Watched a coworker spend 45 minutes debugging a missing semicolon last week

They kept staring at this 200 line Python script like it was cursed, but the error was just a missing colon after an if statement. I pointed at line 47 and they went 'oh' real quiet. How do you teach someone to notice those tiny syntax things without making them feel dumb?

2 comments

2 Comments

simonp401mo ago

We've all been there, it's the programmer's rite of passage honestly. The real trick is to just treat it like it's no big deal when you point it out. I just say "hey, check line 47 real quick" and then walk away, gives them space to save face. Acting like it's some huge revelation just makes them feel worse, nobody wants a debugging hero moment. Plus they'll probably remember it better if they figure it out themselves with just a little nudge. Future you will thank past you when they don't come bug you for every missing colon.

mason_ward1mo ago

36 years old and I still catch myself doing this with my wife when she's trying to find her keys. Instead of pointing and saying "they're right there on the counter" I just say "hey, check the kitchen real quick" and walk away. It's the same exact instinct from coding, just applied to real life. The whole thing boils down to people learning better when they feel like they solved it themselves, whether it's a missing semicolon or a lost remote. Makes me wonder how much of my personality is just work habits that spilled over into everyday stuff. Your mileage may vary but I think there's something to that.