How Clean Code is making me a better person
Thoughts on the challenges of learning to code through @Free Code Camp and navigating my own personal foibles. FCC Profile:http://www.freecodecamp.com/rghadamian, FCC Project Code Pens:http://codepen.io/RGhadamian/
I’ve never liked programming. In the process of learning how to code I’ve seen the painful process of trying to program something as akin to teaching your mother how to use a computer like Ronny Chieng:
However as I’ve become more experienced, completing more complex projects with Free Code Camp and talking to more experienced developers I’ve begun the process of committing myself to writing Clean Code.
What I’ve to come to realise that Clean Code is not just a coding philosophy but a way of life. It is a philosophy that permeates into your daily life and becomes a part of who you are because:
What you do each day, is who you are.
And what you do everyday, means so much more than anything you say.
In business, as in life, the only things that separate us long-term are the things that you cannot buy, the things that no one can take away from you.
In other words, the only things that separate us are the character traits that you develop, practice and reinforce each day.
Writing Clean Code is more up-front work, no doubt, but it is honest work. It is work that is earned incrementally one day at a time and it is work you can be proud of.
Clean coding is a commitment to doing all the small, unceremonious things well and doing it all the time. You won’t ever get an award for writing clean code just like you won’t win an award for keeping your house spotless or ironing your shirts.
But if you choose to do it you will earn the respect of your peers and you will build and hone some incredibly attractive qualities that make you a better person.
You cannot buy diligence, discipline, work ethic, thoughtfulness and care and these are just some of the character traits you develop each day you choose to code clean.
I used to scoff at this type of work. I saw it as a chore, a hinderance and bore.
But now I’m learning to enjoy this work, I appreciate the extra effort, I take pride in the work and its becoming a part of who I am.
I’ve think more intelligently about what I’m trying to achieve with my code, planning it and anticipating what problems I will encounter and using the best tools and solutions I know of.
I’m now naming my variables and functions more semantically, defining the scopes of my functions better and organising my code and paying more attention to details with my syntax. I’m ‘presenting’ my work logically and more intelligently with documentation and when I run into problems, trying to find new tools and solutions with much less fuss.
What I’ve found is that I’ve started to replicate these behaviours in my daily life too.
I’ve started to plan out my day more effectively, focusing on accomplishing only a few things during a day, documenting my activities and monitoring my progress. I’ve allocated time to all aspects of my life including those I didn’t previously prioritise and being more disciplined about maintaining those boundaries and habits.
I’m seeing problems before they begin and anticipating other people’s needs and fixing them before they become a problem; before they’ve even thought or can even asked for it. I listen more attentively and make stronger eye contact with people and I’m more ‘present’ in my conversations and building deeper relationships because of it.
I’m more conscientious and I clean up after myself immediately when I cook a meal, I don’t leave my clothes lying around, I put the dishes away so someone else doesn’t have to. I do tasks immediately when I have the time, not ‘in a bit’ or ‘manyana’ and I communicate my thoughts, requirements, and constraints more clearly and in a timely manner. I dress better and take more care in the presentation of all aspects of my work.
And people are noticing.
They are both surprised and impressed by the rapid growth and transformation. They trust me more now, and that trust is starting to translate into admiration and an unconscious desire to work and spend time with me.
I’m slowly building a better me, and it’s partly thanks to principles of Clean Code.