Why You Shouldn’t Google Code Solutions

Let's start by admitting that every developer Googles or searches for something in some other way. What sets developers apart is what they Google — not whether they Google or not.

The quickest and simplest answer is that it is a great way to grab quick solutions and move on to the next problem.

In a fast-paced work environment, developers are focused on delivering features and squashing bugs. Almost no one has time to sit down on a problem. Sitting on a problem may be costly for the team and the project — not to mention your job.

If you are new to coding or new to a language, framework, or library, your best friends are Google and forums where you can post questions for quick solutions.

If you are freelancing, getting answers quickly may mean less time spent on something and a better chance to move on to the next project. Some developers are driven by making money, and there is nothing wrong with that.

All these reasons can be valid and understanding reasons to google things. No problem there.

I have seen a lot of developers get stuck at this level and never actually advance their career because they are the “find quick solutions” kind of developers startups love to hire.

Advancing your career gets you more money. Period!

Learning how to think like a programmer and having a problem-solving mentality goes a long way. As a developer, you must know when you need a quick solution and when you need to get to the bottom of a problem to create a custom solution if necessary.

The market is saturated with “Google and Stack Overflow developers,” and there is no problem hiring those. Companies are struggling to fill higher positions and are willing to pay top dollar for developers who fit the bill.

Building a problem-solving mentality and becoming a strategist gets you a lot of money and higher titles. You become the person people turn to at the office when they are stuck or want to create something new. At the end of the day, anyone can Google a solution. What type of developer are you?

The problem is not Googling. If all you are dealing with are problems you can Google, all you need are more problems like that. Anyone can do it. It is not challenging and won’t push you into higher positions that require critical thinking and the ability to make decisions, create, and supervise.

How can you evoke confidence in your peers and senior developers when you need Google in order to do something? How can your point of view be taken into consideration in meetings when you have a shallow perspective of things? How can you propose custom solutions when you need to Google one first?

“Googling” is about using the tool responsibly not blindly.

Let me start by saying that even senior engineers Google stuff. “Google and Stack Overflow developers” can’t succeed when they are still Googling for the most efficient way to do “x.”

The difference is that a senior engineer is not Googling for the answer. They may Google a certain API so they can solve the problem, but they don’t need someone on the internet’s solution. This is mostly because they normally deal with very specific problems that require specific new solutions.

It is important to learn how to put things together through perseverance and a passion for a particular long-term goal. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk are all examples of minds that coded core solutions themselves, and they all used this attitude to drive their company forward.

The world would benefit from more creative and problem-solving minds. Those who can deliver something from nothing. That's the kind of developer we all should aspire to become.

We are all searching for answers, and what sets us apart is the fact that we decided to do something when the answer was not on Google.