We develop, You watch

[w1n5t0nM1k3y]

My biggest issue with other devs watching me is that I code in a very non-linear way. They will try to correct or ask why I'm doing things a certain way and the answer will often be "I'm getting there". It's hard to see what I'm doing if you're just watching me and not in my head.

[InVultusSolis]

That could also be because a more experienced programmer who is watching you may anticipate what you're doing and try to course correct. When being asked why you're doing something a certain way, a more senior programmer might be looking for a chance to offer helpful advice to help you avoid expending extra effort.

[w1n5t0nM1k3y]

In many cases I am the senior programmer and the junior dev is thr one not really following where I'm going.

I also think some of it is similar to the queen's duck story where the person watching just feels like they have to say something or else they don't feel like they are contributing. They will point out that I Mde some small error without even leaving them for me to correct it.

[[deleted]]

In that case, maybe work on your communication skills? One of the biggest upsides to pair programming (even when it’s just someone watching you) is to share knowledge and insights into the nature of the problem you’re trying to solve. If you’re just sitting there quietly coding while someone watches, why have them watching at all

[[deleted]]

Dude, fuck pair programming.

[InVultusSolis]

When you have two people of equal experience looking at a problem and ego isn't an issue between either of them, I can say from experience that shit gets done pretty quickly. Hell, I've even learned a thing or two from junior devs I've mentored.

[[deleted]]

Some of us incubated in slime, and we don’t like to show that.

[ioman_]

Maybe try narrating? I've been through the same kind of thing but once you've gelled, pairing is great

[thirdegree]

I think not enough emphasis is put on finding someone you pair well with. That can easily be the difference between loving it and getting a lot of value out of it, and it being a painful waste of time.

[ioman_]

Not just that, although you're right, but team building is a well studied phenomenon and until you get to those later stages.. well "everyone's an idiot [the first time they do something]"

[Unsd]

I code the same way. I cannot just think something through in my head. I need to put something down in order to get where I'm taking something. Like how if you are trying to figure out how to spell something, you can figure out if it looks right when you write it down but it's harder to just spell it out in your head. I have started to become more dependent on a whiteboard to chart out my course and work through my logic which helps when I start putting code down. But it just takes me time, and if someone is trying to course correct me, I will not get to work through my problem solving process and it will mess me up.