I Debug Code Like I Debug Life (Spoiler: Both Throw Exceptions)

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Being a software developer is a lot like being human.
Being a woman software developer is like being human with extra edge cases.

I write code for a living.
Sometimes I write bugs professionally.
And occasionally, I write code that works on the first run — which is deeply suspicious and should be reviewed by science.

The Compiler Is Honest. People Are Not.

One thing I love about code:

  • If it doesn’t like you, it tells you immediately.
  • If you’re wrong, it throws an error.
  • If you forget a semicolon, it remembers forever.

Life, on the other hand, waits three years and then says: 

“Hey… remember that decision you made? Yeah. About that.”

In programming, we call this technical debt.
In life, we call it experience.

As a Woman in Tech, I Learned Early About “Undefined Behavior”

There are two kinds of bugs:

  1. The ones you expect.
  2. The ones that happen because the environment is… creative.

Sometimes I walk into a meeting and:

  • I’m the only woman.
  • I’m also the backend.
  • And somehow still expected to fix frontend CSS.

This is not imposter syndrome.
This is runtime context awareness.

My Brain Runs on TODO Comments

My mind is basically:

// TODO: fix sleep schedule
// TODO: refactor life choices
// TODO: stop overthinking edge cases

Every time I say “I’ll do it later,”
a TODO comment is silently added to my soul.

And just like in real projects:

  • Some TODOs become features.
  • Some become bugs.
  • Some live forever and scare new contributors.

Debugging Is Just Asking Better Questions

People think debugging is about being smart.
It’s not.

It’s about asking questions like:

  • “What did I assume?”
  • “What did I change?”
  • “Why does this work only on my machine?”
  • “Why does it stop working when someone is watching?”

Honestly, debugging taught me emotional intelligence:

  • Don’t panic.
  • Observe.
  • Reduce the problem.
  • Remove assumptions.
  • Take breaks before you delete everything.

Humor Is My Favorite Framework

Tech moves fast.
Trends change.
Frameworks come and go.

But humor?

  • Zero dependencies.
  • Backward compatible.
  • Works across teams.
  • Excellent for handling production incidents at 3 AM.

When the server is down and everyone is stressed,
sometimes the most senior move is saying: 

“Okay. This is bad. But also… kinda funny.”

Then you fix it. Obviously.

Confidence Is a Skill, Not a Setting

I didn’t wake up confident.
I compiled it over time.

Confidence came from:

  • Breaking things.
  • Fixing them.
  • Asking “stupid” questions.
  • Shipping anyway.
  • Learning that perfection doesn’t deploy.
    The best developers I know aren’t fearless.
    They just commit despite the warnings.

Final Build: Still Experimental

I’m still learning.
Still refactoring.
Still discovering bugs in old logic.

But I ship.
I learn.
I laugh.
I write code.
And I’m very comfortable saying: 

“I don’t know yet — but I will.”

If you’re a developer reading this:

  • Your bugs don’t define you.
  • Your errors are data.
  • Your weird brain is probably a feature.

And if today feels broken…

Try restarting.
With coffee ☕
And maybe fewer assumptions.

Thanks for reading.
If this resonated, you’re probably running the same version of reality as me.

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