Asking for Help for Introverts
Tags: codenewbie, javascript, beginners, womenintech
Published: 2020-09-15 17:07:28

Over the weekend, it was brought to my attention (when asked about my learning progress) that I don't ask many questions or ask for much help. I didn't really know how to respond to that. I'm not even going to downplay it--learning JavaScript is hard for me. It got me thinking, *I know have questions. Why don't I just ask?* I believed that if I figured things out on my own, I wouldn't have to ask for help. I have such great support from this community and my family in tech. So I felt that I should figure out what's going on in my brain and do my research of *why* I don't ask questions and what I can do to educate myself to make this learning journey better. 

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/bvuc9hm13buzqt0pekj3.jpg)

I had to come to an understanding that I am an introvert. I get stuck in my thoughts way more than I should. So I already know that asking for help is hard. 

I found this great article, "8 Reasons Introverts Might Find it Difficult Asking For Help" by Andy Mort, that explained . . . well, me! Here's his list of the *whys*:
>1. You Tell Yourself that You Have it Easy Compared to Others
>2. Fear of Rejection
>3. You’ve Experienced Dependency in Other People
>4. You Don’t Want to Feel Like You Have Burdened Someone Else
>5. Reciprocity
>6. Fear of Losing Control
>7. A Belief in Self-Reliance
>8. Overwhelmed by the Potential Energy Drain

After reading this article, I couldn't believe how ALL of these reasons pertained to me and how I felt about asking for help. Different reasons for different problems, but I've experienced every single one of these feelings. Especially while I'm learning JavaScript. 

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/oozca3f49ok2l2zgntzb.jpg)

I realized that's not a bad thing to ask for help or a burden to ask questions. It was my own fear that prevented me from being courageous and relying on other people for support. I really should be asking my questions when I don't understand something. Asking even saves time!

For example, I started [#JavaScript30](https://www.javascript30.com) last week and here's a snippet of my code:

```javascript
function playSound(e) {
    const audio = document.querySelector('audio[data-key="${e.keyCode}"]');
    const key = document.querySelector('div[data-key="${e.keyCode}"]');
    if (!audio) return;

    key.classList.add('playing');
    audio.currentTime = 0;
    audio.play();
}
```

It took me more than an hour to figure out why the code wasn't doing what I wanted it to do. This wonderful community of experienced devs could have told me it was something as simple as mistaking an apostrophe for a backtick. I really appreciate feedback and constructive criticism, but I just find it difficult to ask for it. I just have to keep reminding myself, there's no such thing as a stupid question. 

####Last Week's Accomplishments:
- Started building JavaScript projects with #JavaScript30

####Check it out:
- ["8 Reasons Introverts Might Find it Difficult Asking For Help"](https://www.andymort.com/hard-asking-for-help/) by Andy Mort

####On My Mind:
- Does anyone have learning tips for introverts in this field? How do you put yourselves out there?

Until next time!
![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/59exhldxjocxu0sa4bz6.png)

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