Code it to know it

It has been two weeks since Outreachy internship period has officialy begun. So far,  this is what happened. I looked at the problem, tried to understand the issues, discussed with mentors and made plans about how to get the task done.  Now is the coding phase.

The implementation phase is always the most interesting phase. You code the ideas you had listed and then it comes. You find issues which you had never thought of. Earlier I had thought if I have a clear plan, I just need to work on it and write code, and there, you have the solution. Clearly it is not going to be like that all the time. You realize everything about your ideas when you sit and code. Sometimes new ideas kick in. You try hard to stick to the timeline you have. Sometimes you miss it. You struggle to get back in the saddle and ride ahead. You might even feel you are not good enough for this job. At times you might experience stress because things don’t move at that speed which you wanted it to. But I think it’s alright. One thing that can hurt you is trying to make everything perfect. I think we should move ahead when things are good.  You can always come back when you have extra time.  All these tasks are new to me. And I know I have to spend sometime learning new things. If you knew everything beforehand, you could have saved your time, but there is no fun without learning/ doing anything new!!

Last week I did feel difficulty in getting some things done which I thought I could do very easily.  This, I feel should be a common feeling among people who just began to code. There is every chance that our estimates go wrong, some tasks can take more time and some less than expected. The key is not to panic and have enough patience to solve the issues. Some times taking some time off the work and coming back with a relaxed head helps 🙂

Recently I came across  a post related to importance of mentors.  The  Outeachy program is a blessing for those  who struggle alone  with code. I am blessed to have wonderful mentors, who inspite of their usual works take out time to meet every week, discuss issues, suggest solutions, read my code, suggest edits, provide papers and references to read and also tolerate my bad internet 😉 Getting  mentors is a critical component of growth. When they give their precious time, I know I should put in every effort to value it.

It is just the beginning and there’s a lot to learn and unlearn. Perseverence is the key.