Whether attempting to de-reference a null object or reading property x of undefined or any other cryptic error message. We’ve all been there and gone through that! (unwillingly, I am sure) They are always daunting.
Honestly, as a self-taught developer, I’ve always been scared of errors.
Somehow in my early day of learning to code, I just couldn't get past that fear of something not working, the fear of my code failing.
So much so that I used to shy away from great opportunities where I had to code something. Just because I couldn't get past the same scenario when I tried it the first time.
But there is always a first time for everything: All it took to overcome those fears was for me to be a bit more curious.
Being curious and questioning - why? what? how?
Why could this be happening?
What could be the cause and?
How can I solve it?
It was all about taking that first step to try to solve the error.
Searching around for solutions (Googling extensively) and trying different approaches, helped me solve the error, eventually.
I still remember solving my first error. It gave me a sense of achievement! Soon error solving turned into puzzle solving. The more you solve the more you start getting into it.
It helps a lot! I love to learn new things every day and that is what keeps me going.
And errors are just another opportunity not only to be curious but also to learn something new in the process.
In fact, every error taught me something.
Over the course of 9 years of building amazing stuff, errors were constantly a part of the package but here is a quote that inspires me to dive in head first every time I come across an error:
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
Happy Solving 🕵️♂️