Forem: Edgaras Stepanovas

Code Calm: How Software Engineering and Mental Health Can Work Together

Edgaras Stepanovas — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 19:34:49 +0000

As a software engineer, you probably work long hours in front of a computer, pounding away at code while trying to meet deadlines or merely spending hours, possibly even days, debugging your own or someone else's code. This type of work can be mentally and emotionally draining, which can affect your overall well-being and your productivity.

In recent years, the issue of mental health in the workplace has gained more attention, especially in the tech industry. To get a better understanding of how companies are addressing mental health support for their employees, a survey by Blind, a platform that offers anonymous workplace chat, was conducted asking tech workers about their experiences.

Here is the results:

These results highlight the need for more attention to be paid to mental health in the tech industry. Shockingly, the vast majority of workers (97%) at T-Mobile reported that their company does not provide adequate support for their mental health. Similar reports were found from employees at Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Robinhood, and Tesla. It's clear that there is a significant gap in mental health support in the tech industry that needs to be addressed.

In software engineering, even small mistakes can have significant consequences. This can lead to stress, burnout, and other mental health issues. It's crucial to recognize the relationship between software engineering and mental health and take steps to ensure that we're taking care of ourselves while working in this field.

To combat the challenges of software engineering and prioritize our mental health, here are some practical tips to help us manage stress and stay calm while working:

Tips

When you're working on a tough problem, it's easy to get so caught up in the code that you forget to take a break. However, taking breaks is essential for keeping your mind fresh and reducing stress. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your breaks:

Tip #1: Take a break

Step away from your computer. Go for a walk outside, stretch, or do some deep breathing exercises.
Set a timer. If you're worried about taking too much time away from your work, set a timer for 10–15 minutes to remind you to take a break.
Do something you enjoy. Whether it's reading a book, playing a game, or listening to music, find an activity that helps you relax and recharge.

Tip #2: Stay Positive

It's easy to get frustrated when you're debugging a tough problem, but a negative attitude will only make things worse. Try to stay positive and focus on the progress you've made so far.
Here are a few tips to help you stay positive:

Celebrate small wins. Even if you haven't solved the problem yet, take a moment to celebrate any progress you've made.
Remind yourself of your past successes. Think about other challenging problems you've solved in the past and remind yourself that you're capable of finding a solution.
Surround yourself with positive people. If you're feeling down, talk to a colleague or friend who can offer encouragement and support.

Tip #3: Laugh It Off

Sometimes, the best way to deal with a frustrating bug is to laugh at it. Making a joke or finding the humor in the situation can help you relax and approach the problem with a fresh perspective.
Here are a few tips for finding the humor in your debugging problems:

Give the bug a silly name. Naming the bug something like "The Gremlin" or "The Monster" can help you laugh at the problem and take some of the frustration out of it.
Share your frustration with a colleague. Sometimes, commiserating with a colleague can help you both see the humor in the situation.
Find a funny meme or joke about debugging. There are plenty of jokes and memes out there about the frustrations of debugging. Finding one that resonates with you can help you feel less alone in your frustration.

Tip #4: Practice Self-Care

Don't forget to take care of yourself. Stressful coding sessions can take a toll on your mental and physical health.
Here are a few tips for practicing self-care:

Get enough sleep (!!!) Lack of sleep can make you more prone to stress and frustration.
Eat well. Eating a balanced diet can help you stay focused and energized.
Exercise regularly. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and improve your mood.

Tip #5: RUBBER DUCK!

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

My Favorite! The Rubber Duck technique. It's a great tool for any programmer to have in their toolkit.

The idea behind Rubber Duck Debugging is simple: when you're stuck on a problem, try explaining it out loud to a rubber duck. The act of articulating the problem out loud can often help you spot the solution or reveal a flaw in your thinking.

Here's how to try it:

Step 1: Get a Rubber Duck

The first step is to get yourself a rubber duck (or any other inanimate object will do). The duck is a passive listener and won't judge you, so you can freely explain your problem without feeling self-conscious.

Step 2: Explain Your Problem

Next, explain your problem to the duck as if it were a person. Describe the problem, what you've tried so far, and any error messages you're seeing. The act of explaining the problem out loud can help you see the problem from a different perspective.

Step 3: Listen to Your Own Explanation

As you're explaining the problem to the duck, listen to what you're saying. Does anything you're saying sound off or illogical? Sometimes, the act of saying things out loud can reveal flaws in your thinking or point you towards a solution.

Step 4: Repeat as Needed

If you're still stuck, repeat the process again. Often, just the act of going through the process can help you spot the solution or gain a new insight into the problem.
The Rubber Duck technique is a simple but powerful tool for any programmer to have in their toolkit. It can help you break through mental blocks and find solutions to even the toughest problems. Give it a try!

Conclusion

I hope that these tips have helped you find ways to stay calm and focused while working in software engineering. Remember, taking care of your mental health is essential, and there's no shame in taking a break or asking for help when you need it.
By taking small steps to manage your stress and promote mental well-being, you can not only improve your own work but also help create a more supportive and healthier workplace culture.

Stay healthy and HAPPY CODING!

Exit Function (Javascript)

Edgaras Stepanovas — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 10:59:06 +0000

As developers (a.k.a pro googlers), we all know how frustrating it can be to write code that doesn’t work as intended. We might spend hours trying to debug our code, only to find that a small typo or a misplaced semicolon was the culprit. That’s where the exit function comes in handy.

What is the Exit Function in JavaScript?

Think of the exit function as your emergency exit from a function. It’s like when you’re at a party and you suddenly realize you have to leave because you forgot to turn off the stove (yes, it happens!). You don’t want to waste any more time at the party, you just want to leave immediately. That’s what the exit function does — it lets you exit a function immediately and return a value to the caller. Cool, right?

Let’s take a look at an example. Imagine you’re writing a function to calculate the area of a rectangle. You might write something like this:

function calculateArea(length, width) {
  let area = length * width;
  return area;
}

But what happens if the user enters a negative value for either length or width? Your function will still calculate the area, but it won’t be a valid value. That’s where the exit function comes in.

You can modify the function to check for negative values and exit early if they’re found:

function calculateArea(length, width) {
  if (length < 0 || width < 0) {
    return "Error: Length and width must be positive values.";
  }
  let area = length * width;
  return area;
}

Now, if the user enters a negative value for either length or width, the function will exit immediately and return an error message. No more wasting time calculating the area of an invalid rectangle! Yay!

Here’s a more complex example that demonstrates how you can use the exit function to return a function from another function (huh?):

function createCalculator(operator) {
  if (operator === "+") {
    return function add(num1, num2) {
      return num1 + num2;
    }
  } else if (operator === "-") {
    return function subtract(num1, num2) {
      return num1 - num2;
    }
  } else {
    return function() {
      return "Error: Invalid operator.";
    }
  }
}

In this example, we’re defining a function called createCalculator that takes an operator as a parameter. If the operator is "+" or "-", the function returns a function that adds or subtracts two numbers, respectively. If the operator is neither "+" nor "-", the function returns an error message.

TESTING TIME! Let’s test this function with some examples:

const addNumbers = createCalculator("+");
console.log(addNumbers(2, 3)); // Output: 5

const subtractNumbers = createCalculator("-");
console.log(subtractNumbers(5, 3)); // Output: 2

const divideNumbers = createCalculator("/");
console.log(divideNumbers(10, 2)); // Output: Error: Invalid operator.

As you can see, when we call createCalculator with the "+" operator, it returns a function called add that adds two numbers. Similarly, when we call createCalculator with the "-" operator, it returns a function called subtract that subtracts two numbers.

However, when we call createCalculator with the "/" operator, it doesn't return a function that can divide two numbers. Instead, it returns a function that simply returns an error message.

In conclusion, the exit function in JavaScript can be a lifesaver when you need to exit a function early and return a value to the caller. By using the exit function creatively, you can write more efficient and flexible code that can handle a variety of use cases.

If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about JavaScript or programming in general, be sure to follow me for more helpful tips and tricks. Happy coding!

What is CDN and Why Should You Use It?

Edgaras Stepanovas — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 16:23:44 +0000

What is Content Delivery Network (CDN)

It's a system of servers that are located in various locations around the globe, and they are used to deliver content to users based on their geographic location. CDN is designed to improve the performance and availability of websites and other online applications by reducing the distance between the content and the end user. In this post, I'll explain more about CDN and why you might want to consider using it for your website or online application. I'll also talk about some of the different CDN providers that are available and how CDN can benefit your business.

How CDN works?

Essentially, CDN stores a copy of your website's content on a network of servers located in various locations around the world. When a user accesses your website, the CDN will deliver the content from the server that is closest to the user, which can significantly reduce the time it takes for the webpage to load. This can lead to a better user experience and higher levels of customer satisfaction. CDN can also help reduce the load on your origin server, which can improve the overall performance and stability of your website.

Standard website model example

Using CDN example

Benefits

Improved website performance

CDN servers are located in various locations around the world, so when a user accesses a website that is using a CDN, they will be served content from the server that is geographically closest to them. This can significantly reduce the load time of the website, as the data does not have to travel as far.

Reduced server load

By offloading the delivery of static content (such as images, CSS, and JavaScript files) to a CDN, the origin server is relieved of the burden of serving this content, allowing it to focus on more important tasks such as dynamic content generation and processing.

Enhanced security

CDN providers often offer additional security measures such as DDoS protection and SSL/TLS encryption, which can help to protect a website from cyber attacks and ensure that sensitive data is transmitted securely.

Improved availability

CDN servers are distributed across multiple locations, so if one server goes down, another can take over and serve the content. This helps to ensure that a website remains available and accessible even in the event of a server outage.

Greater scalability

CDN networks have the capacity to handle large spikes in traffic, making them well-suited for websites that experience periodic traffic surges (such as during a product launch or a viral marketing campaign). This can help to prevent the website from crashing or becoming unavailable due to high traffic levels.

Here is an example of JavaScript syntax that uses a CDN

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/lodash@4.17.20/lodash.min.js"></script>

<script>
  // Use lodash library
  var result = _.map([1, 2, 3], function(n) {
    return n * 3;
  });
  console.log(result);  // Output: [3, 6, 9]
</script>

In this example, the <script> tag is used to include the lodash library from the jsDelivr CDN. The library can then be used within the script by calling the _.map() function. This is a convenient way to include a library or framework in a website without having to host it on the server.

Providers

There are many CDN providers to choose from, each with their own unique features and pricing plans. Some popular CDN providers include Akamai, Cloudflare, and Fastly. It's important to carefully evaluate the different options and choose the CDN provider that best meets your specific needs and budget.

Conclusion

It's important to understand that CDN is not a replacement for a well-designed and optimized website. CDN can help improve the performance of an already optimized website, but it will not fix underlying issues with website design or code. It's also important to choose the right CDN provider for your business and to keep in mind that CDN is just one part of a larger web performance strategy.

I hope this post has helped you understand more about CDN and how it can benefit your business. If you have any questions or want to learn more, don't hesitate to reach out or comment!

Question for EsLint lovers

Edgaras Stepanovas — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 07:57:40 +0000

Hello Everyone! :)

Soo recently, I began using Eslint, and of course, it's a life saver.
I'm currently trying to learn how to set custom rules in Eslint, one of which is that I want my "img:src="cdn.""
to always contain a CDN letters in it. I'm using Vue as my frontend framework.
The issue is that I want to utilize CDN to store all of my photos and use them this way for better SEO and time to content, but other developers occasionally contribute to this project, thus I need a custom rule that only permits CDN as an image source.
Can somebody offer some advice on how to get it done?
Thanks in Advance!

Do you think programming is form of art?

Edgaras Stepanovas — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 07:57:21 +0000

This cover image was made using html and css only.
https://twistedsifter.com/2019/11/painting-with-css-and-html-by-diana-smith/