I'm wondering if this is the reason why when given assignments in class , if there are some directions on how to solve the problem (or some starter code), I usually have a harder time coming up with the solution.
It feels like I'm severely constrained into thinking through what the person who came up with the instructions/code was trying to do and work within those boundaries, as opposed to freely thinking about how I would solve it.
I always had this with math, we always needed to do algebra, whereas I was much more interested in trial and error solutions.
I mean I get it now, but at the same time, I think leaving 25 to 50% of all assignments to clever guesswork would've motivated me more, while still learning algebra.
It feels like I'm severely constrained into thinking through what the person who came up with the instructions/code was trying to do and work within those boundaries, as opposed to freely thinking about how I would solve it.