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How to get help

When you get stuck during the coursework you should follow the following:

1) Search Online​

First, when you get stuck you should search online for the answer to your problem. This is a key skill that is really great for you to develop.

Good websites to find solutions are

  • StackOverflow
    • Be careful that you only use Answers to questions that are quite recent. Programming moves quickly!
  • W3Schools
    • These are beginners guides to many web technologies
  • YouTube
    • Finding a good explainer video can be a good way to gain an overview of the area you are having problems with

If you have an error message, copy and paste it into Google. Read carefully each each result to find exactly what you want

2) If you are stuck for longer than 20 minutes​

Write a question to your fellow trainees in your class channel on slack.

It is really important you use the public class channel and not a private direct message. Your colleagues will have similar problems to you and so you are helping them by sharing your problems. We're all learning together!

Take a while to think carefully about the question you want to ask. Make sure you include in your thread:

  1. What you are trying to achieve
  2. What you have tried so far
  3. Any error messages
  4. Your code that people can look at to debug

You must include as much information as you can in your post to get help. If you just post "I need help" then we will not be able to help you.

A more extensive guide on how to ask a good question can be found here

https://docs.codeyourfuture.io/trainees/guides/asking-questions

3. If you cannot get an answer from your other Trainees​

Post your question in your class public channel and @ volunteers from the class that covered the topic and we will reply as soon as we can.

You are also welcome to @ other trainees or volunteers you think might be able to help you.

Please understand that it may take some time to get your answer. Nearly all of our volunteers work full time jobs and only volunteer in the evenings. Not getting an answer doesn't mean you don't want to help - we're just busy 😊