Programming involves applying the right pattern to a wide variety of scenarios. A way to learn how to apply those patterns is to analyze how other people have done them. One of the best ways to do this is by reviewing the publicly written code by someone who has published open-source code. Reading and understanding the craft a master has created, it will spawn ideas within you as to how to improve your own programming patterns and creations.  

I find it interesting that it gets easier to read someone else’s code the more that you read it and that the faster you can comprehend code is an indication of your level of mastery. I also found it to be an interesting recommendation to use git to track the history of code over time to view how it is improved. Doing this will help you identify the type of errors that passed inspection but eventually needed to be fixed or modified. In the future, you will be able to apply the patterns you observed to the code you write yourself.

I often program using TypeScript and open-source npm packages. Oftentimes with smaller node packages, they lack full documentation of the entire codebase. When this happens, I use my IDE’s source inspection tool to look at the function within the node package to understand how the package classes and functions work. There are also times when there is a node package written in JavaScript that does not come with predefined TypeScript type definitions.

To use these node packages with type safety, I write my own type definitions by inspecting the source code for the open-source package I am using. To some degree, I have already been reading the source, but not with the sole purpose of reading and learning the patterns of the software’s author. In the future, I will spend more time appreciating that I am looking at someone else’s craft that they fine-tuned to the best of their ability. Making sure to learn and take away as much as I can from their programming. I do not disagree with anything in this pattern, as viewing the source is something that I have already made a habit of doing.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Jared's Development Blog by Jared Moore and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

For this week’s additional blog post, I have decided to look at the apprenticeship pattern “The Long Road”. In this chapter you, are aspiring to become a master software developer. However, your aspiration conflicts with what people expect from you. Conventional wisdom tells you to take the highest-paying job and the first promotion you can get your hands on, to stop programming and get onto more important work rather than slowly building up your skills. In this chapter it is advised that you should focus on the long-term. Value learning and long-term growth opportunities over salary and traditional notions of leadership. No one is so far ahead that you can’t match their skill level given the decades you will have to hone your craft. No business or technical domain is closed to you. According to Dave H. Hoover & Adewale Oshineye, the authors of the book, they say on this,

“This pattern is not for people aspiring to become CIOs or project managers, or filthy rich. Along the way, it is not unlikely that you will take on roles of power and responsibility or find yourself quite wealthy. However, these roles and benefits are not the main motivation of the successful apprentice—they are merely by-products of a lifelong journey. And rather than counting the days to retirement, the craftsman will willingly and joyfully work into her final decades. We don’t want to give the impression that everyone must follow a single road (see Draw Your Own Map) or that this is the right road for every software developer (see A Different Road). Some people leave development permanently and become executives, testers, salespeople, or project managers”. (Dave H. Hoover & Adewale Oshineye).

This chapter was an interesting one to read. I liked how it talked about how this is a unique profession, and you will be doing it for some time if the passion is there. I also liked how it talked about how you shouldn’t jump ship right away if there is an opportunity away from software development. I don’t think that this chapter will stick with me out in the real world, however. I feel as though this chapter is geared towards people with a mind set of already leaving this profession.

From the blog CS@worcester – Michale Friedrich by mikefriedrich1 and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

For this week’s blog post, I have decided to look at the apprenticeship pattern “retreat into competence”. The idea of this chapter is that you, a software developer, are beginning to realize how little you know, or that you have taken on a new challenge that is not working well in your favor, or your having problems with both. Due to you realizing how little you know you begin to get overwhelmed with your ignorance. The solution to this is to pull back and launch yourself like a stone from a catapult. You need to retreat or take some time away from your task to re collect yourself so you can come back to the task stronger than before. According to Dave H. Hoover & Adewale Oshineye, the authors of the book, they say on this,

“An apprenticeship is a roller-coaster ride. You will experience the thrill of learning new technologies, leveraging your knowledge and creativity to deliver value to your customers. But you will also experience the heart-in-your-throat terror of perceiving just how little you know compared to the craftsmen and experts you meet along the way. It can be overwhelming, particularly when a deadline is looming or when you’re dealing with production issues.” (Dave H. Hoover & Adewle Oshineye).

This pattern is most relevant to people who have stretched themselves to far thin to be able to concentrate on the task in front of them anymore. However, by pulling back you do have the chance to launch more forward than you have been able to before. Note however this pattern does come with risks as if you forget to launch back forward or don’t have the desire to there can be repercussions. I liked this chapter as I am a person who can get stretched thin very quickly and am not able to bring myself to walk away for a bit to recollect myself. I liked that this chapter talked about both the pros and the cons of using the pattern. This will be something that will stick with me while I’m in the field because I am prone to being stretched thin and will sit there and still try to figure out the problem for hours. By walking away for a bit, I will be able to launch forward.   

From the blog CS@worcester – Michale Friedrich by mikefriedrich1 and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

To avoid frustration, I try to keep myself motivated by thinking about the feeling when I complete my task. Along with the feeling of completion, sharing information among people is some sort of motivation that I want to show off every time I learn something useful.

In my view, I am not a beginner applying this method introduced in Dave Hoover’s book since I am not feeling strange when I explain to my mates what I have learnt, instead, I actually like doing it because it is not only a way to help my mates understand the part that I have been working on but also a great opportunity to test my understanding over subject and enhance my memorization onto it.

I started feeling the benefits of sharing information with other people since high school. Back then, I mostly helped my friends when they didn’t understand some math problems in class, and every time I do it, I remember that issue much longer, and I feel more comfortable with the technique used to solve that problem. The more I “teach” them, the better my “teaching” skill and my sense of learning improves as well. As they started counting on me in these difficult tasks, I would perceive the sense of motivation to push my learning into the higher level.

We are afraid of having a conversation about a topic that we do not really comprehend. In both math and code, exchanging information, in my opinion, is an infamous problem since I have encountered lots of people who suffer from it. Coding and mathematics have a similar concept (it is like a feeling, but I cannot think of a more specific word to describe it) that once you understand the flow, solving their problems is utterly attractive. Therefore, besides the benefit of improving my apprehension, I also want to help my friends be able to comfortably debate when it comes to specialized topics.

As we grow, we have less confidence to ask other people, searching for problems online is therefore becoming a more popular approach. Hence, publishing blog posts to share my learning will be my next path to maintain my motivation and improve my understanding. Stay tuned!!

From the blog CS@Worcester – Vien's Blog by Vien Hua and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Programming alone can be difficult with unclear paths to take with lots of uncertainty about which approach will be the best. Without someone who can give you guidance, it makes it difficult to move forward alone. It is necessary to find a mentor who will be there to guide you in times of uncertainty. The mentor you find does not need to be someone who knows all, but someone who has more knowledge and experience than you in a particular programming area. Finding a mentor requires a lot of searching because they may be hard to find, especially finding someone who is willing to spend the time to help. However, when you find one, they will provide a world of experience.

I found it interesting the author himself found a mentor after a few years of already being a programmer. It shows that it is never too late to find someone who knows more than you and to ask for help. This practice relates back to a previous pattern about exposing your ignorance. You must be willing to do this in order to get the proper guidance.

This pattern focuses on the theme of approaching programming as a craft where you must start as an apprentice. This reminds me of my grandfather who was a carpenter. When he was young, he started small jobs without much knowledge. He learned from the other men on the job who were eager to teach him what they knew. Eventually, he learned as much as they did and in his later years went on to share his knowledge with those who were younger just learning their craft.

After reading this far into the book, I have reshaped the way I view the development landscape. I feel that it requires the perspective of apprenticeship and the need for finding others to help you develop your craft. I think it is possible that at the same time you are being mentored, you can also be mentoring someone else. There are no areas in this pattern where I disagree with the author. I find that his recommendations and personal experience are well thought out and are great advice.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Jared's Development Blog by Jared Moore and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.