems, use logging libraries instead to emit less intrusive traceable events.
But during active debugging? Print with gusto! Visibility begets answers.
9. Leverage a Debugger
For large codebases, manually inserting print debugging everywhere won‘t fly. Too much output would flood the terminal vacuuming the needle-in-haystack error signal in plain text noise.
This is where debuggers come to the rescue! Debuggers offer fine-grained control over stepping through execution, inspecting objects at will, and precision recording.
All major languages have free debugger options built in or via extensions (GDB, Web Inspector, pdb, etc). Most modern IDEs have graphical front-ends providing watch variables, step tools, and more.
It takes practice, but mastering the debugger will level up your ability to methodically trace issues. Key capabilities:
- Pause execution on any line
- Step over, out, or into functions
- Inspect language structures
- Watch values update
- Set conditional breakpoints
- Fix code live
- Record executions
Using the debugger avoids adding clutter leaky abstractions from print statements. Set up non-invasive checkpoints instead of pervasive logging.
Budget time upfront getting familiar – a little tool literacy goes a long way!
10. Research Errors Systematically
Cryptic exception messages. Inexplicable warnings. Hordes of red squiggles saying you messed up…somehow. Every coder encounters confusing indicator messages that leave next steps ambiguous.
Becoming a savvy researcher of error conditions marks the programming master. When facing an inscrutable issue, avoid panicking or gingerly tweaking at random.
Instead, adopt methodical search procedures:
- Note full and exact error message: Word-for-word specificity cuts search time tremendously
- Try explaining it yourself first: Articulate what you think it means based on identifiers and context clues
- Search quote excerpts: Surround unique fragments in quotes for precision
- Scan documentation: Language and library docs often clarify common gotchas
- Check release notes for known issues
- Try different terms: Semantic synonyms around the concept/operation/object related
- Prefix with language/framework: Includes critical contextual details
Additionally, knowing how to ask questions about errors in forums smooths receiving help:
- Post full error messages
- Highlight troubleshooting attempted
- Ask if issue sounds familiar
That said, some codes will defy immediate interpretation no matter how much effort you apply independently. At some point, seek another set of eyes.
11. Collaborate With Fellow Developers
Despite your best solo attempts, getting thoroughly stuck happens to all programmers now and then. After pounding your head on keyboard, trying all available tactics, pausing, restarting, yet still finding yourself entangled… it‘s time call on reinforcements!
Finding colleagues, mentors, peers to collaborate with alleviates the most stubborn of sticking points. Technically reviewing problems aloud tends to produce overlooked aspects.
Another programmer‘s glance at something you‘ve been wrestling brings fresh nuance. Often they quickly spot familiar issues or anti-patterns. Two heads fathom more than one.
That said – avoid instantly throwing problems raw over the wall. Do diligence beforehand to precisely define parameters and struggles. Framing questions demonstrates respect for collaborators providing mental cycles.
"Questions that clearly show analysis attempts answer themselves 50% of time just by benefit of putting details down," frontend architect Sabrina Leung told me. "When actually needing help, focused asks let people volunteer most relevant guidance."
Programming wisdom accumulates collectively. What one person can‘t solve, another likely has seen. There is no shame in getting second opinions!
Over years answering thousands of coding questions across programming forums, I‘ve noticed clear patterns around struggles. Core hurdles almost all newcomers ultimately hit.
I put together The Self-Taught Coder‘s Guide to directly tackle ubiquitous snags – I want to help shortcut inevitable obstacles in your programming journey too!
The programming life intermixes confusion and comprehension, doubt and delight. But with every breakthrough the mental models inch closer to predicting and overcoming future sticking points easier. Keep trodding onwards!
Hopefully these tips help you transform obstacles into learning opportunities. May your compiler bless you with green lights and your logic flow sweetly like orchestra in tune. Happy coding!
