Athletic Software Engineering. When I hear the word “athletic,” the picture that comes to mind is a football player training in some kind of speed or agility drill. So how is this physical term associated with a sedentary pursuit like software engineering? A lot more than we realize.
Merriam-Webster defines an athlete as “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.” A programmer most definitely should possess the ability to think and understand quickly, as well as the ability to stay focused even when under stress. In order to attain the qualities of an athlete, we must train like one. Athletic Software Engineering, a “high intensity, time-constrained, and often stress-inducing approach to acquiring competency with software engineering skills,” acknowledges this need.
An integral component of Athletic Software Engineering is the Workout of the Day, also known as WOD. A WOD is a challenge that requires us to demonstrate skills both correctly and efficiently. In terms of sports, an athlete knows that in order for muscle breakdown and growth to occur, one must create stress that is different from what the body is used to. Furthermore, an athlete doesn’t become skilled by training only once a week. This is why the weekly module schedule is effective. We are given many opportunities to regularly practice through practice WODs, group WODs, Amy WODs and in class WODs. Though it is stressful when our grades are based on the time it takes us to solve a problem, it is also very exciting to think about how much growth I’d achieve from this teaching style.