This week, I read a pattern called Breakable Toys. This pattern occurs when an apprentice needs an environment where the apprentice is allowed to fail and redo his projects as many times as possible. The main purpose of this environment is to make apprentices or software developers feel free to make mistakes and they can learn from failures until they succeed or until they have a deep understanding of a concept. To solve this problem, the author recommends to his readers a solution called Breakable Toys which can be broken many times; and the consequences of the failure will not affect anyone else, except the person playing with the breakable toys. The breakable toy here can be anything that an apprentice can use to practice techniques, try out new ideas, or to learn new things. Furthermore, breakable toys should be relevant and useful to your life, such as building a wiki, calendar, address book, or game. A breakable toy also should be fun to ensure that you enjoy playing with it and can stick with it long enough to learn everything you need and to enhance your essential skills.

For myself, this pattern is really interesting because it is similar to a method I have taken to learn a new concept or to practice a technique. However, after reading this pattern, I think I have used breakable toys to learn computer languages ​​in the past. To learn the Java language, I wrote some programs that are used to manage a coffee shop or a bakery. My programs would take input from the customer to place an order, then print a receipt, but at that time I didn’t know any tools to store those data into a system. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to learn about MySql, a tool that helps me store and manage data of a system. So, I tried to develop those programs to link them to the database in MySql. That way, I can play with the Java language and also gain a deeper understanding of how to use MySql tools. Furthermore, I have also applied the breakable toy method to learn python language. I wrote some of my own games in python with simple ideas after watching a few tutorial videos on YouTube. Although they are just simple games, it is a great environment for me to play with what I want to learn. On the other hand, I can also freely break the code at any time without worrying too much about the consequences. In conclusion, I believe that breakable toys is a good method for software developers to learn and to experience any tools from zero to hero.

From the blog CS@Worcester – T's CSblog by tyahhhh and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

For this apprenticeship pattern, I chose Be the Worst. This pattern is about joining a team with much greater skills than yourself in order to learn from them, and as to not stagnate your learning by being on par, or more knowledgeable than your other team members. The issue with this concept is that if you join a team of members much more knowledgeable than yourself, you could be seriously behind and unable to complete any of the tasks required by the team, thus becoming deadweight and dragging the team down. The solution it proposes to this problem is for you, as a less knowledgeable member of the team, to do the more menial tasks.

I think this is a really clever solution to this problem for a few reasons. First, it allows you to still help the team, and not just be deadweight or an observer. If you were actively slowing the team down, or worsening productivity, then they would want you off the team, so it’s important for you to still be contributing something worthwhile, even if it isn’t huge. Second, since you’re doing menial tasks, it’s likely stuff that other team members don’t like doing or would rather someone else do. They would be better off using their time for more advanced tasks, so by doing the menial tasks you’re helping them and saving them time. In this way, it actually leads to more productivity for the team. Lastly, by doing menial tasks, as long as they aren’t too difficult, it means that you can still conserve most of your energy towards learning from the other team members.

I think this apprenticeship pattern presents strong and useful information, and I couldn’t find anything I disagreed with. I could relate to this pattern because I have been on teams where I was either the most or least experienced, and I didn’t like either one. Being the most experienced, you will always have to help out the other team members, while you could maybe be more productive doing other tasks. Being the least experienced, you often feel like you aren’t doing or contributing enough. This pattern has changed my view, as I now think that being the least experienced is better than being the most experienced, and I used to think the opposite.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Alex's Blog by anelson42 and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The Long Road is meant to temper expectations. It lays out the path to mastery of software development as one of lifelong learning, and not one of chasing wealth or position. It is about taking jobs and opportunities that will help you continue your journey to gain more experience and knowledge and to prioritize this over promotions and salary raises. It is about finding the knowledge at the heart of software development.

I think that not only is this pattern good advice to software developers but offers good life advice as well. I personally believe that life is about the journey and that new experiences and gaining more knowledge is far more important than gaining more monetary wealth. I don’t care too much about money in general and I think that having this mentality about moving forward in my career lays out a life that will leave me a lot happier and more content when it comes time for me to leave it all behind. I didn’t get into computers to take a middle management job, I came here so I could enjoy what I do and get really bloody good at it. I just found the part about growth over wealth to be such a good way of looking at software development, and I think is kind of the opposite of why a lot of people get into it. I feel like a lot of people get CS degrees because they want to make money, and not so much for the love of the craft, and I think that’s just a path to disaster. I hope I’m wrong, but if you can learn to love the journey I think you’ll have a lot more fun along the way.

However, I do disagree with the notion that this pattern (and this book, as they say) is not However, I do disagree with the notion that this pattern (and this book, as they say) is not for people that want to take different paths. I think it is entirely reasonable to believe that even those who don’t want to continue a software development career for their entire lives still want to master the craft and continue their development journey even if they choose not to continue down a career in it. There are many people who don’t pursue full-on careers in software development, but still love coding and want to continue to grow their skills. Hobbyist game designers or developers are out there, and I think that that choice is completely valid and that this pattern still applies to those that choose something else. I just don’t like the gatekeeping nature of that comment in this pattern. Mastery does not necessitate a career in development. Do what you want, and enjoy the journey.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Kurt Maiser's Coding Blog by kmaiser and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

This is the first in a series of short blog posts I will be making about the book “Apprenticeship Patterns” by Dave Hoover and Adewale Oshineye, discussing individual patterns from the book. This week I am looking at the pattern called “Read Constantly” from chapter six.

The scenario this pattern covers is one in which a programmer is feeling overwhelmed by new information. This is happening even in spite of a good amount of proficiency and enthusiasm. The proposal here is to read constantly in order to catch up on old developments in the field and stay ahead of new ones as much as possible. This also means prioritizing denser sources of information such as books or occasional research articles over things like blog posts, for example. The authors also suggest keeping a small (and thus easily portable) book on your person at all times to read whenever you have downtime.

I don’t really read as much as I would like to. It’d be good to do more reading, especially about the software field, so I think that is useful advice. I have some issues with the framing of this pattern, though.

I don’t fully agree with the outlook of “catching up” to people like Linus Torvalds, who the authors namedrop here, or with how the authors view people like him. I don’t think, taking Torvalds for instance, that he got where he is purely through effort. This isn’t to say that he’s lacking in talent in any way – rather that he got where he was through a combination of being a highly motivated person and being in the right place at the right time in the industry. I don’t think you can make up the latter part through sheer effort alone. I view it as sort of like the lottery – it’d be nice, and you could increase your chances by buying tickets regularly, but it’s misguided to have winning the lottery as a goal when it’s ultimately out of your control.

I think it’s good to read more, of course. I just don’t agree with constant reading specifically as a way to stay “competitive” in the software industry. I do not have the background to make this kind of claim, but I also suspect there’s diminishing returns when you try to cram as much information into your head as possible.

Having read this section, I think I will actually read more, or at least make some effort to. I’ll also probably try to read more about programming and technology specifically. I just don’t think I will take it as far as the authors recommend.

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

This week I chose to write about “Your First Language”. The problem laid out in the beginning of the chapter is that the apprentice only knows basic knowledge of a few languages. This is a problem I have spent some time thinking about. But it is difficult for me to pick, which language I want to fully dive into. I have programmed in Java, JavaScript, C#, C++, and Python. I know the Java standard library better than any other language’s library. And I know the data types, and data structures better in Java as well. Java is what I learned in Intro to Programming, and Data structures. Java is also what I use for coding interview prep. Many of my peers are language Evangelicals, but I feel like a man without a country. I have never built anything in Java, that wasn’t an academic project, or a coding interview problem. I have used JavaScript and C# do build web apps. With all of this being said, I knew I needed guidance from this design pattern.

The author suggests that the apprentice choose one language to solve problems with. And stick with that language for years. And that his first language will be the basis on which he solves problems. For me, I think I am going to let fate decide. Whichever language I need for my first job, that language will be my first language. Many entry level software job postings just say ” “proficient in one modern language” and the assessment can be taking in any language. The author suggests that the apprentice seek out an expert in the language, so he learn from the expert. When I am on the job, I will have access to experts, and a lot of time to learn. For now, I will keep practicing LeetCode in Java, and build web apps in JavaScript for this course. I don’t have time for much else. But this design pattern has made me realize how important having a strong foundation in one language is, and I am eager to start working towards that goal.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Jim Spisto by jspisto and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

After looking at the list of Apprenticeship Patterns, the one titled “Be the Worst” caught my attention. I was curious as to why you would want to be the worst. After all, conventional wisdom would suggest that one should try to be the best. However, after reading about the pattern, being the worst is a way to become better. The pattern explains that you should aim to constantly surround yourself by developers that are better than you. By doing so, you would give yourself room to grow. Being in a strong team gives you an opportunity to learn the effective techniques, tips, and methods that stronger developers use. The goal is not to constantly remain the worst, but rather, to work hard to climb your way up from the bottom and become equal to the other members.

However, there are a few risks with being the worst. One of these risks is feeling bad about yourself and your skills. Being the worst member of the team means you are not up to par with everybody else, and that could lead you to become even less productive. Another risk that you could run into is dragging the team down. Being the weakest member, some teams might not tolerate your weakness for long, especially if you do not put in the effort to constantly improve and hone your skills. If you fall too far behind, then you risk getting fired. The way to avoid these risks is to make yourself useful by doing explicitly doing menial tasks and by developing concrete skills to increase the amount of your contributions. Rapid growth is what these teams want to see, and it is likely why you were hired to join them.

I think Be the Worst is a useful pattern. It gives a clear idea or a method as to how developers can grow professionally and actively hone their skills. While there are risks involved in being the worst, it can be avoided with a strong drive to improve and be a contributing member. The potential benefits of this pattern are immense and it should be something that every apprentice developer should look into.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Fadi Akram by Fadi Akram and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

“It is better to be honest about your skills and fail to land a job, than it is to lie and put yourself in a situation that’s over your head.” – Someone, probably.

That quote, while partially meant as a joke, does have some truth behind it. Unfortunately, in this world of ever-increasing job requirements, it seems enticing to claim skills that you don’t actually have. This, however, can lead to an avalanche of constantly falling behind on work, and procrastinating/struggling to keep up with the rest of the team. Tapping into my previous entry (“Being the Worst”), we can see that is better to be honest about ignorance than to “shove it under the rug”, as one would say.

“Apprenticeship Patterns” essentially states that for this pattern, we must face a very difficult aspect of our lives – admitting that we are not the best at everything, and that we need to ask for help. Similar to “Being the Worst”, I find this philosophy to be familiar, but fascinating nonetheless. While it took me more time to confront my ignorance than to challenge my skills, I understand that both of these processes will make me a better programmer (and a better person) in the long run.

The most useful aspect of this pattern is the idea that, regardless of what we do with our lives (from scientific advancements like coding software to artistic talents such as playing guitar), it is more important to learn how to learn, than to “learn towards a goal”. To phrase this with better clarity – if we can understand the most effective way to learn, it will make our challenges much easier to overcome than trying to simply take on the challenge directly.

While I don’t think that this pattern has changed my thoughts about professional programming, I do believe that it has emphasized the importance of brainstorming, “thinking outside the box”, and other important factors of discovering unknown material. Most importantly, exposing ignorance shows that, as programmers, we know that we don’t have the solution that our client desires (yet), but we are also searching for it.

Maybe it’s because I’m no stranger to shame, but I must say that I disagree with the idea that there is “tremendous pressure to satisfy clients, regardless of one’s actual competence”. For me, the best way to satisfy clients (and pacify my own anxiety) is to select the most reasonable long-term solution – in this case, admitting my ignorance. “Dodging the bullet” during the sprint planning might provide short-term anxiety relief, but the problems avoided remain unchecked, building up far more anxiety in the long-term.

From the blog CS@Worcester – mpekim.code by Mike Morley (mpekim) and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.