Knowledge is power. To be a great programmer, learn how to get really good at reading and understanding code. To get good at reading and understanding code, y

Knowledge is power. To be a great programmer, learn how to get really good at reading and understanding code. To get good at reading and understanding code, you need to know where to look, and then you need to just start reading it. If something doesn't make sense, figure out why it doesn't make sense until it does make sense. I know that sounds a bit like "to be good at programming, be good at programming", but there's really no way around it. Consider your Django example, the "they" in your sentence is actually code: > they just reload the page Figure out where that code lives, and read it. Dive into its methods/functions, and follow the flow of inputs/outputs. A common thing see with both junior and more experienced programmers is their acceptance of "magic". If the libraries they use just work, they don't dig into understanding why. Then when those libraries fail, they feel much the way you do. But there's no magic. The code is written down or the framework is documented, and knowing how it works (or doesn't) is as simple as reading the code. I've also learned, having done this for 25 years, that you'll read a lot more code then you'll write. I'd guess that I probably spend 75% of my time reading code. The rest is split between meetings, thinking, and writing code. This isn't just a thing for programmers to consider either. Reading code as a programmer is the same as a race car driver knowing about suspension. Or a chef knowing about heat and chemistry. Or a luthier knowing about what wood to use. Driving the car, cooking the food, or assembling the guitar are just a small part of the entire job.