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I've worked with several junior programmers who, when they encountered an error in a program they were working on, would immediately go back to their editor and
by anamexis 5y ago
I've worked with several junior programmers who, when they encountered an error in a program they were working on, would immediately go back to their editor and try changing something to see if it fixed it. I encouraged them to stop, read the error and stack trace, and understand the issue before they changed anything to fix it. I think their skills improved for it.
Trial and error is good, but you have to understand what you are trying, and if it works, why. Writing out a program up front can encourage this.
- saurik 5y agoYeah. I take this a step further, FWIW: I often look at something and think I know what is wrong, but I still force myself to prove it before allowing myself to try it, as the goal is to get better enough to not make the mistake in the future as well as be sure it works rather than merely looking correct for some "test".