Now what?

How do you solve problems?

Came across an interesting post by Matt Gemmel on the decline of real problem solving among software developers (and probably our Google-ified society overall)

The problem is that this person’s problem-solving technique is to ask for the solution. Not to seek advice on how to approach the task, or ask for the names of likely classes to look into, or a link to an example - but to just ask for the code, fully formed and ready to go.

But problem solving skills are not a secret handed out at institutions of higher education, it’s just how things work…Here’s a secret: willingness and desire to learn are the true qualifications, not ability. If you want someone to spend time and effort (especially if it’s time they’re giving freely), then you’d better earn it.

So next time you’re considering asking a question, you’d better be ready with a convincing answer when you’re asked “What have you tried?”

If your answer amounts to “not a lot”, take my word for it: the next question you get back will be “then why should I help you?”