Asking for help

The Big Idea

Getting stuck is not a sign that something is wrong — it is part of learning to code. Every developer gets stuck. What separates developers who grow quickly is knowing how to get unstuck. You have three tools for this at Dev Academy: your chatbot, your cohort, and your facilitators. This lesson shows you how to use all three.

Your Roadmap

Your three tools

When you are stuck, work through these in order:

1. Your chatbot — available 24/7, good for explanations and debugging. Start here.

2. Your cohort — post in #foundations-help-desk on Discord. Someone in your cohort may have hit the same problem. Helping each other also deepens your own understanding.

3. A facilitator — when you've tried the above and are still blocked. Facilitators are here to help — there is no such thing as a question that's too basic.

How to use a chatbot

If you haven't set up a chatbot account yet, do that now. See Set Up Accounts in your prep material.

What a chatbot is good for

• Explaining what an error message means
• Walking you through a concept in plain language
• Giving you a starting point when you don't know where to begin
• Checking your understanding by asking you questions back

What it is not good for

• Knowing your exact setup unless you describe it
• Always being correct — chatbots make mistakes
• Replacing the understanding you build by doing things yourself

A prompt that works

When you're stuck, give the chatbot this information:

I'm learning [topic].
I'm trying to [what you want to do].
I got [error or problem].
I already tried [what you've done].
Can you explain what's going on and suggest one thing to try?

Example:

"I'm learning Git for the first time. I ran git push and got this error: fatal: not a git repository. I'm on a Mac. What does this mean and what should I try first?"

The one rule

If you can't explain what the chatbot gave you, slow down.

Copy-pasting code or answers you don't understand is not learning. Use the chatbot to understand things, not to skip them.

How to ask your cohort

When you post in #foundations-help-desk, give people enough to help you. Include:

1. What you're trying to do — "I'm trying to push my code to GitHub"
2. What you expected to happen — "I expected it to upload my files"
3. What actually happened — "I got this error: [paste the error]"
4. What you've already tried — "I tried re-running the command and restarting my terminal"
5. Your setup — Mac / Windows / Linux, and any relevant versions

A well-formed question gets a faster, more useful answer. It also builds your skill in articulating problems — one of the most valuable things a developer can learn.

When to escalate to a facilitator

Reach out to a facilitator when:

• You've spent 20 minutes stuck and your chatbot and cohort haven't unblocked you
• You're not sure whether your understanding is correct
• Something feels off about the direction you're heading

You can reach facilitators via your Homegroup channel on Discord or at a scheduled check-in.

The 20-minute rule

Spend up to 20 minutes problem-solving on your own. After that, reach out — don't keep pushing alone.

This is not a test of endurance. Getting stuck for hours in silence doesn't help you learn faster. Asking for help after 20 minutes is the professional thing to do.

The Big Idea (revisited)

You have three tools: chatbot, cohort, facilitator. Use them in that order. Ask clearly. Don't copy what you don't understand. Getting help quickly is a skill — practise it from day one.