Should you always just google stuff as a software engineer? 🤔
For any software engineer, googling stuff is a daily habit. Today I want to reflect on whether there are better ways for you than googling stuff regularly and how alternatives can improve your coding experience. This article is based on Chapter 3 of the book The Programmer’s brain.
It starts in college when you are supposed to memorize code, and you have to write it on paper. Most of us hate this part because various information and docs can be easily looked up on the internet. The internet allows a developer to explore docs and learn almost any language. For hackathons and short-term projects, it can be a very convenient thing. Whenever you are unaware of a concept or topic, you can google it and find the expected knowledge on GFG or Stackoverflow.
The Google ninja
But, the case is different for medium or long-term projects. For these projects, it might be too tiring to google a lot of stuff. Whenever we're reading or writing code and we come across a new concept, we open a browser and search for this concept. Opening the browser and surfing the web takes a few minutes; afterward, coming back into the code also takes a few minutes. In totality, this process can take anywhere from 5–10 minutes. If you have to do it 2–3 times an hour, this creates a massive distraction for a developer. Following this habit regularly can affect our memory retrieval capacity.
The alternative approach: Flashcards
The alternative approach described in the book is not to google a concept or topic you forgot; instead, use flashcards. Whenever you google a new concept for the first time, you can create a flashcard on either paper or a smart device. On one side of a flashcard, you write the name of the concept, and on another side, the corresponding generalized form of code.
Next time you encounter this concept, try to remember the code related to it. And only if you fail to do so, look into the other side of the flashcard. This will not only save you from browser distractions but also strengthen your memory retrieval capacity.
Happy coding!
