A programmer needs to be able to critically examine a problem so they can find the best solution. This may demand that they complicate a situation and find unexpected patterns, or it might require them to simplify the context by removing layers of abstraction.
There are many steps to successful problem-solving and we are going to look at some of the best practices to consider when training your skillset.
1. Think twice Code once
In an effort to help you improve your programming skills it is important that you don't fall into the trap of just writing code and something magically working.
Some people just start coding before thinking about the problem statement, when they get stuck in the problem then they realize there is another optimized solution for the problem statement and they have written complex code for this problem statement, Which becomes hard to manage that code when some incremental changes come.
Before writing a code, think about the problem statement. Write it down on paper, When we write about our problem on the paper, we get a clear view of the problem from all perspectives.
After getting a clear view of the problem then start thinking about the solution, Find 2-3 solutions for each problem then choose an optimized and easy execute solution.
2. Split your problem into subproblems and solve them one by one
The easiest way to improve programming skills and do a better job of solving programming problems is to split your problem into micro-sized domains, none of which are more than 5 minutes of work.
Each subproblem should be solved one by one with the next step for each domain described in its own line. Keep dividing and recreating this process until you have understood, almost intimately, all the different parts of the program you are trying to write.
It is easy to solve small problems than to solve big problems.
3. Use pen and paper and draw diagrams
There are already solutions available for your problem, You just have to connect them. To get a clear picture of your problem statement and solutions available for it try to draw diagrams as you can. and try to connect the relationship between them.
You already know this method when you studied data structure (If not please check this YouTube Channel, I strongly recommend learning data structure before joining any company), We draw diagrams of our data and then solve it using diagrams then we start writing to code. Suppose it takes 4 hours to solve the problem, It will take 2-3 hours to solve your problem on paper, and later you will write code for it in a few minutes.
4. Know inbuilt functions and methods of programming language
Many programmers just learn the basics of programming language and then they start to write code without knowing the advance and latest features of the programming language.
The are many advanced functions and features are provided by programming languages, and some people try to solve their problems using basic features of programming so it takes a lot of time to solve the problems using basic features.
Let's take a simple example, suppose there is a function available to reverse the string ( All programmers know this :)) but you don't know about this function, then you will have to write code to reverse the string which you can do in just one line.
To learn advanced concepts don't try to become an expert in it just read theory about it from official websites so you will get an idea of available features, When you will get any problem and get an idea that it can be solved using programming language advance concept then learn about that concept and use it in your code.
5. Read Code
When we look at our code which are written a year before or a few months ago then we realize we had written bad code it might be more optimized and written in the best way. So it takes years to become an expert in programming and to learn optimized code.
What if we read the code of an experienced developer?
It will save us years to learn how to write optimized code, we will try to write code like experienced developers. So the best way to improve your programming skills in a short time read the open-source code of experienced developers and open source projects.
Here are the links to find the open-source code of Google and Facebook:
And one of the best ways is to search your technology on GitHub, it will give you a list of the open-source projects of that technology.