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I'm not sure I agree, because the situation is in my opinion not symmetrical. Work without reading about it: might work, and often does. Reading about it without doing the work: way less useful.
Spend a week in the lab to save a day in the library?
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> If I code up a 10k LOC main.cpp with stringly typed data structures, I'm not really better at programming, am I? I think you are , you are better having done that than before. It might not have been the best improvement you could have gotten out of it, but still. The relevant XKCD is this one: https://xkcd.com/1414/
An unresolved mental dilemma is a part of a lot of my worry and inaction. Basically it goes: If you just keep working, will you always keep making progress towards where you want to be? I don't necessarily mean "if you just put in the effort then you'll succeed," which I do not believe in. People talk about "practice with purpose." You have to know the parts that you need to improve on and correct them if your actual…
It's because we lack confidence in knowing if our system of improvement is going to work and we don't want to waste time.
I think you kind of need to Let Go and enjoy exploring or maybe just take structured online classes that you pay for.
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Eh, yeah that's a fair point. I wonder if starting at one of those companies will be like walking into one of those houses built by an eccentric after a while though.
Probably more like a house built 100 years ago. I bought a made-to-measure blind for my flat a few weeks ago. Followed the instructions, went to attach it to my window frame only to find out that my window frame bows so much that the metal bar won't actually attach to the wall. Stuff like this is rampant in non-modern build housing, not just eccentric built.
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> I've noticed that some of the most pathological people are the most into 'self-improvement' as an idea. I've noticed that some of the people who spend the most time paying attention to their blood sugar are diabetic.
My point is more that they are checking their blood sugar levels without doing anything about it.
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Programming is certainly the best way to get better at programming. Some other things may help improve your ability to program, but there is no substitute for the act itself.
No. Programming -with intent- is the best way to get better. If I code up a 10k LOC main.cpp with stringly typed data structures, I'm not really better at programming, am I? It's like that saying: practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. Programming is not literally just typing, as we all know, nor is it simply getting a Thing to compile. A lot of it is educating oneself on different types of da…
This happens in a more literal sense as well. Since we compare ourselves to each other, it makes sense that more experienced engineers love feeling like they're ahead and beyond newer engineers, and it bleeds into behavior.
For example, engineers love asking candidates obscure questions in interviews - as if not knowing a specific JVM perk makes the candidate less of an engineer.
Let's also not forget the severe elitist attitude some engineers have when interacting with others. It's almost like everyone else is trash. For all the work he's done, which I admire, Torvalds was seriously toxic to interact with.
It all ties back to us wanting to compare ourselves to each other.