In case you missed the first part in this 5 part series — you can read about it at: Key Point 2 — Focused on Implementation only — 5 things I wish I knew as a Software Engineer
All the 5 key traits can be found here in this article.
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POC = Proof of Concept
I can easily say this is often the most overlooked trait that I have seen across engineers even though the most imporant in my opinion.
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Personally, I learned about this the hard way when I realized I was working hard but not learning/ growing at the pace I thought I was. My manager back then made me aware of the importance of the art of POCing — the process of experimenting, implementing in a light weight manner and picking my own best solution that I was most proud of and one that made most sense to me.
Honestly, it took me some time to realize the benefit of this approach and I often felt I was being challenged or even questioned in my implemented approach for no good reason. Once I was able to gain clarity on some of the benefits (mentioned below), this became my primary approach for most mid-large size or complex tasks.
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Potential benefits of POCing vs a single implementation:
1) Increased ability to weigh pros and cons of various approaches
2) Developing critical thinking to approach a give problem with multiple solutions
3) Expanded coding chops and know-how since each solution might use a different approach or method or syntax
4) Increased ability to approach future refactors with ease and build for scale from get go
5) Increased focus on chosing the best approach vs just delivering a working solution
Hence, I would highly recommend folks to start this approach ASAP if they are not doing it or contiuing to build on it if you are practicing it in some form.
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Let me know in the comments below on what are your thoughts with such an approach and when does it make sense to leverage this.
On to the next Key Trait #4 — Communicate & Collaborate…
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