It is absolutely possible to learn how to program entirely alone, following online tutorials and reading forum discussions. The problem is, what happens when you get stuck on something and can't figure it out? As in, really stuck? This is going to happen during the process of learning how to code.
Without a doubt, there is a value in improving your problem solving skills and persevering until you find a solution and get unstuck. Getting really stuck, however, can derail you for days and may even cause you to stop learning altogether. At the same time, very often, all that was really needed to get back on track was a point in the right direction or to see an example just once. Surely others have encountered the same or similar problems, and being able to connect directly with someone to talk out a problem significantly speeds up the time it takes to learn.
For this reason, Learn developed the Ask a Question feature, a way for students to reach out and get support when they need.
When you Ask a Question on Learn, you’re reaching out, in real-time, to “Technical Coaches” who are on hand 16 hours per day to help — and you can typically expect someone to get back to you in under a minute. That kind of responsiveness is pretty cool, right?
Typically you’d be asking about a problem you’re having with your current lesson, but feel free to ask anything you want and try the feature out!
It’s worth taking a moment to understand what’s going on here.
When you ask a question, it’s always in the context of the lesson you’re currently looking at. Everyone that is currently working on this track who has completed this lesson will be notified, as well as a team of “Technical Coaches” — professional developers who are also part of the Learn community and are dedicated to supporting your progress on Learn.
When your question is resolved, hit 'mark as resolved' to close it out.
Part of learning anything new is struggling on your own. To a large extent, the struggle is the way forward. So you should keep in mind, when working on labs on Learn, that getting something wrong and being a little bit confused is all part of the process. Don’t feel you should be reaching out every time you hit a roadblock.
However, when you’re truly stuck, when you’ve stared at your code for longer than is reasonable, or you’ve tried Googling for a solution with no luck, or a concept just completely eludes you and you need someone to walk you through it, then yes, absolutely, reach for the Ask a Question button and let the community help pull you up and help push you through the obstacle.
You can also ask for assistance if you've run into an issue. Say for instance, you accidentally deleted an important file on a lab and aren't sure how to fix or recreate it. Our Technical Coaches can help you troubleshoot and even jump on a video call to find a solution.
Ultimately, you must forge your own journey and hold yourself to learning the concepts in this course. That doesn't mean, though, that you shouldn't ask for help. Think of Ask a Question as another tool you have to ensure your success, and do not hesitate to ask, even if the question seems simple.
View Ask A Question on Learn on Learn.co and start learning to code for free.