DEV Community

Alvaro Cavalcanti
Alvaro Cavalcanti

Posted on • Updated on

To Create or To Fix?

The first thrill we feel upon writing the first line of code in our life is when we make the computer do something. Write our name, say hi to the world or even print a computed sum. It's the joy of creation.

Of course that feeling does not last for too long, because the first bug is never too far away. Then the back-and-forth begins. Writing features and fixing bugs.

It's the circle of life.

Further down the road we end up with a lot of created features, and a pretty good amount of crushed bugs. Which ones did you enjoy the most?

If I must pick one...

It will be crushing bugs!

To be fair, it's really exciting to talk to the P.O. trying to understand better the requirements for a given story, to do either a kickoff or a desk-check session with the users and see the value of that feature in their eyes. And to deliver that, obviously.

But in the end it feels more rewarding, to me, to get a bug and crush it. To read through the logs, to understand better the business, the code and investigate. The investigation is thrilling. Unfortunately, the bugs usually come bundled into a pressure pan, with anxious people who want it to be gone and that's not really pleasant.

But even then, I do enjoy the investigation and the fixing.

What about you peeps?

Top comments (3)

Collapse
 
jess profile image
Jess Lee

This question reminds me of @andreagoulet 's article, Developer Differences: Makers vs Menders.

If I had to choose....creating.

Collapse
 
alvarocavalcanti profile image
Alvaro Cavalcanti

I didn't know her article, and I so agree with you. It resonates a lot with mine. Thanks for sharing.

Collapse
 
andy profile image
Andy Zhao (he/him)

I love fixing things. The thrill of making something reusable again and renewed makes me feel so much more alive than creating. I'm not sure why, but creating can feel so draining to me.

Also, when I do want to create, I often end up asking myself, "Someone probably did this already; shouldn't I use what they have and build upon that?"