When I first started learning to code I was taking in so much new information that I was overwhelmed I didn't know what questions to ask. I spent a month struggling through explaining what I was trying to accomplish with my code and getting frustrated when I didn't sound like someone who should be writing code. So silly of me.

One thing I've observed through the years in myself and in others is that we are often afraid to admit when we don't know something. We either don't ask the question and struggle in silence or when we do ask we go ahead and assume that the person we ask thinks we are dumb - "This is a dumb question, but..."

Keeping your question to yourself out of fear of sounding "dumb" only slows down learning. The person who you ask is probably excited to share some knowledge with you or learn with you. You should ask it anyway.

I'm definitely no expert, but finding solutions has become fun and interesting since I began asking more questions. This is what I have done to get better and for some I know it may seem obvious, but for me it wasn't and I'm glad I'm in the know now!

Making my questions more specific by avoiding words like "this" or "it" when I'm referencing parts of a problem has also been a tremendous help. I would get so frustrated when I would tell someone, "I'm trying to get this array to turn into a this string -" when the other person is like "Huh?" I'm like "How do you not see what I see?!?"...

It's because they aren't working with that problem, Samantha! The person whom you seek the answer from needs context even if you don't know the technical terms for everything, struggling through and giving context can not only help you find the solution, but you can learn how to structure your question the next time you have one.

Another helpful tip is to break your problem down into sections, so you only have to ask about a specific piece of the problem. Practicing this has kept me focused and has given me a deeper understanding of the overall solution once I reach it. It's definitely not a quick way to a solution, but it's so important.

These are just some small tips, but I can tell you I have seen such an improvement in my learning experience.

I always want to know how to become better at finding solutions. If you have any tips that helped you, please share them with me! As a new dev, I love hearing different perspectives.