Things I Still Google After 10 Years of Coding

Because experience doesn’t mean I remember regex flags.

People assume that after 10 years of coding, you've reached a level of technical enlightenment where you no longer Google anything.

I’m here to tell you:
I Google more now than I did in year one.

Not because I don’t know things — but because real-world development is messy, unpredictable, and full of forgotten syntax and weird edge cases. So here's a short list of things I still shamelessly type into Google on a weekly basis.

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🧪 1. regex for email validation

I've seen every regex variant known to humankind. I've bookmarked 15 examples.
Still can’t trust myself to write it from scratch.

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🧪 2. python list comprehension if else syntax

I understand it.
I use it.
But do I remember the exact syntax every time? Nope.
I still mix up the order like it’s a riddle written by a bored wizard.

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🧪 3. git push --force-with-lease

I use this instead of --force because I respect history (and like my job).
But I still triple-check that flag every single time before I commit code murder.

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🧪 4. npm clean install delete node_modules voodoo command

The ancient ritual that cleanses the evil spirits from your JavaScript project.
It's some combination of:

bash

CopyEdit

rm -rf node_modules npm cache clean --force npm install

And a prayer.

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🧪 5. javascript date format properly please

All I want is this:
2025-06-24 14:30
What I get:
Tue Jun 24 2025 14:30:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
🤡

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🧪 6. how to exit vim

I know how.
But I still Google it once in a while just to keep myself humble.

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🧠 So What’s the Point?

Being a "senior" developer doesn’t mean you memorize every piece of syntax.
It means:

• You know what actually matters

• You’re fast at debugging your own thinking

• You don’t waste time pretending to know what you don’t

• And most importantly… you embrace Google as your co-pilot

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💬 Let’s Normalize Not Knowing Everything

What’s one thing you still Google regularly, no matter how long you’ve been coding?
Leave a reply — I might turn your answers into a part two 👀

If this made you laugh, nod, or silently open your terminal — you’ll probably enjoy what I share here regularly:

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Thanks for reading,
– Gabe