So you’ve been matched in a Chingu Pair-Programming session: What’s next?
A relaxed way to try out Pair-Programming for the first time or to dive in again
HOW DOES IT WORK? WHAT ARE THE RULES?
So, first, some ground rules of pair programming.
- BE RESPECTFUL AND BE NICE! And don’t click on random stuff.
- MAKE SURE YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING YOU DON’T WANT OTHERS TO SEE VISIBLE. Most tools lets the other person see your screen.
- REMEMBER THAT WE ARE ALL AT DIFFERENT LEVELS. The wonderful thing about pair programming is that helping others helps you understand better.
- What usually happens is that one person will be in the “driver’s seat” and does the coding while explaining to the other person about what you are writing. The other person is there to help, catch any bugs, ask questions, etc. Then after awhile you can switch who is the driver.
- Sometimes, the person watching may have an idea. That idea may be hard to put into words. In this case, it can be useful to “switch” drivers. But, make sure you ALWAYS ask before you switch.
- Also, remember that most of us speak English as a second language. Another thing: sometimes our internet sucks. Be kind and be flexible, and all shall be fine. It is the Chingu way.
What tools do we use to collaborate?
Discord
In Discord you can collaborate in the following ways:
- Screensharing
- Audio calls
- Video calls
Note:
You can only use these features in a Direct Message (DM) chat. So you’ll need to send your pair-programming partner a Direct Message (DM) and then you’ll be able to
Here is a video that shows you how to send a Direct Message in Discord.
Once you’re in a Direct Message chat:
The screenshot below shows how you can start a pair-programming session — either via Audio Call or Video Call.
Note: it is possible to do a pair-programming session via text (I’ve done it before), but we don’t typically recommend it unless one or both partners is not comfortable with audio or video. Audio or video calls with screensharing is the most effective way to pair-program. But keep in mind Chingu has people from all over the world and the majority of people who join speak English as a second language, so be flexible and kind and everything shall be fine.
What do we work on?
Select a challenge you can complete within one week. You should choose a problem you are both have and interest in. Sources for ideas include:
CodeWars (Most popular for Pair-programming sessions!)
Project Euler
Florin Pop’s Repo for App ideas
What if I’m a little nervous?
No worries, that’s completely natural! The purpose of this is to “try” pair-programming. We are here to have fun and begin learning a whole new skillset and way of problem solving.
We will probably be like this:
Before we can be like this:
So have fun and know that getting outside your comfort zone is the key to significant progress! You’ve got this! 💯
Reminder- what is the process again?
1 — You sign up and a few days later will be magically paired in a DM with your coding partner.
2 — Say things like “hi!” 👋 and “how’s it going!?” (friendly chit-chat). Then find a time that works for both of you. Again, try to be flexible. If for some reason you can’t find some time this weekend, feel free to set something up for next week. :)
3 — Pick a challenge or project to work on. This can be done before or during the pair-programming session. See below and the Pair-Coding trello for ideas.
4 — About a week after we match you and your partner, we’ll send you a Pair-programming feedback form (2 minutes ). This helps us continuously improve the process, as well as keep track of how many hours of pair-programming has been generated.
Have fun!!
