How To NOT Learn A Codebase

The biggest mistake engineers make when going into a new codebase is to excessively read through the code and documentation. This is a horrible way to learn.

The problem is exacerbated because the supporting documentation of the code is usually out-of-date: the docs can't keep up in a fast-moving tech company.

Instead, just dig in and start coding!

• Break things
• Add all the print statements ever
• Get the debugger working
• Run the code and see what happens

The key takeaway is that you should get your hands on the keyboard (even if it's uncomfortable).