There is a beautiful sentence from a Tamil Movie song.
தேடல் உள்ள உயிர்களுகே தினமும் பசி இருக்கும். தேடல் என்பது உள்ளவரை வாழ்வில் ருசி இருக்கும். அட பாடல் போலே கூட தேடல் ஒரு சுகமே.
English Translation: Creatures that have the search in them will be hungry every day. As long as we pursue a search for something worthwhile, our life will be a thrill. The pursuit is a pleasure, like a song.
(Though the English translation communicates the meaning, it does not truly express the emotions associated with those lines)
I am fundamentally against the notion of getting "Instant" answers to the questions, especially in my profession, Software Development. The "Instant" answers elude from the "Search" (தேடல் in Tamil - A word that is close to my heart). The "Search" not only provides me with the answer. The search process enlightens me with other things that broaden my knowledge.
Let's assume that I am searching for a solution, and Google landed me on a stack overflow page with an accepted answer. In addition to that accepted answer, I scan through the other answers and comments, which feed my brain with different ways of solving that problem. Those ways may not be appropriate for that problem, but they could be valuable insight for another problem. When that problem shows up, my brain intuitively connects the dots.
Sometimes, those search lands me on a blog post. If I find that blog post valuable and insightful, I will read other posts from that author. If those things resonate with my aspirations, I will start following them on social media and most likely consume their other products (books, courses, or talks)
Sometimes, the search lands me on a discussion page (like hacker news) where people share their opinions and experiences. For me, those discussion pages are treasure troves. I have found numerous books, blog articles, and conference talks, which made me a well-rounded software craftsman.
Compared to other professions, most Software developers only do deliberate practice if they are preparing for a job. It means we are practicing on the job. If you only care about getting the job done, then the "Instant" answer is all you want. But if you want to improve your craft in the process, then the "Instant" answer is your first enemy.
I am not entirely against going after the "Instant" answers. There will be instances in our job where we must get the job done at the earliest due to various essential reasons. In those circumstances, apply common sense and use whatever makes sense to complete the job. But don't make it a habit.
We are living in a golden era of technological advancements. Those new inventions and discoveries have their place. You have two choices - Let it control you, or you control them. Choose it wisely!
