Simple technique for preventing bugs like this: don't copy-paste code. If you find yourself copy-pasting code think twice why you even have to do it (DRY principle) and be aware of the potential consequences. Even if some code has to be duplicate, I am forcing myself to just write it from scratch, exactly for this reason: do you really know that you have updated all your data? And yeah, unit tests would help in spotting this and other things. But aren't unit tests a duplication of your code, already?
UPDATE:
Maybe I should have stated my last question differently. I meant that in the context of checking that the data is correct, it would be the same as writing the duplicate code from scratch.
I have the heuristic that I leave decisions for the end of the day, based on what I have done. In fact, this is one of my goals per day, when things are unclear.
The habit of skipping them for whatever reason is also problematic. If you so easily skip them (as a team or as individual(s)), why have them in the first place?
Greece. I learned a lot in the process having just an undergraduate degree at the time. The students didn't appreciate it much unfortunately (wasn't a university but a vocational school; don't ask why Tanenbaum was on the curriculum). Just one came to me after the exam (I had to pass them all anyway) and congratulated me of making it so hard for them (him).
I remember writing an essay like this for an assignment. The professor called it 'strange'. Even if I had made some valid points, there was no way to validate them as it lacked real flow. Just bullet points with messages I wanted to communicate but with no real value on their own (and some symbolic paragraphs in between). Good to see a post calling out the naked emperor. The same post had received a better reaction in the comments the last time.
#2: I am working on my diet. Yes, staying healthy is crucial for programmers. Because of the nature of the work you have to be mindful about that.
#3: Good suggestions
#4: I should be doing that. I am trying to "learn" about new languages, but you can't really learn unless you practice and this can only be achieved gradually.
#5: Yes
#6: Working on that. Similar to #4.
#7: I once had a project of reviewing the security of a web application, learned a lot, and appreciated the importance of being security-aware. It was really cool being paid to work full-time on practically gaining new and useful knowledge for a few months.
#8: I am kind of lazy for that. But, currently, I am mostly experimenting.
#9: Yes
#10: Started doing that before programming
#11: Yes
#12: Have been doing that. But what is 'complete'?
Here's mine: http://www.pubsoccermanager.com/ It has gotten really slow in the last year, but I am planning to do something around it full time. Most obviously it would be a game, but I also have a couple of other ideas of how to monetize.
Slightly irrelevant, but how valid would it be to be asked the SVN commands in an interview? Should I go an memorize the SVN manual just to succeed in interviews, although I use a graphical tool?
"Release early release often" applies to Math as well. Wouldn't it be better for everyone if he hadn't been so secluded and published some of his work in the meantime?
> Corporate programmers in OOP-land often never get the architectural experience of writing systems (starting with small ones) from scratch. Instead, they spend their 40 hours maintaining and tweaking large monoliths other people wrote, and this is a big part of why they never improve.
I have the same age as you. One year ago I was thinking of quitting my job to turn my hobby into a business. I thought of staying in my hometown (cheap but not start-up friendly and family and friends would just see me as 'unemployed'), but I took an offer instead for a more business-oriented role to move abroad. Then one day, as a visitor in a nearby country (cheap and start-up friendly, far away from anyone I know) I saw an advertisement on the street of apartments for sale and it struck me. I now have a plan of moving to this country with cheap cost of living after I finish with my current project.
I always thought of leaving my country as a good way to get me started (leaving next to family would just give me a delusion of security, would make me more complacent and/or I had to deal with discouragement), but cost of living would be a factor for staying anyway.
Why I am saying all this? From just visiting a country as a tourist, a plan came up. And if I hadn't taken that offer maybe I would have quit. Or maybe not. And I am still considering of applying for some jobs abroad in the meantime (more waiting). But at least a more solid long-term plan has formed in the background now.