Re:Ask HN: The purest skills needed to become a programmer?
by mikekchar on Monday January 26, 2015 @05:00AM
(#8946264)
I can touch type and I have worked very hard to be a good typist. Having said that, I intentionally limit my typing to 30 wpm for several reasons. First, it has seriously helped RSI for me. About 15 years ago, I started to get warning signs that I was going to have problems. I slowed down and implemented short 2-3 second breaks every 30 or 40 seconds. I've been symptom free since then. YMMV.
More importantly, when I intentionally slowed my typing my coding improved dramatically. I went from short bursts of thinking followed by short bursts of typing, to continuous thinking. I started thinking about things that I had never considered before. Since I had time, I started to wonder if what I was typing was really the best way to solve my problem.
When I am coaching others, especially junior people with only a couple of years under their belts, I tell them to slow down. Like you, I am a huge proponent of learning to touch type properly. You should practice and refine your technique. However, I highly recommend typing slowly, steadily and calmly.
More importantly, when I intentionally slowed my typing my coding improved dramatically. I went from short bursts of thinking followed by short bursts of typing, to continuous thinking. I started thinking about things that I had never considered before. Since I had time, I started to wonder if what I was typing was really the best way to solve my problem.
When I am coaching others, especially junior people with only a couple of years under their belts, I tell them to slow down. Like you, I am a huge proponent of learning to touch type properly. You should practice and refine your technique. However, I highly recommend typing slowly, steadily and calmly.