DEV Community

Discussion on: What makes a good web developer.

Collapse
 
ravavyr profile image
Ravavyr

I agree, problem solving should've been on the list, but at the same time everyone says "problem solving", but what is it really?

How do you define it? I mean "Keep googling until you find the answer" ? lol

I'd like to say it's the "knowing what to search for to solve a problem, but also knowing who to ask and when to ask".

I think much of it comes with time, and every developer has a ceiling or limit. They're great up to a point.
Some devs have a much higher limit than others. As a PM or lead dev you often have to learn to handle that and manage people's strengths and weaknesses.

Collapse
 
emil profile image
Emil

Problem solving as a good developer in my view is to take the full responsibility about the progress and their personal development. I know so many developers who need a ticket for everything since they are not able to take the responsibility and build up their own plans for the required solution

Thread Thread
 
ravavyr profile image
Ravavyr

At my company we say everyone has a ceiling. It can take some months before you see it appear for a developer. Some developers never get past the "need a ticket for everything", while others develop the ability to see the bigger picture and can learn to properly manage projects. Others develop the ability to solve bugs quicker than most with certain tools and skills. Others get really good at one particular stack or language.

As a dev lead or project manager you'd need to get good at spotting their ceiling, so you know who you can rely on to do what tasks.
As they say, do not judge a fish's ability to climb a tree, but put him in the water and let him swim.

And of course you're gonna get those who like to pretend that "anyone can be good at anything" which is sort of possible, but do you want your team to be good at things, or great at them?