Coming To Understand How I Program

Lately, I have come to a more psychological answer to difficulties I am having in programming. This realization is as follows: although it may be true that I can understand a problem I am working on by working alone, but I find it a lot easier to work with someone of my own skill level. By easier I mean less time consuming, less stressful, and very helpful when it comes to debugging and getting the program to work properly. Whenever I find myself staring at a complex or difficult program, I tend to stare at it for minutes on edge just trying to understand the very basic concept of what I am seeing. If I don't do this, I would never be able to understand what I am supposed to do in the program, and it would just take longer for me to get past any confusion. However, working with a partner makes this process faster. We would both give each other ideas on how we can work through bits and pieces of the program, ultimately putting my brain at ease, and helping me become more focussed at the task at hand. If any of us gets confused, we would solve the problem a lot faster than if I were just by myself. Many times during the lab, or even during Assignment 1, I would find myself thinking, "What would have happened if I were to do this problem alone?" The answer would probably be me taking more time on something which is, in reality, a very simple problem.

Generally speaking, I feel a lot more comfortable working on more basic problems with myself than anyone else. I am a quick learner when it comes to basic programming, so I feel that if I were to be paired with anyone else to work on something simple, they would only slow me down. I can be quick to program anything that I have already done before, but when it comes to new ideas, or new concepts on how to apply my knowledge, this is when my programming becomes a lot slower. Therefore for problems that involve applying my knowledge or approaching programming in a different way that  I was taught before, are better done with a partner to help me along the way.