Blog: Coding with Short Term Memory (More Posts)
The purpose of this post isn’t to ask for support or indulge in a bout of imposter syndrome. However, it is to give a little window into what goes on in my mind and to get some sort of discussion going about coding if you are neuro-diverse.
By neuro-diverse, (I’m not sure how widely used this term is) I mean on the autistic spectrum or have Dyspraxia, dyslexia or some other form of specific learning disability. Dyspraxia is what applies to me although I may very well be on the spectrum of other neurodiverse conditions.
I’ve spoken about my dyspraxia before in my blogs. I’m pretty sure I have dyslexia as well because I’m that kind of thinker. That means I have issues with flip-flopping between areas of focus and organising my working memory.
I have worked with a lot of technologies in the last 13 years.
I’ve developed proficiency in
- HTML5
- CSS
- WordPress Development
I have exposed myself to various other languages and technologies in that time.
- Java
- Ruby
- Python
- JavaScript (of course)
- React.js
- Git
- SQL
- Node.js
- Express.js
- Vue.js
- Laravel for PHP
- Sonic Pi (for Ruby)
- Android (for Java)
There are others I am sure.
And I have “forgotten” pretty much everything I need to know about the above to make me proficient in them all. I’m not trying to downplay myself or do myself an injustice. It is just very true. The things I learned today could all be gone by tomorrow without a lot of repetition.
But when I’m talking about coding, what do I mean by “proficient”? Do I mean to know what I’m going to code when I see a blank slate in my code editor? Do I mean knowing what to Google or which set of documentation to use? Do I mean how exactly to read the documentation?
Or do I mean “How to focus my mind so I remember the concepts for the particular technology I’m supposed to be focussed on now?
As an example, there was one time that I had a blast getting back into some WordPress development so I could build my own blog. And it was fun. I knew what I needed to do, but I couldn’t remember, despite all the years I’ve been working with WordPress exactly the syntax for WordPress Loops. For enqueuing styles; the tags for getting content and post titles up and running; and all sorts. So I literally Googled and coded, googled, and coded until I was done coding the particular functionality I wanted for my blog.
And in doing this I’m not focussed on the other technologies, because I can’t be. And I’m losing the muscle memory I previously built up doing Laravel or a project in Express.js. And when I’m done with WordPress, I’ll lose that too. It’s like being a beginner to WordPress all over again.
I guess my point was and is, is this any way to be a developer in this business? Would your employer be comfortable with a coder who works specifically in that way? If you work for yourself, do you manage to work this way? Is all of this unique to me or do others feel like this too?
I’m aware that looking things up and using documentation isn’t cheating. But is there a company or a developer who doesn’t work this way?
As I say, this isn’t an imposter syndrome thing. I learned a long time ago that this is me and the way I have to learn. We all have to work in a way that is best for us.
The bottom line is this….Looking things up and researching as you work on your projects is okay. Learning a new language takes time and as technology develops, so does syntax. Just keep on coding & be kind and patient with yourself.
I’d be very interested to see other people’s thoughts on this.