This post was published 3 years 3 months 11 days ago and as such probably does not reflect my current opinions, knowledge or ability.When you realise there’s a gap in your knowledge, it’s normally not hard to fill it – do some reading, perform an experiment, work out the answer. The tricky part is finding what you’re missing out on in the first place.
It’s not hard to pick up a C++ manual or a book on programming style and read through from start to finish, and each time I do I learn something new and find more areas I need to look at in more depth. However, I’m only human, with a certain set of knowledge and skills. I wonder about certain topics and will approach a subject in a certain way, and whilst it may feel like I’ve digested all I can there might really still be a lot to cover, other questions to ask.
This is one of the reasons why assisting in first year programming labs has been hugely beneficial to me this year. Some questions are to do with subjects I know in great depth, and can give a clear, succinct explanation. Some questions are specific and technical – either I know a piece of syntax or how something functions, or I find out.
The best questions though are of the broad “How does this work?” or “Why does this work in this way?” type. Questions from someone who looks at programming in a completely different way from me. It’s this sort of question, where there isn’t necessarily a right answer or if there is I sometimes won’t know it, that really opens up areas I hadn’t considered before and highlights gaps in my knowledge.