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Debugging Like a Pro: Smarter, Faster Fixes
Debugging Like a Pro: Smarter, Faster Fixes
Subject: Debugging Like a Pro: Smarter, Faster Fixes
Happy Monday, Junior Engineers!
Today, we're diving into one of the most underrated yet essential developer skills: debugging. Writing code is great—but knowing how to find and fix problems is what makes you valuable to any team.
🛠️ Core Concept: Why Debugging Matters
Debugging is the process of identifying, isolating, and resolving bugs or issues in your code. While it can feel frustrating, learning to debug effectively will:
Help you solve problems faster
Improve your understanding of how your code actually works
Make you a more independent, confident engineer
Common Debugging Pitfalls:
Guessing instead of inspecting: Changing random code without understanding the issue
Not reading error messages: Most errors give you valuable clues
Ignoring logs and breakpoints: Skipping the tools that exist to help you
🔧 Debugging Techniques That Work
Here are a few go-to strategies that can help:
Reproduce the Bug Reliably
Make the issue happen consistently before trying to fix it.
Read the Error Carefully
Understand what the error says—and where it’s happening.
Don’t blindly ask AI, traverse the stack and look at how the variables are hitting.
Use Console Logs Strategically
Don’t spam logs—place them where logic branches to inspect values.
Leverage different log types in your code creation to help debug in the future.
Leverage DevTools or a Debugger
Chrome DevTools or VS Code’s debugger can step through code line-by-line.
Rubber Ducking
Explain the issue out loud (or to a rubber duck). It often helps you see the problem clearly.
Comment Out Sections
Isolate where the issue is by disabling parts of the code until it disappears.
BONUS Chrome Dev tools:
🔍 1. Live Expression Panel
Track the value of any JavaScript expression in real time as your app runs.
💡 Great for watching variable states during animations, timers, or complex logic.
▶️ How to use: Open DevTools → Sources → Watch Panel, then click + to add an expression.
🎯 2. Performance Insights Panel
This panel gives a smart breakdown of performance bottlenecks without needing to dig through flame charts.
▶️ Go to DevTools → More Tools → Performance Insights and hit record.
🎨 3. CSS Overview Panel
Analyze the CSS of your page: colors, fonts, unused declarations, contrast issues — all in one place.
▶️ Enable via DevTools → Command Menu (Cmd+Shift+P) → “Show CSS Overview”
⏮️ 4. Recorder Panel (Replay User Flows)
Record user interactions (clicks, navigation, typing), then replay or export them as Puppeteer scripts.
▶️ Use DevTools → Recorder Panel to test flows or identify UX issues.
📦 5. Local Overrides
Edit and save changes to HTML/CSS/JS right in the browser — and persist them across reloads without touching the server.
▶️ Go to Sources → Overrides → Set folder and start editing locally.
🌱 Career Growth Tip: Debugging Builds Engineering Maturity
Debugging teaches you to:
Be patient and methodical
Stay calm under pressure
Communicate issues and fixes clearly to teammates
These are the exact skills that help junior engineers grow into reliable team contributors.
🔗 Resource Spotlight
🙋 Junior Dev Q&A
Q: "What if I just can’t figure out what’s wrong with my code?"
A: That’s normal! When you’re stuck, try walking away for 10 minutes, asking a teammate, or even rewriting the problem from scratch in a simpler way. Don’t be afraid to ask for help—but do share what you’ve tried so far. That shows initiative.
That’s it for this week! Mastering debugging won’t just help you fix bugs—it will teach you how to think like an engineer. 🧠
If you found this helpful, share it with another junior dev who’s been battling bugs lately.
Keep shipping and solving.