Problem-Solving for Developers - A Beginner's Guide

How to approach problem-solving as a developer 🤔. Seven steps and strategies to solve software development challenges faster.
1:45 Identify the problem
2:52 Research and refine
4:37 Write pseudocode
6:25 TDD
7:54 Implement
8:33 Reflect and improve
9:31 Practice
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[@natew4724]

Remember the #1 Rule of Computer Science: Don't do something repetitive for an hour. Spend three hours failing to automate it.

[@alibabaintelligence8281]

rule

[@kris4637]

That's more important that clicking a button for 3 hours

[@sqarcle]

The thing is that's more interesting than repeating

[@iamleomoko]

Funny guy

[@gatocode316]

that's deep

[@shivamtrivedi4669]

I was stuck at a problem for 2 days. So i decided to take some time off and the solution poped in my head out of nowhere while i was having lunch.

[@itsaaron6423]

Wow same ...... I think the mind works while we rest

[@irend1163]

Sometimes you just need break

[@bosnian.artillery]

Same here, just today I had that moment. For 2 days I was trying to solve a problem and I took day off but today I basically solved it. Also sometimes it happens that I can't solve something and I just get up, take a rest for 10min not thinking about it and it just pops in my head lol

[@renwar]

Same here always get the solution during driving, eating, chilling with friends 😂

[@dzk6714]

thats pretty normal , happens all the time . Once i wake up next day the solution pops in my head

[@pppluronwrj]

got problem ask on stack overflow put bounty problem solved

[@Imstupid-ni3we]

Pro tip.

[@patrickmayer9218]

1. Identify the problem. 2. Research and refine the problem. 3. Pseudocode 4. Write a test with buffer data (optional) 5. Write the code 6. Reflect on the code and make it more readable

[@InfoLunix]

0:29

[@tusharmaurya1668]

5:21 There are two hard things in computer science: cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors.

[@dakoderii4221]

Warning: This comment is funnier than it appears.

[@asandax6]

Error: Unhandled truth

[@yagnatejareddy916]

lol

[@dzonibiceps2882]

this shi probably funny as hell

[@pythonxz]

OBOB

[@brhh]

I highly respect how tutorial channels like you actually care about the learner and making them stop needing these tutorials rather than making them stick to tutorials. This is TEACHING people

[@smaransure2234]

the odin project

[@end4567]

What's the "odin project"?@@smaransure2234

[@chordfunc3072]

8:41 - Another reason why this often works at least for me, is that there is often a flaw in my mental model of the problem. Stepping away from it a bit deletes the cache so to speak.

[@dapperking]

HAHA nice

[@Falkano]

100% this

[@happybydefault]

HAHHAHAHA

[@triphazard2906]

Nice framing 👍

[@theseangle]

brain reset hard --cache

[@noahwilliams8918]

“What the fuck’s per minute” is now the official unit of programming productivity.

[@RounderSkillZ]

I can't get enough of your videos. Hope you stay healthy in these difficult times. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@Fireship]

Thanks Tolga. Same to you!

[@sunil5656]

@@Fireship you were are and will be healthy as we all wish 🤞 for u with love ❤

[@thecasanova8121]

❤️

[@gladiusso]

@@sunil5656 grammar 100

[@fosefx]

* Sees 600 PRs * > LGTM * Merges 600 PRs *

[@somenamelastnaammee52]

This is the way

[@christianwheeler8441]

Thanks for the shoutout Jeff! The GraphQL API is definitely the way to go for validation - not to mention having fun

[@cecilelebleu5984]

40 seconds into the video ~*pauses video and gets notebook*~ ~*proceeds to take 1.5 pages of notes on everything*~ Thank you 🙇🏼‍♀️

[@govindkumarjha2500]

🤦🏽‍♀️

[@siobhanvidaashmole9009]

You are such a great teacher. This is the video I needed even though I'm a complete noob, it explains so much of how to think of and implement projects. Also you are the first person to ever make me excited about testing and tdd.

[@cm3462]

As a newbie working on their first project, I suspect this will be one of your most valuable videos to me. 1000 thanks.

[@wildwildwest1]

Thanks for this video! I’m a junior developer, 6 months into the job and I’m struggling with problem solving. You have some great advice here that I’ll remember and use!

[@tomhames6884]

Great video! I went through the process you described of learning syntax then teaching myself problem solving. Kind of the downside of being self-taught vs. comp sci degree. I echo everything you said in this video. For practice, I've found coding challenge sites super helpful. CodeWars is my fave as it's more fun and less interview-y than others. Keep up the great work!

[@sergiosabas5673]

I really liked your video. It was informative and fun at the same time. I think that's the right approach to teach. Thank You for such an excellent video. Keep up with the good work! =D

[@alejkun4923]

Hi Jeff! Using your schema i found some problems that i would otherwise find annoying turned quite enjoyable. Quite an eye opener and very refreshing! Thank you!

[@pogiman7488]

To become really good at anything, you have to practice and repeat, practice and repeat until the technique becomes intuitive. One of the best advise for anybody.

[@higgz17]

8:41 I had an error one day at work ,spent the entire afternoon going crazy about it. I'm kind of stuborn so i immediately doubled down on trying to fix it. Funny thing is I went home had a good night sleep and the next morning I LITERALLY solved the problem I had the previous day in 5 min. That was a lesson I will never forget!

[@rafaelbadaro2986]

I loved the fact that you mentioned testing, It makes a huge difference!! Great video!!

[@k3tna]

Thanks, Jeff. Informative, to the point. 15-min break is something everyone should adopt as a routine. Works incredibly well with a little stroll outside.

[@mango_apple9501]

Use study md for work the best thing ever.

[@mango_apple9501]

Does exactly that.

[@jaagup]

I did my bachelors thesis with this method. Work on thesis -> get stuck -> play a game of PUBG -> Solve problem -> repeat.

[@wlcrutch]

So refreshing to hear crisp, clean, quick English.

[@Aviv_rs]

Amazing video, I really like the way you break down and explain everything in such a clear and understandable manner plus the cool editing and humor that always keeps me intrigued, keep up the awesome content!

[@Sirstealthsalot]

The 15 minute break trick is so true. I was stuck on something that seemed so simple for hours, so I took a break and called my friend and just vented about how I was so stressed, this isn't for me, I'm gonna find a new career path, and then ate an apple. 15 minutes after looking at the code again and I had a solution.

[@angeatgr]

Does it work with another fruit ?

[@mylesgideonprospero]

Does it have to be green or red ?

[@krjonovo2063]

I needed this video. I needed someone to say to me to just write something that works and improve the code later. Right now I am working on something and I try to read and learn a lot just so that I do everything right and my code is close to perfect as it could be on the first try but I am stuck on like 20% of the project. And I am dissatisfied with the things that I did, because it feels like they are a hack and not something that someone with experience would do or write. But this "just write something that works and refine later" is exactly what my brain needs to learn (hear). Thank you.

[@logTopic]

Bless the KZbin algorithms for recommending your channel. Every time I watch one of your videos I'm like: "Wow, this is exactly what I needed to hear." Thank you man!

[@MissPBxoxo]

Something about your voice so soothing to listen to 😄 I also agree with taking a break. I’ve done so and came back with two to three possible solutions to fix the error

[@aniceguy2577]

It may seem like an irrelevant thing, but the fact that you quote a Brazilian writer made my day😊. Great video as always ✌🏻.

[@Fireship]

I read the Alchemist a long time ago, legendary writer!

[@konstantinshegin9076]

That's the most useful video I've seen in years. It perfectly address my problem with coding

[@rossomaguire17]

The 15 min break tip is truest thing. It can be so hard to pull yourself away from code when you're in the throws of it but if it's not happening for you then save your work and step away. Its always always worked for me to come back to it at a later time after proper time away from it. I'm with Asimov on this one. Great vid

[@Gaellka]

Yeah, and when you got the "Aha!" Moment, that feels soooo good, like, the best moment in my life lmao.

[@pythonxz]

You could just work on another part of the project. In most cases, I cannot just walk away.

[@vojtechrichter4606]

Your videos are extremely satisfying, and interesting to listen to. Keep doing what you're doing, appreciate your work. Stay safe!

[@ElectroMathExp]

perfect timing . i just started learing data structures and algorithms Thank you .

[@williamrose7345]

Your videos are an absolute goldmine. One of my favorite channels.

[@normantas3940]

This came perfect timing... wanted to improve my problem-solving skills, so this came.

[@yjr4df758]

I usually make kind of a rough draft of the control structure and after getting it to work (mostly) I delete or comment out the whole thing and start from scratch, now I know what I'm doing and how to do it, since it's completely new I can improve it very easily

[@chicken6969]

I thought this video would just state the obvious but I actually really like how you explained this. Thank you

[@mariuspet89]

I think this is the best video I've seen on your channel. Thanks a lot !!!!

[@SirLasterOfDesaster]

Hey! Thank you for your great video! I just "wasted" 20 Minutes to switch between the GraphQL output and your code to understand what it is doing ;D The disallowedFiles was the main problem, but now I get it

[@lifasibiya4810]

What a great lesson, I enjoyed it very much. Thanks Jeff.

[@prashanthreddy1924]

I just revisited this video and I’m sure now I become a better developer/ problem solver. Thanks for the video.

[@urlroute1489]

Awesome video. Great point about getting a prototype done asap. A psychological win!!! Having the software done is way more important than trying to create the perfect masterpiece code! I have seen talented developers eventually lose their jobs because they were trying to code perfection (did the code get done... no. Client had some WTFs for sure.).

[@anupamdahal7029]

I have learnt a lot of new things that I have never worked with from your videos, like AWS, nginx, kubernetes, graphQL(and other dbs), typescript to name a few. One thing that I don't understand is how they work together. I would really love to see a video where you design a mock system using all of these (and possibly more) and explain each of their roles and why you chose it (kinda like your reverse-cloud migration video using raspberry pi). Whenever I think of a software architecture I think of them as several layers that interact with each other. However, I am unable to assign which layer what belongs to by watching a stand alone tutorial about a single tool. Btw, I am a college senior pursuing CS major and I love your content. Thanks for all the awesome contents.

[@Trynxy]

If still need something, this may help you a bit kzbin.info/www/bejne/ianbqGanqcdmlck

[@BiancaAguglia]

There's no substitute for practice when it comes to becoming a good problem solver, but there are ways to make sure your practice is as smart, efficient, and effective as possible. One book that I found helpful is "How to Solve It" by George Polya. It was first published in 1945 and the writing style feels indeed dated, but the ideas in it are good. 😊

[@Fireship]

Thanks for the reference, I will check that out :)

[@ekwensu8797]

How do I apply those concepts from the book outside of just math?

[@FedJimSmith]

this is mostly common-sense once you're already experienced but not so if for a newbie whose focus is the language ... so kudos to this vdeo

[@magicjenos]

Quality channel, keep it up, this video brought to me a valuable insight to what a programmer really does often.

[@tracyannang7445]

You just might be the person I needed to help me on my journey. Thank you

[@jamesallen74]

Fantastic video. The one step I would add (probably after either research or pseudocode.) And that step is... Decide. Decide to pursue or not. If you are doing it for learning, fun, hobby, cool go for it. This is the best way to learn and even have fun doing it. However.... If you are doing it for a business, you have to consider things like - R.O.I. (will it take 20-30 hours to automate something that would take 5 hours in totality to do manually) - feasibility (are you building KZbin in the year 1995 before it was feasible) - risks (risk of doing it, and risks of not doing it) It's a rabbit hole topic & a Debbie Downer topic for sure, but important especially since you are paid to provide value to the business which includes considering its costs.

[@thatOne873]

Just posted a comment to thank U for knowledge that goes straight into our minds in beautiful way

[@UninspiredFilm5]

thanks for the vid. I get a little overwhelmed approaching questions and problems as a noob.

[@lemuelreyes1941]

Spongebob meme and Iverson meme in one video...perfect! This was a great video, awesome content like always. Thanks!

[@abeechr]

You are THE best, number #1, lo mejor KZbin channel for coding noobs. Where were you when I suffered and slogged through bootcamp?

[@illiachalyk195]

How is this possible, so many valuable tips within just 10 minutes?!?!? 🔥

[@fernandonakamuta1502]

Great Lesson Jeff, You have a lot of practice in teaching

[@michaelz6820]

You used number 6 twice. Good video man! This will help me in my career.

[@Samir-50082]

I understand your purpose with this video. Thank you I think different now with programming. It’s lot easier now. I don’t think about the syntax but how to solve the problem.

[@vivekteega]

Wow, this is a "Problem-Solving for Life guide" .. Thanks for taking the time to make this dude

[@desther]

You are very talented teacher. Thanks for another great video.

[@HazemElsawy]

Those are some dope videos, they’re so much fun to be even called tutorials

[@ryanmckenna2047]

You you tube channel is easily one of the most valuable out there

[@RobbSnor]

This channel is a goldmine anything programming related

[@mandongpedroza7486]

This video is a lot of help to me. I hope u publish more about problem solving. Thanks a lot!

[@optimusdebugger9638]

I knew I would love this video. turns out really great

[@nirmalperera3665]

a girl I loved long time ago, following an IT related degree, advised me to go and have a coffee if I am stuck in a coding problem, your 6th topic made me remind her

[@berad6034]

added this to like 4 playlists. incredible video

[@xdgtwjk23_rtfd]

Finally someone who talks about Problem solving in Programming.

[@ldpuri]

That was helpful! Learning a ton from your videos man.

[@dennisong8270]

Just bought fireship io ! Thank you for your videos. CS student here

[@nikotin777]

Great explanation of a most part of developers work!

[@RohanChouguleTechEd]

Indeed something so great packed in such tight duration. Would love to know which software do you use for video editing. Cheers!

[@shreeramparija7731]

We all know these videos are really informative but damn his sense of humour is really on point as well

[@kevindean8312]

All I can say about your videos is, "they are kick-ass". This one was again, "dead on"!

[@HikingFeral]

Thanks for this mate, I got green ticks on my university quiz for everything except problem solving so I am going to treat it like a problem that needs to be solved and use problem solving techniques to solve it, hopefully after solving the problem like this I will be able to re take the quiz and turn my problem-solving problem into - "problem solved" or - problem? Solved. Without people like you offering free problem-solving videos to help me solve my problem-solving problem I would have a serious problem which would be a big problem and lead to possible problems in my future regarding the ability to solve problems. (I am being serious about the quiz, maybe if I spent more time problem solving and less time trying to be funny I would have less of a problem)

[@ArthurKhazbs]

Rep+ for using Insomnia, my friend! It's awesome, I wish more people knew about it.

[@GNRLsprinkles]

I feel like there's an opportunity hear to make a really slick minimalism poster with all this information. I'd definitely pick one up!

[@suyashdongre]

Excellent video. Helped a lot.

[@iliankarasimirov9685]

Great and flawless tips which I use to develop, thanks

[@maximenadeau9453]

The little subtile jokes thrown around make these very enjoyable to watch. Thanks for the great content !

[@AntonLukas]

Fantastic video! Solid advice for everyone.

[@v_iancu]

In the test part I would create an actual pull request on a separate repo to see that the logic is good and more importantly, the API behaves the way I expect it to.

[@kaneleh]

Good video! Unusually long for your channel but worth the extra time.

[@akporraphael9069]

Leetcode in 100 second and logic to use when solving leetcode problem. Thanks fireship 🔥

[@morat3hi714]

I enjoyed this video, very thorough.

[@eyemotif]

i can definitely vouch for taking a break then coming back. i cant count the times ive given up, frustrated that i cant solve something, only to come back and solve it in five minutes or less.

[@adri_owns_this]

I love how the solution to my problem came up while I was watching this XD

[@nathanyang3288]

Iverson part is gold lol Love your video！

[@EdwardChan.999]

Good video! I'm glad that I have the habit of drawing flow charts on paper XD

[@oramsalem]

Hey! Great Video! I saved it for review every once in a while to remind me how to plan better. I have an off-topic question though- what did you use to create the blueprints shown in 10:00 into the video?

[@mateja176]

10:20 the faster your WTF's per minute will decrease 😂

[@FalseDev]

😂🤣

[@tusharmaurya1668]

Do u know it is taken from a very popular book? I think it was head first java second edition... Not sure tho

[@azim]

@@tusharmaurya1668 it's from Clean Code by Rober Martin.

[@lucasfelipe-ze5sy]

Guy, I really like your videos. I feel inspired

[@MineBuggy]

What a great decomposition of the fundamentals 🔥🔥 Appreciate the AI practice clip 😁

[@Fireship]

Thanks for sticking around until the end of the vid :)

[@avishai2345]

Excellent as usual!! 💪🏻💪🏻

[@muhammadahmed8571]

Your voice is so soothing to hear.

[@budkin]

Just a fantastic video. Thank you.

[@SAMs3piol]

Your channel is so helpful dude. Thumbs Up.

[@yaninahernandez7751]

This video is pure gold!

[@lubaaudio]

great video. I specially like the quote from Paulo Coelho.

[@calitts4708]

Loved the quotes from Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian!

[@asandax6]

After learning basics in multiple languages It's became easier to solve problem no matter what language it is because they are all the same (The Logic part at least). I can also translate code from one language to another even if I've never seen any code of that language before since they are the same. OK there are some outliers like Assembly and Esoteric languages.

[@comosaycomosah]

Thanks so much for all these videos