4 ms·

I'm pretty sure that I'm a "slow" developer. Not in terms of actually coming up with the core fix to a problem that I'm working on (that's actually the most str

I'm pretty sure that I'm a "slow" developer. Not in terms of actually coming up with the core fix to a problem that I'm working on (that's actually the most straightforward part of any project) but everything else that follows. That is to say writing clean, well-tested, documented and maintainable code. Is this something to be concerned about long-term or should I just accept that my work will always take a little longer to complete than my fellow developers?

ScottBurson 10y ago
If you're saying that your code is actually cleaner, better-tested, and better-documented than that of your fellow developers who seem to work faster, then I don't think you have anything to worry about, as long as you find a job where the value of those things is understood.
ktRolster 10y ago
Is this something to be concerned about long-term Don't be concerned about it, but try to get faster.
Joeri 10y ago
One of the slower developers on my team is also very precise and methodical. He gets those tasks which require those attributes. It would be difficult to replace him.
BurningFrog 10y ago
Find fast people to pair program with. You'll learn some good speedup techniques.
- fapjacks 10y ago
  This is really a fantastic suggestion! Pair programming can't be advocated enough. I used to think it was stupid many years ago, and then I made friends with a guy who'd been programming longer than I'd been alive. We'd both stay late and shared an office, and in the evenings he started mentoring me, and we'd pair program. I think there is no better way for bringing programmers up to speed (whether junior-senior or slow-fast or new-old or whatever). Also, having tried a variety of interviewing techniques, I find pair programming to have one of the highest concentrations of useful information about a candidate. Work sample being another.
  - BurningFrog 10y ago
    Are you not allowed to pair during the day?
    - fapjacks 10y ago
      Well, this was years ago, and we were working on different tasks during the workday. It started with me asking questions and him showing me how to do something that ended up being pair programming. Like many workplaces, there wasn't much time for teaching moments during the workday.

ScottBurson 10y ago

If you're saying that your code is actually cleaner, better-tested, and better-documented than that of your fellow developers who seem to work faster, then I don't think you have anything to worry about, as long as you find a job where the value of those things is understood.

ktRolster 10y ago

Is this something to be concerned about long-term Don't be concerned about it, but try to get faster.

Joeri 10y ago

One of the slower developers on my team is also very precise and methodical. He gets those tasks which require those attributes. It would be difficult to replace him.

BurningFrog 10y ago

Find fast people to pair program with. You'll learn some good speedup techniques.

fapjacks 10y ago
This is really a fantastic suggestion! Pair programming can't be advocated enough. I used to think it was stupid many years ago, and then I made friends with a guy who'd been programming longer than I'd been alive. We'd both stay late and shared an office, and in the evenings he started mentoring me, and we'd pair program. I think there is no better way for bringing programmers up to speed (whether junior-senior or slow-fast or new-old or whatever). Also, having tried a variety of interviewing techniques, I find pair programming to have one of the highest concentrations of useful information about a candidate. Work sample being another.
- BurningFrog 10y ago
  Are you not allowed to pair during the day?
  - fapjacks 10y ago
    Well, this was years ago, and we were working on different tasks during the workday. It started with me asking questions and him showing me how to do something that ended up being pair programming. Like many workplaces, there wasn't much time for teaching moments during the workday.