The Advent of Well-Written Code

LinkedIn has been flooded with posts showcasing "This code is wrong" or "This is the correct way to write code.". These posts are often accompanied by "Before and After" comparisons. Eight years ago, when I first started programming, I was precisely the kind of person who wanted to write the cleanest, most beautiful code all the time. However, experience has taught me that the "right" code is the one that fulfills its purpose and meets the needs of the context.

Take JavaScript, for example. I see people chaining multiple Array API calls like .map(), .filter(), and .reduce(), often declaring three or four new objects within these iterations. Have you ever stopped to think about how JavaScript works under the hood? Have you considered the cost of these operations when processing large datasets? Does your code run on a lambda function or a standard server? What are your SLAs, SLIs, and SLOs? Do any of them involve response times or CPU/memory usage?

While well-meaning, posts like these don't help anyone and can be harmful. For those just starting their careers and looking to LinkedIn for learning and networking, these posts create the illusion that writing clean code alone makes a great programmer.

Clean code is essential—it’s our responsibility as developers, just like writing unit tests, integration tests, documentation, and creating meaningful abstractions. Above all, our primary responsibility is to solve problems while adhering to the requirements and expectations of the application at hand.

And believe it or not, sometimes the best solution involves using mutability, if/else statements, and plain old for loops!

So, the next time you write or refactor code, don’t just aim for the "cleanest" version. Instead, think critically about what works best in the given context. What makes you a great developer isn’t how pretty your code looks but how effectively you solve problems, collaborate with your team, and align with the goals of your project. The best programmer isn't only the one who solves problems quickly with code with a lot of abstractions and "clean patterns" but the one who can do the right trade-offs.

Let’s focus on what truly matters and remember that programming is not about ego or perfectionism—it’s about creating value.