How to get Programming Help Online
You’re stuck on another coding problem. The ominous blinking cursor sits in front of you and error logs with enough text to keep you busy for the next decade. Development is tough, but fortunately for us we have the power of the internet to help us access vast amounts of information and even get programming help online regardless of location. Here we will cover a treasure trove of resources that will help you get unstuck, ranging from tips to properly evaluate your problem, to sites that you can consult for assistance.
Before Asking for Programming Help Online
Investigation
When you get stuck, it’s easy to start frantically googling and hoping the answer will immediately present itself. While this will certainly give you results, these likely will not be the results you are looking for. Why you may ask? Because while Google is an oracle of our times, it still has its limitations as illuminated by the below image.
Before you can effectively get programming help online, you must first take a step back, and I would suggest first taking a short walk. Studies have shown that short walks improve memory and thinking skills, and personally I find them to help improve my thinking process, which then helps me solve programming problems.
Once your mind is clear, take some time to evaluate your problem with fresh eyes. Usually, this will involve questioning your approach more critically. The best way to start this process is to start questioning your assumptions and asking why.
- Why did I encounter this problem?
- Why did I write this class this way?
These questions are important because they will give you a better idea about the scope of your problem and what resources you might need to solve it.
Evaluate Your Skills
Some problems will require you to evaluate your own knowledge of a technology in order to start to break down your issue. For example, if I was creating a basic REST API in Node.js and didn’t know where to start, I would begin by asking myself the following questions:
- How well do I understand REST on a scale of 1 to 10?
- How well do I understand APIs on a scale of 1 to 10?
- How well do I understand Node.js on a scale of 1 to 10?
While these questions are rather broad, the answers will give me a better idea of what technology I need help with, and allow me to start seeking out the right help. In this situation, if I would rate my knowledge of REST and APIs at 8 but only rate my knowledge of Node.js at 4; I should start by learning more about Node. Once I have a good idea of what area I need to focus on, I can start to dive deep into the problem and break it down even further. Once you have your problem broken down, you should make a plan for how you will tackle it.
Creating a Plan
Creating a plan can seem tedious, but it’s usually extremely helpful for addressing bigger problems. This process does not have to be formal, but instead should be a way for you to organize your thoughts. This means organizing your problem based on dependencies and ensuring you address issues in the proper order. These plans should be flexible and will often change as you begin to research the problem. Larger issues like this will require more technical resources, but fortunately there are some really good ones available.
Asking for Programming Help
Some problems can sometimes be solved through a simple search and can range from small issues with syntax all the way to algorithm implementations. Usually these problems can be tackled relatively quickly and their difficulty will generally depend on your milage with a particular technology. Below we will dive into a couple really good resources for taking care of your problems whether a minor one or a major coding emergency.
Google Fu
Let’s start with the basics: Google.
Google is likely one of the most amazing resources available to anyone searching knowledge today, and if you ask the right questions, you can often quickly get some sort of solution to your problem. If you have not yet perfected your Google Fu, I would suggest you get to know the search engine a little more deeply. It will not only help your ability to get coding programming help online, but also your ability to research effectively. While Google can be helpful, programming communities are another great place to look for help.
Programming Communities
Getting involved in development communities is likely one of the richer resources for getting coding help online. Stack Overflow is a platform that is part of the larger stack exchange network where people can post questions with particular tags and get answers from other programmers. These questions and answers are then upvoted or downvoted based on their usefulness. The one who posted the question can then select the best answer. Stack Overflow also includes a gamification element with users getting badges and reputation for answering questions. The community as a whole is typically quite professional, but be sure to thoroughly search your question on Stack Overflow before posting because duplicate questions are often frowned upon.
But not all your questions will always be answered on Stack Overflow and users can be quite harsh to beginners. If you find Stack Overflow intimidating, the programming community on Reddit is a another place you can get help. You can find these subreddits by just going to /r/<learnprogramming>, for example /r/JavaScript has some great material. Stack Overflow and Google can solve a lot of problems, but sometimes a more visual approach helps—and that is where Youtube can help.
YouTube
Typically when you bring up YouTube, people immediately think about funny cat videos, but there is a ton of free educational content available there as well. Included in this cornucopia of educational material is a surprising number of programming tutorials spanning more technologies than I can count. Below is a short list of my favorite channels.
- Thenewboston– Node.js, Angular, Java, C, and more
- Derek Banas– C#, Python C++, and more
- DevTips– Design, General Tips, Great CSS explanations, and more
Search “programming tutorials” on YouTube and you will likely be surprised by the results. While many problems can be addressed quickly, some problems will require a bit more elbow grease and resources.
The Docs
An often overlooked resource when investigating a problem is the documentation on the technology you are using. For open source projects, this is often available directly on GitHub and might even be included in the wiki for the source code repository. Just Google the name of the technology with the word “documentation”, then locate the README file in the source code and this usually contains a link to more detailed documentation.
Ask an Expert
When you are learning to program or even trying to improve your skills, getting help from more experienced programmers is a critical piece of the puzzle. An expert will help you improve your coding skills more than any other resource and will offer valuable insights. This is because when you work alongside someone more experienced, you get a chance to see how they would go about solving a problem.
A good place to start is by asking a friend or colleague who you know is knowledgeable about the technology you are working on. If you don’t happen to know anyone, then websites like Codementor can get you connected with programming experts—whether you’re entry-level coders, students, or event startup founders, and entrepreneurs. You can even get long-term mentorships if you need continued guidance on a project.
The advantage of having an expert by your side is you get the chance to let someone else into your exact problem domain. This brings a level of creativity and problem-solving to the table that other resources may lack. And sometimes, other online resources are limited by the perspective of the developer who experienced that issue. By having another person look at your problem, you can often get the exact help you need without being limited by an expert’s physical proximity to you. Getting programming help online is an opportunity for you to have access to more people outside of your town or city to help you out better. When they say two heads are better than one; this couldn’t be more true especially when that second head is an expert.
Wrapping Up
Getting stuck is tough, and getting unstuck is a skill that every developer needs to learn. While it can often seem daunting, I hope this guide has provided you with a better idea of how to get programming help online. The only way to avoid getting stuck is to keep learning and keep trying to master your craft. Fortunately for developers coding help can always be found online and with enough time and grit, any coding problem can be solved.
Author’s Bio
Nick is a full stack developer with a broad range of experience in different technologies including JavaScript, PHP, C#, and more. Currently he is working as the development manager for 360Alumni, a startup focused on Alumni engagement. He received an undergraduate degree from Penn State and an MBA from the University of Wyoming.
