📚Slowing Down to Speed Up in Software Engineering
Why Slowing Down is Key to Skill Development
TL;DR
Software engineering skill development requires slowing down to understand systems and learn effectively. Tools and AI can accelerate outcomes but may not support skill development. Senior developers should coach juniors by using learning techniques.
Software engineering skill development requires slowing down to understand systems and learn effectively. Tools and AI can accelerate outcomes but may not support skill development. Activities that promote learning are inefficient by design, as cognitive capacity is built through struggling with uncomfortable tasks. Senior developers can coach juniors by using learning techniques, and managers should guardrail against the expectation of an ever-increasing pace of work. The key performance indicator for learning is the change in thinking, not the quality of the exercise artifact.
Key Points
Software engineering skill development requires slowing down to understand systems and learn effectively.
Activities that promote learning are inefficient by design, as cognitive capacity is built through struggling with uncomfortable tasks.
Senior developers can coach juniors by using learning techniques, and managers should guardrail against unrealistic work pace expectations.
The key performance indicator for learning is the change in thinking, not the quality of the exercise artifact.
Generative AI has changed the landscape of skill development for software engineering, but understanding how tools work is still critical.
Why It Matters
If you're a senior developer, pay close attention to junior developers' work and respond to it in your coaching. Understanding how systems work is critical, but the biology and psychology of how we solve problems have not changed quickly. Managers should guardrail against the expectation of an ever-increasing pace of work.
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