Week 9

Reflecting on CodingBat

This past week I tackled some of the CodingBat challenges—and wow, what an experience. I spent nearly three full days working through them, even though the instructions made it seem like a quick assignment. But this was my first time coding in Java, and it felt like stepping into an entirely new world.

I’ve used Python and C++ before, but Java’s syntax and rigid structure caught me off guard. I found myself restarting problems mid-way, spending an hour simply figuring out how to concatenate strings or manage indexes. Friday afternoon, I remember searching syntax guides on nested loops—felt like relearning how to think in code.

String‑2 was easily the toughest set. I must have tried each problem half a dozen times—altering conditions, tweaking loop counters, adjusting substring indexes—until something finally clicked. None of the challenges were simple; every one demanded more trial and error than I expected. On Saturday night, I finally submitted a version that passed all tests—and the relief was intense.

I’m attaching screenshot of the solved challenges. Each one represents a small victory over confusion and frustration. Now I’m starting to recognize Java’s logic flow, not just its rules. And that feels like real progress.