Cargo Cult 🛬

History

During WWII, Allied troops built airfields on some remote South Pacific islands. Cargo planes would land with food, equipment, and other supplies for the troops. After the war ended and the troops left, the native islanders who had observed this created their own imitation “airfields” and “control towers” made of wood and straw. They hoped that by mimicking what they had seen, it would bring the cargo planes full of riches back to them.

These imitation airfields and mimicked radio broadcasts were “cargo cults” - rituals copying external forms without understanding the underlying functions.

As an Engineer, probe beneath the surface

• Don’t just copy code snippets or patterns you find without taking time to understand why they work.
• Ask questions - dig into the reasoning and principles behind best practices you adopt. Aim to comprehend, not just imitate.
• When stuck, focus on understanding the fundamentals and building up your mental models. Avoid shortcuts that bypass deep learning. Solid mastery equips you to adapt.
• Experiment to get a feeling of it, theory is not enough.
• Discuss approaches with more experienced engineers to get perspectives beyond your own. Learn the wisdom behind choices, not just the syntax.

In a nutshell, lean deeply into the “why” behind the “how”.