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  Importance of learning to google efficiently for a programmer?  




Avoiding lengthy discussions, as a senior level student in CS, how can I get away from Googling problems I run into? I find myself using it too much; I seemingly reach for the instant answer and then blindly copy and paste code, hoping it works. Anyone can do that. I've read the related threads about being a better programmer, but mostly those recommend practicing on pet projects, which I have done, but again I feel EVERY wall encountered, from design through completion, was hurdled with Google. 

Do professionals instantly "research" their problem? Or do you guys step back and try and figure it out yourselves? 

I'm talking about both 'algorithm/design' problems as well as compiler issues. 

I research most problems I encounter.

If I encounter an issue, my first assumption is that I am not the first one to have encountered it.

I also don't believe in reinventing the wheel - so will look for an existing solution before writing my own.

The thing about research is that you need to evaluate the results and how well they fit (or not) with your code base/model/project/team. This means you need to understand the solution, how it works and how to apply it to your situation.

My research saves my clients time and money.

Before the days of search engines, I asked questions on usenet. The Internet is a great tool - use it.
