Confessions of a Software Developer: No More Self-Censorship

Summary

I haven’t published since April because I’ve been afraid. I also avoided social media, news aggregators, and discussion forums for months. I’m done letting fear stop me. What was I afraid of? In this post I detail every single thing I’ve avoided admitting on this blog. Knowledge Gap Confessions First, why am I admitting these things now? I realized I am not the only working software developer missing crucial skills. My learning path through my career looked a lot like a slime mold seeking morsels of food: strengthening what has utility, but letting the rest wither. But lately, I’ve been building a better base of knowledge. Writing about what I learn–which helps me learn better–requires me to admit I didn’t know. Plus, I’d like to show others in my situation that it’s never too late to learn what you don’t know. I can fill in those fundamentals, and so can you. It’s from that very ignorance that sprouts the drive for knowledge. — Leticia Portella, A Friendly Guide to Software Development I Didn’t Understand Polymorphism For a Decade Learning about polymorphism over the past twelve months was the first time I was embarrassed to admit I didn’t already know something. I’ve been writing ostensibly object-oriented software since 2012. And yet, my lack of awareness of polymorphism showed me I’ve been writing little more than structured programs. That I could replace conditionals and case staments with specialized classes had never crossed my mind. Why I Was Afraid to Admit It As a hiring manager I interviewed software engineers and tried to filter for object-oriented knowledge. Retroactively, it’s clear I was hypocritical. This gap reveals that I spent the early part of my career learning tools, not principles. Plus, it highlights my lack of formal education. Polymorphism is covered in every college OO course. I Forgot SQL I took a college database course as a student. As a working professional, I read and worked through the exercises in Learning SQL, 3rd Edition. For a wh...