Signs You’re Overcomplicating Your Python Homework

You’ve got a Python assignment due in two days. You open your laptop, tell yourself you’re going to knock it out in an hour... and next thing you know, it’s midnight, you’re 73 lines deep into some code jungle, and it still doesn’t work. Been there?

It’s not that you’re bad at coding. It’s just that, somewhere along the way, you started overthinking it. And that’s what this post is about, how to tell if you’re making your Python homework way more complicated than it needs to be.

So, let’s break it down together.

You’re Writing a Mini Movie Script Instead of a Python File

Let’s start with the obvious one. Your assignment asked for a simple function to check if a number is even. You, somehow, end up with four functions, two classes, and a whole “if-else” maze worthy of a Netflix plot twist.

Why does this happen? Because you want to do it right. You want to impress your professor, show off those skills, maybe even preemptively ace the final, right?

But here’s the thing: Python is meant to be simple. That’s one of the reasons people love it. So if you're doing Olympic-level logic flips for a basic task, chances are you’ve gone a little too far. And hey, it's okay. Recognizing it is step one.

You’re Grabbing Tools You Don’t Actually Know How to Use

Tell me if this sounds familiar: you’re scrolling through Stack Overflow or some random Reddit thread, and you find this amazing solution using decorators or some fancy lambda trick. You barely understand what it's doing, but it looks cool, so you copy it, tweak a few things, and plug it into your code.

Now it doesn’t work. You're confused, frustrated, and wondering why you even started this assignment in the first place.

Truth is, using things you don’t fully get usually adds more chaos than clarity. It’s like trying to fix your car with tools from a spaceship, yeah, they’re fancy, but you’re probably just going to make a bigger mess.

Stick to what you've actually learned in class. There's no shame in using the basics. In fact, there's power in it.

Google Has Become Your Coding Partner

Listen, we do all Google stuff while coding. That’s normal. But if your tabs start multiplying like rabbits and you’re spending more time searching for answers than actually writing code… that's a red flag.

When you’re overcomplicating things, you usually feel lost. So you start diving into tutorials, blog posts, and videos that only leave you more overwhelmed.

Try this: before you open another search tab, pause and ask yourself, do I really need something new, or am I just confused about what I already wrote? You’d be surprised how often it’s the latter.

You’re Not Googling “Do My Python Homework”

No matter how many people say Python is easy, it isn’t that much. You definitely can struggle. When you do, the keyword “do my Python homework” will help you a lot.

When you type this in Google, a number of services appear on your screen that will help you connect with an expert to help you figure out things. The best part is, that these experts are the ones who have worked (many of them even working currently as well) with Python. 

Imagine what you could possibly learn from them. Just make sure you do proper research on each option to ensure the best experience.

You’re Doing More Than What the Assignment Actually Asked

This one’s sneaky. Sometimes you’re working super hard, maybe you’ve added a user login system, color-coded outputs, or a whole data visualization with charts and everything.

Then your professor hands the graded paper back with a B and a comment like: “Did not meet the requirements.”

Oof.

Sometimes, simple is correct. If your assignment says, “Write a function to calculate the average of a list,” and you turn it into a full-fledged app, yeah, it might look cool, but you missed the point. Always check back and make sure you're solving the actual problem, not just showing off unrelated skills.

You Can’t Even Explain What You Just Wrote

Here’s a great test: try explaining your code out loud. Not to your professor, just to a roommate, a friend, or even your dog.

If you can’t walk through your logic without stumbling or opening five tabs to remind yourself what each part does... you’ve gone too far.

The best coders aren’t the ones who write the most complex stuff. They’re the ones who can explain their logic simply. If you can’t explain it, you probably don’t fully get it. And that’s not a failure, it’s a signal that your code might need a second look.

You’re Chasing Bugs Like You’re in a Video Game

Ever fix one bug, feel like a genius, and then another bug shows up? Then you fix that... and boom, something else breaks?

That cycle? It’s often caused by messy or overdone code. When things are simple and clear, bugs are easier to find and fix. But when the logic is a twisted maze, every little change can break something else. It's exhausting.

If you’re spending hours chasing issues and you’re not even sure what you’re fixing anymore, it might be time to backtrack and clean up.

You’re Mentally Burned Out Before You Even Start

Let’s talk about vibes. If just opening your assignment file gives you stress, like, real dread, that’s your brain telling you something’s off.

Usually, that feeling means the last time you touched this project, it was a mess. Now, you're dreading diving back into it. That’s not because you’re lazy or bad at coding. It’s because your code got too heavy, too confusing, too “extra.”

Good code, clean, focused code, feels doable. You don’t need hype music just to open the file. So if you're already overwhelmed before writing a line, it’s probably time to simplify.

Final Words, Just You and Me

Look, Python isn’t out to get you. Neither is your professor. And you don’t have to be some coding prodigy to do well.

The real win is understanding the why behind your code. And most of the time? That means dialing things back, not cranking them up. Simple code doesn’t mean lazy code, it means smart code. Confident code. Code that works.

So the next time you feel like you’re stuck in a loop, literally or emotionally, just ask yourself: “Am I making this harder than it has to be?”

If the answer’s yes, take a breath, take a break, and then... simplify.