A few months ago, I almost convinced myself that coding just wasn't for me.
Not because I couldn't understand React.js
Not because Next.js was too hard.
Not because I wasn't putting in the hours.
But because every time I opened LinkedIn, GitHub, or YouTube, it felt like everyone else was moving faster than me.
Someone had just landed an internship.
Someone had built an AI SaaS.
Someone had solved 500 DSA problems.
And there I was... spending hours trying to understand why my code wasn't working.
For a long time, I thought learning to code was all about learning technologies.
HTML.
JavaScript.
React.
Next
Node
APIs.
Databases.
But nobody talks about the mental side of the journey.
The part where you spend three hours debugging a problem only to discover a missing character.
The part where you feel productive all day but have nothing impressive to show for it.
The part where you start comparing your Chapter 1 with someone else's Chapter 20.
As a Computer Science student, I've gone through all of it.
I've started courses and left them halfway.
I've switched learning paths more times than I'd like to admit.
I've watched tutorials feeling motivated, only to forget half the concepts a week later.
I've built projects that felt amazing while creating them but looked "too simple" when I compared them to others.
And honestly?
That's normal.
The biggest lesson I've learned is that progress in programming is much quieter than people think.
You don't suddenly wake up as a great developer.
You slowly get better at reading documentation.
You debug faster.
You ask better questions.
You become less afraid of unfamiliar code.
The growth is happening even when it doesn't feel like it.
Today, when I build a project, I still get stuck.
I still Google things.
I still spend time fixing bugs that make me question my life choices.
The difference is that I no longer see those moments as proof that I'm failing.
They're proof that I'm learning.
If you're currently feeling behind, struggling with bugs or wondering whether you're good enough to become a developer, remember this:
**_The hardest part of learning to code isn't learning the syntax.
It's staying patient when progress feels invisible._**
And if you're still showing up despite the frustration...
You're doing better than you think.
Abhavya Gupta :)
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