Hello there internet stranger, 👋🏽

This is the 4th installment of the Software Engineering(SE) Log.

Technical Skills

Toolbox 🧰

This week, I’ll share a some libraries/ tools I discovered that are helpful:

ts-node --require flag

ts-node ↗transforms TypeScript into JavaScript, which is executed in Node.js.

A useful flag I discovered is the -r/ --require that enables you to execute a file with an export (aka a module):

For example:

// path to file on your computer: /src/hello.ts
export function sayHello() {
  return "Hello there";
}

You can execute this file by running:

npx ts-node -r ./src/hello.ts

Reading and writing files with fs-jetpack

fs-jetpack ↗ is a utility library that makes interacting with the file-system delightful. This can be the CRUD of files and directories - creating, reading, updating and deleting.

Soft Skills

Consistency

Sometimes – or most times – software engineering gets tough. Tasks may be daunting, issues may be vague, or sometimes getting help/ feedback on a task may take a little longer than expected.

It’s frustrating. The feeling sucks!

The frustration is part of the learning/ growth process.

There will be days you will crush it!

And sometimes, the simplest of tasks can seem impossible.

What matters the most is showing up and making an attempt to fix and a bug, close an issue, or just give feedback on a project.

A hack that I use to “trick” my brain to getting it done is starting with the simplest task to build up some momentum. For example, opening VS Code, starting the app server, and breaking something to try fix it.

Or, take a break. It’s totally fine.

I’ve discovered that I get most of my eureka moments when I take a walk, I’m in the shower or lying on the bed – thinking about the finality of death and how life is meaningless and we’re all going to die someday and nothing we do matters.

💡

Till next week. ✌🏽