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Bhagya Mudgal
Bhagya Mudgal

Posted on • Updated on • Originally published at blog.bhagyamudgal.me

Signs That Bad Programmers Have

Every programmer thinks that his code is the best in the world. It very well may be valid for some of them and for the people who couldn't say whether they are good or bad at programming. This post will help you in identifying signs that bad programmers have so that you can know if you are lacking somewhere and improve yourself.

I don't want to discourage or demotivate you. I believe that if we don't know our faults, how can we make improvements and make them right.

We should identify our shortcomings and try to overcome them and become better day by day. Below are signs that bad programmers have:

1. They can’t understand their code.

  • A bad programmer’s code has mysterious variable names, copy-pasted segments, and heavily branching logic.

  • It is very difficult to understand code written by bad programmers.

  • On the other hand, A good programmer’s code is easily understandable and readable, even after years. They take the time to refactor their code and make use of proper variable names and their flow of logic is solid.

2. They think their solution as the only best solution

  • Bad programmers will be satisfied with the very first working solution they came up with.

  • They won’t think about the various edge cases that might occur, leading the code to break when those edge cases come.

  • The possibility that they may have to make further changes in additional places never crosses their minds.

  • On the other hand, Good programmers think about how their code might break, and think about the various situations their code has to handle. They don’t stop at the first solution, they continue and think about solutions to the remaining problems that weren’t addressed by the first attempt. They are open to other better solutions.

3. They are egotistical.

  • Bad programmers have large egos, and they do everything they can to promote themselves even at the expense of others.

  • They’ll take credit for things they didn’t contribute to. They don’t take criticism well and are quick to point out flaws in others.

  • They don’t help others improve and their skills often stagnate because they think they have nothing else to learn.

  • On the other hand, Good programmers don’t let their egos get in the way. They use everything as a learning opportunity. They believe that there’s something to be learned from any situation and from any person, regardless of skill level. They help others improve, and are thankful for any criticism and feedback they get because they know they can use it to help them become better. They’re quick to give credit where credit is due.

4. They can’t compromise or let go.

  • Bad programmers never compromise. For example, if they’re all about performance, they will always pursue performant solutions at the expense of everything else (such as code clarity), regardless of whether performance is even valuable or necessary.

  • On the other hand, Good programmers are willing to compromise. They understand that circumstances change what the ideal solution looks like, and adapt accordingly. For example, a good programmer will be more than willing to write an underperforming but far more clear solution if the clear solution is better for the situation at hand.

Thank you for reading! I hope it will help you.

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