Being a "regular" software engineer is all about building a large internal collection of idioms that you can reach for to build what you need, not to methodical

Being a "regular" software engineer is all about building a large internal collection of idioms that you can reach for to build what you need, not to methodically think through each step. Are you sure about that? It seems backward to me. Each time you implement something, you should be improving yourself. This means not relying on just doing it the same way you've always done it. It means actively looking for a better solution this time around, which typically means methodically thinking through each step. Then again, I know people who think personal improvement should happen outside of work hours. shrug