Today, I want to take you on a journey! a journey from the halls of my college days to the dynamic world of the software industry. Along the way, I stumbled upon a realization that completely transformed the way I perceive coding concepts.
Back to College Days: The Beginning
During my college years, coding was all about mastering syntax and glue together lines of code. Little did I know that a moment was waiting to unfold. It all started when an industry veteran paid a visit to our campus. With a decade of real-world experience under his belt, he asked a very simple question: "What exactly is object-oriented programming (OOP)?" The room buzzed with anticipation.
The Unexpected Twist: A Puzzle of Concepts
What happened next left me shocked. The answers, even from our brightest minds, were rejected. It became apparent that we had confined our understanding to textbook definitions. We had memorized concepts, but their true essence had slipped through the cracks.
The Journey to Uncover Abstraction
The moment arrived when we dived deep into the concept of "abstraction." We had all crammed the definition as "hiding complexity from the user." But there was a catch. We had overlooked a crucial detail—the audience. When asked about abstraction, the wrong response was "end user." Yet, this left a nagging question: How could the end-user possibly know about the backend workings of code, hidden beneath layers of user interface?
A Paradigm Shift: The True Purpose of Abstraction
My journey took a turn when I entered the industry. Real-world scenarios revealed a deeper truth about abstraction. It wasn't about shielding the end user but empowering fellow developers. It was about providing a high-level overview of the code, stripping away the unnecessary complexities that could hinder understanding.
The Use of Abstraction: A Clearer Vision
How could one's code communicate efficiently with fellow developers without drowning them in details? The answer lay in abstracting lower-level details using classes, objects, and functions. The goal was clear “to offer a concise yet comprehensive understanding of functionality, minus the overwhelming low level details.”
The Journey Continues: A Guiding Star
As my coding journey progresses, I carry this revelation as a guiding star. My perspective has shifted, and my understanding has deepened. Every line of code now holds the potential to be more than just syntax—it's a language of abstraction, facilitating seamless collaboration among developers and enabling us to create wonders together.
Embrace the Revelation: A New Perspective
Remember that our coding journey isn't just about code—it's about the philosophy behind it.
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