Working code is not enough: developers urge focus on understanding and judging software

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A DEV Community author argues that code that merely runs is not the same as good engineering. They point to questions about handling unexpected inputs, maintainability, root-cause fixes, scalability, and explaining design decisions. The piece suggests learning moves from frameworks and debugging to reasoning about systems, open source, and real projects. It also notes that AI speeds up coding, so the key skill becomes evaluating and testing generated code rather than just producing it. The author closes by inviting readers to share hard-won engineering lessons.

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