Withdrawals at the bank of tech debt

I'm back for another year of "Advent of Code" challenges! 🌟

If you haven't heard of it, it's a month-long coding frenzy where people tackle a fresh two-part problem every day.

The thrill? Competing against your friends (or peers worldwide) for the speediest solution and bragging rights. 🏁

Now, here's the interesting part: my code has to endure for just one day, often less. That's right, it's throwaway code central. 🗑️

In the heat of the moment, I've found myself occasionally cutting corners – quick fixes, copy-pasting, crappy-but-short variable/function names, the whole nine yards.

Who cares if it's not pristine, right?

Well, let me tell you, after a few dozen of these challenges, I've had a realization:

👉 Messy code starts to haunt me once the timer hits 30-60 minutes. 🕒

When my codebase is very small and tidy, it's hard to trip over my own feet.

But as I churn out more lines and complexity, the absence of good coding practices becomes glaringly evident. My pace slackens 🐌 , and those pesky bugs sneak in when I least expect them. 🐞

Now, everyone's threshold for tech debt might vary, but I've learned that mine's around the one-hour mark. Beyond that, it's a slippery slope, and the interest rates are steep. 📈

So here's the takeaway for all you engineering wizards out there: even when the code's VERY temporary, don't dismiss good coding habits. That extra minute spent making things neat might save hours in the long run. 🧹