Coding is a Craft, Not Just a Task
- Writing code is hard and not just about functionality—it’s about clarity, structure, and maintainability.
- A professional developer continuously refines their skills and learns better coding practices.
- “It works” is not the goal—it works well, is clean, and is understandable is the goal.
Focus and zone
- Great coding happens in a state of zone—deep focus without distractions.
- To achieve flow, programmers should:▪ Minimize interruptions (turn off notifications, set focus time).
- Take care of their mental and physical state (rest, breaks, proper workspace). However, we cannot use the “zone” as an excuse to avoid collaboration.
Test-Driven Development (TDD)
- The author strongly advocates for Test-Driven Development (TDD) as a professional practice.
- Writing tests before writing code leads to:▪ Better design (forcing modular, testable code).
- Fewer bugs (since you constantly validate behavior).Xtreme Programming Wave & Introduction to TDD
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Faster debugging (as tests catch issues early).
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Avoiding Messy Code
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Rushing to write code quickly often leads to technical debt and future maintenance nightmares.
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Professionals take the time to write clean code upfront, knowing it saves time in the long run.
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Refactoring is part of the job—good programmers constantly improve their code.
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Collaboration and Code Reviews
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Writing code is not a solo activity—pair programming, code reviews, and feedback are essential.
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Code reviews are not about personal criticism but about improving the quality of the software.
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Accepting and giving constructive feedback is part of being a professional.
Coding is more than just typing out instructions—it’s about crafting high-quality, maintainable solutions. Professionals write clean, testable code, avoid technical debt, and embrace practices like TDD and code reviews. The best programmers balance deep focus with collaboration to create software that lasts.