The Power of Pair Programming

I recently did a pair programming session on a ticket that involved React development—definitely not my strongest suit at the moment. But the developer I was pairing with had more experience with React.

In a pair programming session I'm always a bit hesitant of taking the driver seat. Usually the thoughts rushing through my head are quite limiting and intimidating:

“What if I slow us down?”
“What if I mess something up?”
“Would it not be better for the experienced dev to take the wheel?”

But I fought off those thoughts and volunteered to type. And as the session went on, I felt more confident and I kept learning new things.

Typing while someone talks you through a problem is completely different from passively watching a tutorial. You’re not just watching—you're actively thinking, troubleshooting, applying. I found myself absorbing more React than I have in weeks, and retaining it. It reminded me that showing up—even imperfectly—beats waiting until you feel ready.

I'm not saying a session like this turned me into a master of React but it did teach me something else. Growth happens fastest when you’re in it—hands on, slightly scared, fully engaged.

Catch you in the next log.