/How-to-ask-for-help

A short guide for seeking support within an bootcamp context

How to Ask For Help

💡 This resource will explain how best to utilize your independent learning time. It will provide some insight into common concerns when stuck, blocked, or confused during a lesson or lab.

During Lessons

Questions about a lesson:

  • Occasionally your instructor will ask you to answer questions in the slack channel: seir-1016-ec-classroom
  • However, most debugging questions should be posted to this slack channel: seir-1016-ec-debugging
  • During session lectures, please feel free to unmute and "interrupt" if you have a question that has not been answered, after a short time. Instructors may not see "raised hands" during remote instruction.

Using the debug channel

Questions about your code:

Please make a descriptive post about your issue in the debugging channel:

  • include in it the relevant code snippet (use the Slack code snippet feature)
  • provide some context around it and the specific error you are receiving
  • screen captures of the error can help with larger error ‘stacks’

Seeking Help During Labs

Consider the following questions before asking for help:

  • What is your understanding of the error you're receiving? What clue does the error give you as to how to solve it?
  • Did you look up the error in order to get a better understanding of what it means?
  • What have you tried to do in order to remedy the problem?
  • What lesson or outside sources have you referenced?

If you cannot answer these questions, the instructors may ask you to investigate these angles before providing 1:1 support.

The Problem Solving Process

Breath & Assess

  • Sit with the problem
  • Draw it out (literally) - create a diagram of each step of the process you are trying to work through
  • ‘rubber duck’ - talk it out so you can better understand the problem
  • Work on this for 10-15 minutes

Review your code line-by-line

  • Check with a peer & review your code. Trying to explain your problem to another person might help clarify the issue.
  • Work on this for 10 minutes

Check your notes

  • Brainstorm with a fellow dev about an in-class/notion examples to provide a guide.
  • Work on this for 10-15 minutes

Confirm

  • Post in the ‘debugging’ channel :
  • Highlight your goal / problem
  • List what you have tried and the current error messages you are receiving (screen caps are great!)
  • If you receive no response after 20 minutes @ your pod leader.

Pivot:

  • Move on to the next problem / area of your project if you are blocked in one area. Styling, readme documentation, commenting your code are great ways to keep busy when you are blocked.

Circle Back

  • Send a DM to your IA/IL for 60-90 minutes of being blocked on a problem.