I can’t code all the time.
I end up patching code here and there. What I’ve noticed is I can trace programs easily. Explaining why something broke is no problem. Carving up the code base is ok – I can see how things are put together.
If I remove myself from the code base for a period of time, I struggle to come up with the correct solution. Intuitively, I think pointing out flaws requires little work. I also find difficulty expanding on a previous code base. If I wanted to create a new feature, I need to catchup with the latest libraries, syntax, and design patterns. Then I can begin writing out the new feature.
I can fast follow, but advancing is difficult.
Rather than telling my engineers how to fix something, they tell me what I need to do if I want to help. My engineers have invested far more time in the code base than myself. They are living in the environment – they know the quirks of the system better so I always listen to their suggestions first.
Not working in code all the time and thinking I can still write features is like going to the gym once a week and expecting to go toe-to-toe against Mike Tyson.
If I were to run an experiment, I would have managers not code for durations of time and then take a coding challenge like on Project Euler. Would be interesting to see on average how long programming abilities will fade away.
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