Beyond Google: How to Ask Good Questions as a Developer

Void⚡ - Mar 7 '23 - - Dev Community

underrated skill as a programmer - knowing when to ask for help

As junior developer, asking for help can be hard.

But it's also a low effort way to level up IMO.

In this article, sharing a 4-step checklist that I have refined over the years in my software career.

By putting these checks before asking questions will:

  • Improve quality of your questions.
  • Get you more responses.
  • Build credebility in community.

Let's dive in 🚀


TL;DR

✔️ Did I try googling?
✔️ Have I provided enough context?
✔️ Have I shared what I have tried?
✔️ Is the question specific and readable?

✔️ Did I try googling?

Why wait for someone else to respond when you can help yourself.

Being able to find answers on your own will make you more independent and instill confidence in your skill.

✔️ Have I provided enough context?

Without enough background, there's a high chance your question will be misunderstood.

By giving detailed context you will invite more helpful responses and better feedback.

✔️ Have I shared what I have tried?

Others will be more willing to help you if they see you putting effort.

With your examples, people will get a better understanding of your problem and suggest solutions which you haven't already tried.

✔️ Is the question specific and readable?

Specific and readable questions will get you a faster and more accurate response.

It shows professionalism and attention to detail which builds positive rapport in the developer community.


Wrapping Up

wrapping up

Hope you found this checklist helpful.

If you liked this post, follow me for more of these 🙂

Also, would love to hear if anything you would like to add or remove in it 👇

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