an engineering mindset
#draft
Learning how to program is much more than just learning a language. It’s about learning how to research and solve difficult problems, building an engineering mindset, as well as communicating effectively with others.
I found this concept in the book [[How to Solve It]]
Engineering is about problem-solving, of course; however, there are many ways to solve a problem. An engineer is able to judge critically issues about the problem and the meta-problem features, that is what differentiates a rookie from an engineer. When posed a problem, an engineer must spot two major aspects of it; usually, this approach is iterative and inspired in the [[Scientific Method|scientific method]]:
- System Constraints: They give to the engineer the actual framework and tools the problem must be solved with.
- Interpretation of the Constraints: Do these constraints allow a successful and feasible solution? Is the solution following the constraints? Is the solution preventing future potential problems? Should I apply a short-term or long-term strategy? Those kind of questions, and interating on them, are of paramount importance for finding the optimal solution for a problem.
An engineer must not only solve the problem, but think about the most optimal way to solve it.