Hi HN!
As an example, I often find myself wondering how to properly implement server-side computed properties. Should it be business code? Generated DB column? Materialized view, or trigger-based? Computed on request? Maybe there are some web frameworks that provide complex computation dependency trees?<p>The few peers I work with might not have an answer. IMO this is the greatest obstacle to mainly working solo.<p>I can surely Google a lot or open up a question at SO[1] or SE[2] for every single aspect, but I feel like I am lacking general understanding of the topic – particularly given how often I trip over this.<p>But where do you turn with this? They say the hardest things about CS is cache invalidation and naming things. From my experience, the most difficult thing to do and where experience really matters most is getting to grips with the gazillion patterns and tools available and how to choose them. I often don't know where to look for the right reading material, and a Bachelor's degree hasn't changed this either. How do you cope with it?<p>[1] https://stackoverflow.com
[2] https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com
For my part, I generally search through O'Reilly Online (formerly Safari books. No association other that being a long time customer) for phrases around the subject until I find something that looks approximately right. I then read a bit of what I find in order to refine my jargon, and then search for the refined terms either on O'Reilly again, or on DuckDuckGo. It has always felt to me that just getting the correct terms down is 80% of the effort in researching existing tech.<p>I'll also ask for recommendations from friends or other people I'm the industry.<p>I think this is a fantastic question. Looking forward to see how others answer. I think my method could do with some improvement.