Have you ever found yourself struggling to find the solution to a problem? Me too. In fact, I find myself in this predicament often, especially when I am working on a programming project. Today I would like to share a helpful tip that changed the way I program and the way I approach problem solving: Rubber Duck Debugging, or simply – Rubberducking.
Let’s say you take this problem you’re struggling with, and you share it with a close friend or family member, and as you are explaining the problem- BAM! It hits you, that imaginary lightbulb above your head lights up – you just discovered a solution yourself. All it took was talking it through explaining in too much detail, the problem you are faced with. This is essentially what software developers call Rubber Duck Debugging when they work through programming problems.
So how exactly does it work and why is a duck involved?
So here’s the thing, if I could share all my problems with all my friends, I would. Okay, maybe I wouldn’t, but either way I couldn’t possibly always have someone on speed-dial anytime a function I am building crashes. This is why some developers get themselves a rubber duck, or really any inanimate object that sits there, looking cool and always has time to listen. All you need to do is sit your new friend on your desk or next to your screen, and tell them about that function you are building. Explain what it is supposed to do, line-by-line, and there is a good chance you’ll find the solution about what to do next. So do yourself a favor and get yourself a duckie today!
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