There are two different things going on here. If you teach yourself then you’ll struggle to find work because you don’t have the degree, even if your self-taught knowledge exceeds that of your college course. So don’t drop out if you can avoid it.
But, if it’s absolutely tanking your mental health and you really can’t go on then it’s better to drop out than kill yourself over this. You can take time off and try again later.
The best case would be to reduce your stress without dropping out if that’s possible.
While in university, I realized that I was pretty much a bad person. Although I struggled to get into it, my arithmetic skills were strong. I got a recommendation from a student a year ago to approach programming like arithmetic and to do calculations and drawings on paper before turning on your computer. I found that to be almost miraculous. Since then, in order to kind of see the whole context, I always sketch the storyline or use loose pseudocode. The important thing is that it helps me get going and, when I fall off course, get back on track. I realized I’m the only one who performs programming while working on a collective project, and I now feel inadequate. Everyone turns on their PCs.
There are two different things going on here. If you teach yourself then you’ll struggle to find work because you don’t have the degree, even if your self-taught knowledge exceeds that of your college course. So don’t drop out if you can avoid it.
But, if it’s absolutely tanking your mental health and you really can’t go on then it’s better to drop out than kill yourself over this. You can take time off and try again later.
The best case would be to reduce your stress without dropping out if that’s possible.
Whatever suits you is what you should do. Each of us is unique. You’ll learn just as quickly as they do, if not more quickly, because you’ll be working harder. Typing velocity is not significant. Solving problems will always be the bottleneck.
I felt like I had the same issue when I completed my bachelor’s degree at university last year—the majority of folks were either exceptionally intelligent or had prior coding knowledge.
Some folks will just solve problems faster because they are superior problem solvers. However, I have discovered that you should probably excel in other areas and not measure yourself against others (like you pointed out, math). Additionally, follow your own path if it helps you become a better coder. Give up worrying about what people think of you.
They had the advantage for the time being as they moved more quickly because they have been doing so since college. Continue your current course of action until your drawings are entirely insane. You’re on the correct path.
Because you plan before you program, you are a better programmer.
In general, you should write better code and troubleshoot less frequently.
Rather than writing properly, your peers will largely generate “glued together” patched code.
Please don’t feel guilty or ashamed at all. Instead, feel proud. You have encapsulated the fundamental principles of programming, the reasoning behind the code.