Why Does Struggling Through Bugs Make You a Better Programmer Than Quick Solutions?

Apr 4, 2026

Rubik's cube problem solving

I spent 45 minutes fighting a JavaScript bug last week. The code looked perfect - my async function should return an array, but I kept getting undefined. I checked the network tab, verified the API response, logged everything to the console. Nothing worked.

Then I realized: I was returning from the callback, not from the outer function.

// What I wrote
async function fetchUsers() {
  users.forEach(user => {
    return processUser(user)  // Wrong! Returning from forEach callback
  })
}

// What I should have written
async function fetchUsers() {
  const processed = []
  for (const user of users) {
    processed.push(await processUser(user))
  }
  return processed
}

Here’s the thing - if I had Googled “forEach return undefined” immediately, I would have found the answer in 30 seconds. But I would have learned nothing about why it failed, or how to debug async flow, or how to think through the problem systematically.

The Trap of Quick Solutions

I used to be the “copy-paste from Stack Overflow” developer. Whenever I hit a roadblock, I’d search for the exact error message, grab the first working solution, and move on.

It felt productive. I was shipping features. But I wasn’t growing.

// I needed to filter unique values from an array
// Quick search led me to this:
const unique = [...new Set(array.filter(x => x.id))]

// It worked! But I didn't understand WHY.
// Later, when I needed to filter unique by a nested property...
// I was stuck again.

The dangerous part wasn’t being stuck - it was getting unstuck too fast. When you struggle for 45 minutes before finding a solution, you remember the lesson. When you find it in 30 seconds, you forget it by tomorrow.

What Struggling Actually Builds

Cognitive scientists call this “desirable difficulty” - the idea that effortful learning creates stronger memories. But for programmers, it’s more than memory. It’s about building:

Pattern Recognition

Last month I spent two hours debugging why my nested array flattening wasn’t working. The issue? I was mutating the array while iterating over it.

// My broken approach
function flatten(arr) {
  const result = []
  arr.forEach(item => {
    if (Array.isArray(item)) {
      result.push(...flatten(item))  // Seems fine?
    }
  })
  return result
}

// The issue wasn't the recursion - it was how I thought about the problem
// Now when I see similar patterns, I recognize the potential mutation trap

That struggle taught me to think about data flow, not just syntax. Now when I encounter similar problems, I have a mental model to work from - not just a code snippet to copy.

Debugging Intuition

After years of struggling through problems, experienced developers often “know” where bugs are before they even check. It looks like magic, but it’s actually pattern recognition built through thousands of hours of failure.

I can now look at code and feel when something’s wrong:

“That async function looks like it’s not awaiting properly”
“This state mutation might cause a race condition”
“This callback hell is probably losing context”

This isn’t intuition I was born with. It’s intuition I earned through painful debugging sessions.

Problem-Solving Methodology

When you struggle, you develop systems. My debugging process now looks like:

1. Reproduce the bug consistently
2. Isolate the failing component
3. Check inputs/outputs at each step
4. Form hypothesis → test → repeat
5. Only after 15+ minutes of effort: search

I didn’t learn this from a tutorial. I learned it from failing repeatedly and getting tired of failing the same way.

The Solution: Intentional Struggle

I’m not saying you should never look up answers. That’s just inefficient. But I’ve adopted some rules that balance productivity with learning:

The 15-Minute Rule

Before searching for a solution, I force myself to try for at least 15 minutes. I write down what I’ve tried, what I think is happening, and potential solutions. Most of the time, I figure it out within that window.

// What I'm seeing:
// - API returns 200 but data is undefined
// - Console.log shows the response body

// What I've tried:
// - Checked network tab (data is there)
// - Logged response.json() (returns promise)

// Hypothesis:
// - Maybe I'm not awaiting the json parsing?

Practice Debugging Without Running Code

I now force myself to trace through code mentally before running it. It’s painful, but it builds the mental model faster.

const data = fetchData()  // Returns Promise
  .then(r => r.json())    // What does this return?
  .then(d => transform(d)) // Is d the parsed data or something else?

// Mental trace:
// 1. fetchData() returns a Promise
// 2. First .then receives Response object
// 3. r.json() returns Promise (not data directly!)
// 4. Second .then receives parsed data

Keep a Debugging Journal

I write down every interesting bug I solve. Not the solution - the process.

Date: 2024-01-15
Bug: Array mutation during iteration causing skipped items
Time spent: 45 minutes
What I tried: for loop, forEach, map, filter
Key insight: forEach doesn't wait for async callbacks
Lesson: Use for...of when dealing with async operations

When I revisit old entries, I see patterns in my mistakes. I make fewer of them now.

Return to Old Problems

Every few months, I revisit problems I solved with help. Can I solve them from scratch now? Often, the answer is no - which means I never actually learned.

When Quick Solutions Make Sense

Let’s be realistic. Sometimes you need to ship. Sometimes the problem is well outside your domain. Sometimes you’ve already spent hours and the deadline is tomorrow.

I use quick solutions when:

The problem is syntax or API-specific (not conceptual)
I’ve already struggled for 30+ minutes
The problem is blocking others on my team
I need to understand the solution quickly to evaluate alternatives

But I make a point to return later and understand why it worked.

The Long Game

The difference between a junior and senior developer isn’t just years of experience. It’s how many hours were spent in productive struggle versus copying solutions.

Every time you choose to struggle a bit longer before Googling, you’re investing in your future self. You’re building the neural pathways that will let you solve tomorrow’s harder problems.

Next time you hit a bug, try waiting 15 minutes. You might be surprised what you figure out on your own.

Final Words + More Resources

My intention with this article was to help others share my knowledge and experience. If you want to contact me, you can contact by email: Email me

Here are also the most important links from this article along with some further resources that will help you in this scope:

👨‍💻 Reddit discussion on struggling vs quick solutions

Oh, and if you found these resources useful, don’t forget to support me by starring the repo on GitHub!