It's okay to solve a problem twice
a day ago
- #software-development
- #problem-solving
- #career-lessons
- The author reflects on the maxim 'No problem should ever have to be solved twice' and how they took it too literally early in their career.
- They initially favored sysadmin work over software development, believing it was more efficient to use existing tools like Awk rather than writing new code.
- Over time, they realized that their approach didn't demonstrate the kind of problem-solving skills that employers value, unlike peers who built solutions from scratch.
- The author acknowledges that solving problems multiple times is often necessary and that making mistakes is part of the learning process.
- They contrast two job candidates: one who builds a solution from first principles and another who relies on existing tools, arguing the former demonstrates more competence.
- The author concludes that committing to never solving the same problem twice is unrealistic and that mastery often requires repetition and learning from mistakes.