The art of problem solving

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You will always find yourself in a situation with a problem you don’t know how to solve. How should you find a solution to your problem? Can you figure out how resolve the problem on your own, or should you ask for help? This series describes general approaches to problem solving.

Problem solving is a big part of software development. It involves a lot of trial-and-error, reducing problems into different problems or subproblems and lots of research. Sometimes it involves asking for help.

An independent developer is a productive developer. It means being able to find and understand solutions on your own. In order to assist this, some helpers might not always give you the help you want, and would rather help you help yourself. This is something you should be grateful for.

When problem solving you should have certain goals in mind.

Do your research. Solve the problem independently if you can. Time is precious, and not everyone is helpful. The problem is yours, so it is expected of you to do what you can to solve it before you ask others. If your problem is very basic and you haven’t done your research, you may be met with hostility.
Try to learn something along the way. If your knowledge isn’t up to speed, solving a problem is a great way to do something about it. When identifying an issue, you should learn why it is an issue and how the solution resolves it. This way you may save time and learn how to avoid similar problems in the future.

Resources in this series:

Asking smart questions How do you ask optimal questions? There are certain things to keep in mind. It helps to be able to put yourself in the helpers’ shoes to avoid some common problems. This resource will try to turn the tables, helping you understand the challenges of helping people so you can optimize your approach.
Troubleshooting Troubleshooting is about diagnosing and fixing an issue with something that doesn’t work the way it should. This resource describes a general approach to troubleshooting.
Turning ideas into reality This resource describes a general approach to turning ideas into reality. TODO: Write this resource.