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How to become a Super Human Software Developer

Thomas Hansen on September 15, 2022

There's a handful of software developers on the planet today that seems to be "super human software developers". Linus Torvalds, Alan Kay and Steve...
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Adam Crockett πŸŒ€

So I'm not a CEO of a successful company as mine went down the pan some years ago, I also recently choose consulting which means I write less code. But on the flip side I get to garden, make games and (pretend not to code), make model trains and not code while I use the java based scheduler to run trains. Code It's a very addictive drug, find a balance, there are equally engaging puzzles hobbies to be found that let you appear to be a reasonable well ajusted human and still do some code 😁

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polterguy profile image
Thomas Hansen • Edited

I answered a similar comment for another one here just an hour ago ... ^_^

However, in the end, it's a question of "how badly your itch is" - Mine is pretty severe ... ;)

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mosbat

Very nice story. Indeed, practice makes perfect! Eventually, coding leads a Dev to improve their problem solving skills and with practice, they will already know how to solve a complex problem efficiently. I've been practicing coding challenges for over 2 years on daily basis not just for job interviews but also to sharpen my skills at solving different kinds of problems that may come in real life.

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polterguy profile image
Thomas Hansen

Bravo! I particularly liked this thing ... ;)

not just for job interviews but also to sharpen my skills at solving different kinds of problems

People who exclusively focus on "getting a job" tends to become bad software developers ^_^

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Christopher Arnold

Thank you for this. It came to me at the perfect time. I love your passion!

Please allow me to view it through a more narrow lense for a second, and "slow down". For example, lets say a new developer is encountering calling a function within a function in js for the first time. is it a better practice to write a bunch of functions wax on wax off style before moving on to another concept?

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polterguy profile image
Thomas Hansen • Edited

Hehehe, I think the idea is to not take everything so literal.

I'd say; Create a project, analyse what you did wrong, modify the process, and go back to scratch and create another project. Don't get stuck with trying to create a "perfect project" the first time, you will inevitably fail if you do. Basically; Quantity leads to quality ...

Psst, as to "slow down", that is literally the meaning of Aista in India ...

Thank you ^_^

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MD Sarfaraj

Nice, thanks for sharing

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Andrew Baisden

Some amazing tips here thanks for the share.

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polterguy profile image
Thomas Hansen

Thx. I'd appreciate a share 😊

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Jean-Michel πŸ•΅πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ Fayard • Edited

The end goal is unclear here.
It's hard to define what a good life is, but I'm pretty sure that "waxing a car by hand one million time" isn't that.
For me personally "spending many more hours programming than with my relatives and friends" isn't that either.

I guess it depends how one define the word "success" for oneself.

Is "success" just a polite way to say "lots of money"? I don't want to be poor but I don't need more money than my neighbor. Enough money is fine with me.

Is a "successful" developer someone who tries to outcompete everyone like if we were doing the Olympics?
I'm not competitive like that.

Should one give up sleep and hobbies for that and end up in burn out? Be aware that that's how it often ends up.

So I respectfully disagree. The "super human developer" described here doesn't sound very human to me, more like a robot programmed to do only one thing.

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polterguy profile image
Thomas Hansen • Edited

The article wasn't about success, family, or friends - It was about how to become a "super human software developer". I didn't say it was healthy, I didn't encourage people to do it, I didn't say it was an noble goal either, and I didn't say it was a competition of "how to become the best" - I simply told people how to achieve it if they want to ... ;)

The paradox is that the thing I'm showing in the video, actually allows any developer to spend time with his family and friends, due to taking away 80% of the burden of being a software developer ...

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel πŸ•΅πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ Fayard

Seen the video.
Makes more sense with the context.
I knew about the pots study and totally agree with the philosophy.
Better start simple and messy and then iterate a lot.

Feedback: I think you should speak faster on video.

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polterguy profile image
Thomas Hansen

Thx for the feedback. You might be right, but I'm kind of trying to make people slow down ... ;)

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel πŸ•΅πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ Fayard

Thanks for clarifying, will check the video later

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Shahbaz

@polter hahaha nice!