Debugging: The Underrated Skill in Software Development

One thing nobody tells you about being a developer. Most of the job isn’t writing code. It’s reading code. Code written 6 months ago. Code written by someone else. Code written by… you. And the most confusing part? Sometimes you open a file and think: "Who wrote this?" Then you check the commit history. It was you. Past you was confident. Present you is confused. Future you will probably rewrite it. The developer life cycle continues. #softwaredevelopment #programming #developerlife #coding #webdevelopment

📚 What if documentation was all you had? No Stack Overflow. No quick answers. No “this worked for me” solutions. Just official docs. You read it. You try it. Still confused. Because let’s be honest— 📖 documentation explains 🧠 but doesn’t always solve That’s why developers don’t just read— 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀. Could you rely only on documentation to code? #Programming #Developers #CodingLife #SoftwareEngineering #DeveloperLife #TechThoughts #LearningInPublic #ITStudent #TechCommunity #ProblemSolving

Programming looks like writing code. But most of the time it's actually: • Reading documentation • Debugging errors • Searching Stack Overflow • Refactoring old code • Thinking about better solutions The code is just the final step. #Programming #Developers #SoftwareEngineering

Every developer starts with: “I’ll just fix one small bug…” And ends with: • Rewriting half the code • Creating 5 new bugs • Wondering why they chose this career This is the reality of development. Not clean code. Not perfect logic. Just chaos… and somehow making it work. 😂 “It works on my machine” is not a joke. It’s a survival strategy. Be honest — what’s the longest time you’ve spent fixing a “small” bug? 👇 #developers #programming #codinglife #debugging #techlife #devhumor #softwareengineering #buildinpublic

💡 A Lesson That Changed How I Review My Own Code Earlier, when I finished a feature, I used to think: 👉 “It works. Done.” But later, small issues kept coming back: • Edge cases missed • Unexpected behavior • Hard-to-read logic That’s when I changed one habit: 👉 I started reviewing my own code like someone else wrote it. Instead of asking: “Does it work?” I started asking: • Would I understand this after 2 weeks? • Is this logic obvious or just working? • Can this break in edge cases? • Am I overcomplicating something simple? This small shift made a big difference: ✔ Cleaner code ✔ Fewer bugs ✔ Easier future changes 💡 The insight: Code is written once, but read many times — including by your future self. Now I spend a bit more time reviewing… and save a lot more time later. #SoftwareEngineering #CleanCode #Programming #WebDevelopment #Developers #FullStackDeveloper

You updated one package. Now you’re debugging code you didn’t even write. Dependency issues are one of the most frustrating parts of modern development. You make a small change. Just a simple update to fix something minor. And suddenly, you're dealing with errors coming from layers of code you’ve never even seen before. It’s not your logic. Not your function. Not even your file. But somehow, it’s your problem now. What makes it worse is the lack of control. You’re debugging systems built on top of systems, trying to understand decisions made by developers you’ve never met. At some point, coding stops feeling like building… and starts feeling like managing chaos. That’s the real dependency nightmare. What’s the worst break you’ve faced after a simple dependency update? #programming #developers #codinglife #debugging #softwareengineering #webdevelopment #devproblems

Every developer knows this moment. You spend hours trying to fix a bug. You check everything. Rewrite parts of the code. Question your entire approach. Nothing works. Then suddenly… you find it. A small mistake. One line. Something simple you overlooked. You fix it in seconds. And just like that, everything works. It’s funny how the hardest part is not fixing the bug it’s finding it. Moments like these are frustrating… but also strangely satisfying. Because once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Curious what’s the smallest bug that took you the longest time to find? #softwareengineering #programming #debugging #devlife #webdevelopment #developers

“Your code works… until it doesn’t.” 👀 That’s the difference. A junior celebrates when it runs. A senior prepares when it breaks. Real-world systems aren’t clean — they’re unpredictable, messy, and full of edge cases. The real skill? Not writing code that works… But writing code that survives. 💻⚡ #WebDevelopment #SoftwareEngineering #CodingLife #Developers #TechMindset #CleanCode #Programming #DevLife #CareerGrowth

Confidence in coding isn’t always about writing from scratch… Sometimes it’s about knowing exactly what to copy and where to use it. Every developer has been there: CTRL + C → “This looks right” CTRL + V → “Now it works perfectly” But the real skill? Understanding what you copied and making it better. Because in the end, it’s not about copying code… it’s about owning the logic. Be honest which one are you more confident with? #Developers #CodingLife #TechHumor #SoftwareDevelopment #Programmers #DevLife

If I had to fire myself as a developer 2 years ago, here’s why: I wrote logs for debugging… not for understanding I solved problems… but didn’t always define them clearly I focused on “working code” instead of “maintainable systems” I avoided edge cases until they became production issues I wasn’t bad. But I wasn’t reliable either. So I made some changes: → I now treat logs as part of the product → I write code assuming someone else will debug it at 2 AM → I spend more time thinking than coding → I actively try to break my own system before others do Still learning. Still improving. If you had to review your past self like a code review… what would you comment? #SoftwareEngineering #Programming #Developers #CodingLife #TechCareers #SystemDesign #BackendDevelopment #Debugging #CodeQuality #Engineering