The Parallels of Code and Commonplace

The Parallels of Code and Commonplace

In today’s world, the presuppositions and pre-proposed opinions applied to programming by the general public are astounding. If you were to ask a few randomly chosen individuals what are their thoughts on programming, you would receive countless misconstrued views. Some of which derive from incorrect knowledge, others derive from simply a lack of knowledge. One of the most common incorrect assumptions that I hear is that programming is incredibly abstract, and thus shares little to no similarities with any ordinary experiences. This grieves me very much because it is not entirely true. Contrariwise, programming is in many ways in touch with everyday, real-world concepts. Many of the fundamental details that I have learned through coding, I have applied in my everyday life.  In this post, I would like to demonstrate two main examples of these programming concepts that I have applied in life.

Efficiency

One of the most upheld virtues in programming is efficiency. Not only code that works efficiently, but developers that code efficiently. Minimizing time spent doing any given task maximizes work output and leaves more time to relook, refactor, and test your code. This is crucial because it allows programmers to produce more thoughtful and functional code. This efficient workflow philosophy spills over into many aspects of life other than programming. For me personally, everything I do is affected by this mindset that I’ve adopted. For example, I even put much more consideration into even seemingly menial tasks such as navigating through the grocery store. Each time, I mentally consider the most efficient way to get where I’m going, get what I need, and get out. This sounds very forced or over thought, but because of my programming experience, I have become very fond of efficiency and have learned how to quickly comprise plans that maximize its use.

Attention to Detail

Another incredibly crucial requirement of good programming is attention to detail. Attention to detail can make the difference between a functional program and a dysfunctional program. Being able to meticulously spot discrepancies in code is one of the major deciding factors regarding your proficiency as a programmer. This requirement has caused me to become a much more well-rounded person, in programming and in life. This is important because when you’re not paying attention you are making mistakes, wasting time, potentially wasting money and even causing unnecessary stress for yourself! Not only that, but people appreciate this type of attention. Noticing the small things in how somebody accomplishes a task, and for example, complimenting them on it, often makes people feel highly valued. It can also help you get to know them better, simply by having this attention to detail. For myself, fine-tuning this skill as a result of programming has affected how I think of others, how I go about my everyday tasks, and even my internal thought processes.

Conclusion

Overall, programming has many things in common with everyday life. And often, the disciplines that you tend to develop in coding help you to become a better person in other ways. The two I mentioned here are efficiency and attention to detail. Regardless of whether you’re a developer or not, I hope this helped you to understand the parallels that programming concepts hold with the real world, and how software development can even help you to improve in more unexpected areas of life.