Hacker Bits, June 2016

Interesting
Am I really
a developer
or just a good
Googler?
By SCOTT HANSELMAN
I
got a very earnest and wellphrased
email from a young
person overseas recently.
Some time in my mind
sounds come that Is that
I am really a developer or
just a good googler. I don't
know what is the answer I
am googler or I am developer.
Scott Please clear on
my mind on this please.
This is a really profound
question that deserved an
answer. Since I only have so
many keystrokes left in my life,
I am blogging my thoughts and
emailing a link.
I've felt the same way sometimes
when playing a video
game. It'll get hard as I progress
through the levels, but not
crushingly hard. Each level I
squeak by I'll find myself asking,
"Did I deserve to pass that level?
I'm not sure I could do it again."
You get that feeling like
you're in over your head, but
just a bit. Just enough that you
can feel the water getting into
your nose but you're not drowning
yet.
First, remember you are not
alone. I think that we grow when
we are outside our comfort
zone. If it's not breaking you
down, it's not building you up.
Second, anything that you
want to be good at is worth
practicing. Do Code Katas. Do a
Project Euler problem every few
weeks, if not weekly.
Third, try programming for a
day without Googling. Then two
days, maybe a week. See how it
feels. Remember that there was
a time we programmed without
copying our work.
Fourth, think about the
problem, deeply. Read about
algorithms, read Programming
Pearls, read about Design
Patterns. Rather than copying
code from Stack Overflow, copy
patterns from the greats.
Fifth, get involved. Go to
User Groups, Nerd Dinners,
meet with others who feel the
same way you do about technology.
Stretch.
What do you think? •
Reprinted with permission of the original author. First appeared at hanselman.com.
8 hacker bits