Appreciation post: I had to pick between two ways to ask for help on a tricky coding problem

I was stuck on a bug for two days, trying to fix a login error. My choices were to keep grinding alone or to post the full code snippet on a forum. I posted it, and someone from Chicago spotted the issue in 20 minutes. It was a simple typo in a variable name I kept missing. What's your rule for when to stop trying solo and just ask?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahchen15d ago

Two days on a login error sounds like my kind of luck. My rule is when I've checked the same line ten times and start arguing with inanimate objects, it's time to ask. That second pair of eyes catches what your brain just filters out. How long do you let yourself spin your wheels before calling for help?

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nathan_foster6015d ago

Arguing with your keyboard is a normal debugging step though. Sometimes you just need to walk away for an hour. Coming back fresh solves it more often than not. Two days is a lot, but maybe the answer is in the docs you skimmed.