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So you're stuck

Isaac Lyman on March 20, 2018

This is a chapter from Your First Year in Code, a book of practical how-to and advice for new developers. If you're considering a career in softwar...
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Nested Software

Really good article! This may fall under the 'take five' heading... I find that when I'm really stuck on something, being able to work on something else for a while can be very helpful. Sometimes my brain will find a solution, or at least ideas for things to try, while I'm doing work that is still useful but more straightforward.

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Lara

Thank you so much for writing this for two reasons.

  1. I always feel like I'm not good enough or that there is something wrong with me for not being able to solve problems immediately
  2. Reading this article gave me a new perspective on the issues I face and how to solve them. Keep this up 👌
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Georgi Tenev

Seriously though, I liked the fact the you mentioned mental health - it's so important and yet it feels it's not as discussed as it should, at least in the IT field.
Would be cool to turn these steps into an infographic poster and give it to CompSci freshmen students/Junior Devs :)

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Isaac Lyman

Yeah that would be awesome.

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Dan Benge

95% of the time I figure out the solution the second I hit "Send" on an email asking my coworkers for help on a problem.

I now send the message to my private slack channel first, and it usually accomplishes the same thing.

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Martin Häusler

A very good article. I find myself doing very similar steps. I smiled at the section about the poisonous communities at the question&answer sites, because they truly are.

As a developer, being patient and resilient against frustration is both a blessing and a curse. I've found myself spending days or even weeks of holidays in either one of the steps you have presented because of being stuck in a hobby project. The eternal repetition of "let's just try one more thing, maybe this will work" is a hellish cycle indeed (even though that's where I learn the most). Sometimes it's worth it to just let it rest for a while.

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Rafal Pienkowski

I like very much the list of bullet points you've made. It could be useful for any developer.

My personal opinion is that the thing which differs an experienced dev from a noob is that seniors are asking much more earlier for help than the second group.

Thanks again for your list :)

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Kelvin Wangonya

This post made me join the community :). I need to print this out and stick it on my wall. Great post!

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Isaac Lyman

Cool, welcome to the community. Maybe I should sell prints? :)

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Kelvin Wangonya

Haha, I'll need royalties on that :D

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Tarun Garg

Good sleep is also a good debugger

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Isaac Lyman

Soooo true.

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Alain Van Hout
  1. Use And IDE
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Mac Siri

Awesome write-up Isaac! Thank you for sharing.

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Georgi Tenev

I just sit on the toilet.

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Vivek Kodira

Enjoyed reading this one.thank you.

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Jen Chan

My life everyday 😩🍎🙎🏻‍♀️