The process of becoming a great developer requires you to understand the underlying principles that guide how to think like a developer. Every problem has a solution, and each improvement will do anything but make code worse. It may take a few years to master some skills.
However, the real challenge is to get into the right mindset. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to learn coding. What matters is how you think, solve problems, and shed new light on what didn’t work. Discover the principles that will guide you to think like a coder who can write complex code effortlessly.
Why Should You Think Like a Programmer?
Learning how to think like a computer programmer has immense benefits if you hope to excel in your career. Knowledge is power, but it’s also your livelihood in a highly competitive landscape. There are 47 million developers in the world, and standing out is about adopting the right mindset. Here are some quickfire benefits when you start to think like a computer programmer:
- Enhance Problem-Solving Skills: Solve problems related to coding challenges and other code-related issues through consistent practice to improve your problem-solving skills.
- Expand Your Knowledge: Redefine your developer expertise for any specific language, process, program, data structure, or design pattern by thinking like an expert coder.
- Gain a Competitive Edge: Developers who can provide as many possible solutions to a single problem to break through syntax or programming problems get more jobs.
A Complete Guide to Thinking Like a Programmer
The best way developers put their thinking caps on is to follow the below tips that guide focus, problem-solving skills, and masterful knowledge. Understand how each principle will point you in the right direction, pushing you closer to becoming the legendary programmer with every solution.
1. Understand the Problem Before Finding a Solution
Understand what the problem is before trying to solve it. Let someone explain it, or ask for feedback from fellow developers. Write it down as you understand it before asking for feedback so that other programming professionals on a question and answer platform like Stack Overflow. Many programmers help each other understand different code and language issues during open-source projects.
You can also try pair programming to collaborate with other developers who may be able to explain complex terminology or technology concepts better. For example, you might be developing a software product from scratch for the first time. You could act as the driver who writes the code while the collaborative programmer acts like a reviewer to ensure both of you excel in your programming.
Sketch problems on paper so that both of you understand the issues related to the code, programming, syntax, or technology, especially when using newer technologies that have become integral to programming. For instance, the AI impact on software development shows that all developers should learn to understand advanced tech. Visualize the problem and communicate effectively with partners.
2. Enter the Problem-Solving Mode By Planning Every Step
Jot down the exact steps you’ll take to analyze the problem and find an answer just as you would if you were designing a software development roadmap. Learning how to think like a coder is about planning every step of the project, even if that entails planning the problem-solving process to choose an answer with the fewest drawbacks. Plans are essential to inspire you to focus and solve problems.
First, plan what outcomes you’ll prioritize to get closer to solving the problem. Let’s say you need to make a program undeniably reliable. In that case, you could prioritize your problem-solving focus on writing readable code. Factoring five lines of code into one will only make code worse, but using clever design patterns with meaningful class, variable, and method names will work better.
Break the problem into more realistic concepts to understand how you could plan solutions for issues related to data structures, design patterns, syntax, or the code itself. Consider what could go wrong, and plan the steps and priorities on which you must focus to solve it. You are basically setting goals, possibly identifying root causes, and developing an action plan as part of the problem-solving process.
3. Divide and Conquer to Find a Solution When Stuck
Break complex problems into smaller chunks that provide the building blocks of your solution. Apply first principle thinking, which is the ability to break larger problems into smaller pieces that simplify the entire problem. These become the building blocks of knowledge, whether trying to deliver readable code or solve issues related to the code or other programming tasks.
However, the first principle thinking model also requires you to simplify each block. For instance, you assume that a certain programming language must be used to develop a specific computer program. Apply the first principle thinking model to divide the problem into multiple sections before you simplify each one. Make a point of each benefit and feature the program needs to have.
Perhaps the client wants a specific piece of logic in the back-end programming. Research which languages can achieve better results. Do this for each building block, focusing on the priorities you outlined in the previous step. Then, compare the smaller “blocks” before connecting the dots to build the greater solution, which defines the steps you’ll take toward a result.
4. Apply Science to Shine a New Light on Old Problems
Trying to solve complex problems without data is like mopping the ocean with a bucket. Programmers work an the industry that heavily relies on data science, a specialization within computer science. It doesn’t matter if you’re busy with your own work or serving clients through pair programming projects. You’re in the industry that suggests you create code better when using data-driven solutions.
Big Data is how you find as many possible solutions that is available for the same problem. It’s the best way to solve code-related issues and gain a deep understanding with actionable insights. To think like an expert developer, you must implement the Hypothesis-Prediction-Testing-New Hypothesis model to determine whether solutions outlined in the last step will work or not.
The scientific method requires developers to ask a question, conduct research, and construct the initial hypothesis, which you’ve already done. The next step is to test the hypothesis and analyze the results. It’s also important to communicate your results with the client or other developers in paired programming. Consider the data analysis as important as software testing itself.
5. Practice Every Ability to Gain a Deep Understanding
Most programmers practice each ability, a particular language, or specific piece of logic until they have a deep understanding of the best possible answer to every question. The best way to improve how you complete a task is to practice it until it becomes second nature. Consider the 10,000-hour rule that explains how it takes 10,000 hours of practice to genuinely master an instrument or even job.
Practice also develops the power of agency, which has some real-life examples. One simple example is how young Mark Zuckerberg wrote game code while his friends played games. Another example is how young Elon Musk read encyclopedias while his friends played outdoors. Writing code as a great developer requires commitment and practice to ensure readable code.
Great developers will continue learning about new design patterns for writing code that meets client expectations and work to learn from every experience they embrace when adopting the programmer’s mindset. Developers seeking continuous improvement will read every blog post and multiple programming books to overcome the real challenge of suddenly or unexpectedly hitting a skill plateau.
How to Think Like a Programmer Conclusion
Thinking like a coder requires you to practice your technical skills while mastering your problem-solving skills through simple techniques designed to make you rethink design patterns, complex code, data science, and programming as a whole. Applying the steps above to real-life programming will ensure you have the chance to become a master programmer who can solve any problem.
Start Thinking Like a Developer FAQs
What is the programming mentality?
Programming thinking patterns involve a touch of science dipped in valuable information with precision planning and a whole lot of testing and feedback. The icing on this cake would be practice. Also known as the coding mindset, it helps you apply the technical skills you learned with problem-solving mastery.
Are there programming books to help you think like a programmer?
Learning how to think like a coder would be much simpler if you read “how to think like programmer” books and even a blog post by well-known developers with an excellent track record. Here are three thinking like programmer books to ignite your problem-solving ability and ensure efficient coding:
- Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem-Solving by V. Anton Spraul
- How to Think Like a Programmer: Program Design Solutions for the Bewildered by Paul Vickers
- The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master by Andrew Hunt and David Tomas
What are the underlying principles for thinking like a programmer?
There’s another way to understand the underlying principles of thinking like a computer programmer and entering problem-solving mode combined with the coding mindset that ensures success in every development project. Remember these cues to inspire problem-solving for a solution, whether dealing with code-related issues or seeking as many possible solutions as you can find:
- Understand the problem
- Plan and sketch problems
- Break the problem into smaller parts
- Find all possible solutions
- Repeat the skills until you master them
