I read docs, I read code, I read SO questions, I read forum posts, I read blog posts, I read chat histories, I read GitHub issues.
And then, after I lost 1h-20h I ask someone.
Why?
When I started programming, people didn't help me. They were angry when I didn't know things. They laughed at me when I didn't know things. They explained things very badly. They didn't have time to explain things. They didn't know what they were doing themselves.
I'm not sure how to handle it sometimes. It seems like asking too many questions can get me judged and potentially make people see me as stupid. But trying to figure it out myself rubs people the wrong way too..
It feels like the solution is some magic that makes everyone stop trying to make assumptions instead of just clarifying things but obviously that's a pipe dream.
Makes it easier to ask questions, and when someone is asking you silly questions, it allows you to direct your frustration towards the subject itself rather than the person.
Doesn’t work so well with things that weren’t designed however, such as physics, or Rust
Rust wasn't designed...?
People still get annoyed when I ask. Dude, I’m just trying to save time. You can say “I don’t know” and I’ll go read. You don’t have to talk in circles, you don’t have the make something up (that will often be wrong), just admit the truth.
I’m happy to research and guess. But if it’s convenient (for everyone) I’ll pipe up asking for whatever morsels you have that will save time.
Growing up on the Internet has led, for me, to have a very eclectic and fragmented knowledge base.
Speaking with someone affords me to skip all the BS and more precisely target the information I'm after, it also gives the other person the opportunity to spot and fix XY problems, or to refer me to somewhere that will be more fruitful.
Also, I don't know where the threshold for "polite" is. I can research something for a decade, and people will still be frustrated with me.
I’ve found mentorship, especially code mentorship, to be extremely overrated. I seem to end up in two situations:
* the problem I’ve run across is so far out of my depth that I don’t really know how to explain it. If I did, I’d research what I’m trying to do. A mentor either doesn’t have the time for me or can only provide a surface level explanation.
* the problem is mostly within my skills, but I need to figure out a small component. Asking someone is going to annoy them for it being such a trivial piece.