The Balanced Developer: An harmonious blend of scientist, engineer and artist

“Mona Lisa painting” by Eric TERRADE on Unsplash

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. — Thomas Merton

Hello developers, today I want to engage us all in a thought(the kind that has been going through my mind after #LaravelNigeria).

You see more and more people are discovering the Tech ecosystem, more people are joining the developers scenes, with such a boom, there is a need as a developer to know how to do it right and maintain a sense of balance(no one likes stunted growth eh?).

In the light of this, I want to share this thought: I believe a developer in order to maintain a sense of balance and be world class should learn to think like a scientist, engineer and artist. So let’s explore these building blocks shall we?

The Scientist

“A book with a magnifying glass on top of it, next to a pen, and globes on a desk in Cianorte” by João Silas on Unsplash

A scientist is a person engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge that describes and predicts the natural world. — Wikipedia

I believe like a scientist, a developer should always be seeking for more knowledge, learning how to do the things being done in a more efficient and economic way. He should be completely dissatisfied with the status quo.

The Engineer

“A car mechanic working on an old car in a workshop” by Fancycrave on Unsplash

Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are people who invent, design, analyze, build, and test machines, systems, structures and materials to fulfill objectives and requirements while considering the limitations imposed by practicality, regulation, safety, and cost. — Wikipedia

I believe the above sums it up really nicely, yes? An engineer is always tinkering with how things work, they fascinate on engines and systems and ways to make them better also considering the effect of every design decision(That should describe developers too right?)

The Artist

Creativity takes courage — Henri Matisse

Photo by Chris Curry on Unsplash

a person who is very good at something. — Merriam-Webster dictionary

For every artist, every work is a masterpiece, I believe this thinking would help us developers. Writing code should not be mechanical for us. Let your text editor be your canvas in which you express the most beautiful of solutions to even the most simple problems.

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. — Benjamin Franklin

So this is my thought exactly: always stretch beyond past knowledge looking for the next best thing because there is always something better(I am looking at the stretch from RESTful apis to GraphQL, ….fill in the blanks of more stretch that has made our lives better). Like an engineer let you mastery be shown by how you efficiently solve problems and knowing all the technicalities of your trade and craft(Imagine a major bridge being constructed by unskilled engineers) and lastly let your work depicts a sense of art — write elegant code and do not be mechanical, every line of code must be properly thought off for they are strokes on your canvas.

Thanks, do leave your thoughts on this. Here’s to being balanced

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. — Albert Einstein

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