2 ms·

'Before Google', it seemed to go something like this: * Ask coworkers * Look at documentation * Try things out Things don't seem way different today; we've

'Before Google', it seemed to go something like this: * Ask coworkers * Look at documentation * Try things out Things don't seem way different today; we've just replaced the first two items with a search engine. There is one difference I've noticed, though: an instant-access search engine makes it easier to 'fake' your way through something with less skill and knowledge. In the long run, this seems detrimental to professional growth and development.

gabereiser 6y ago
Before google it was exactly like that. When I was younger and junior and eager to build whatever my boss wanted, coworkers would rely on each other for figuring things out. No fear of being labeled “incompetent”, “unskilled”, or “underperforming”. It was more team oriented. Trying to reverse-engineer some crazy DHTML javascript algorithm used by one site so we can reproduce it in ours (for their members portal). Coworker came to me asking if I could help her deconstruct the hair ball javascript code into something meaningful. It used variable names like “a, z, t1” etc. While you can quickly google something and get back a barrage of answers, usually on the same solution, this is software we are talking about - there isn’t a One True Way and there never will be. The more we try to make a “right way to do things” we invent a new way. Do I google when coding, sometimes. Do I need to? No. Does it make me faster to put my thinking cap on the wall and just go with #1 SO answer? Unfortunately yes.