Make Assumptions/Don’t Make Assumptions

As a programmer, I feel like I’m trained to make a lot of assumptions. Yes, I get as many requirements as possible from the clients/users, but there are some unanswered questions, ways things should be implemented, or just things left up to the expertise of the person doing the work. Making good assumptions is as much part of a project as anything else. However, it should not be a default mindset for everything.

As a teacher, I’ve been caught making assumptions about what my students know or don’t know. I can do that reasonably do that if I know every student has taken some pre-req for the course or if I’ve had those students before in a previous course. For the most part, I shouldn’t make assumptions because it could mean gaps in knowledge and less understanding of the material. If that means going slower or covering more than I anticipated, so be it. That’s part of being a teacher.

The same thing goes for making any big plans (or small plans, perhaps). “Well I assume they won’t let us, so we’ll just…” or, “They probably require X, so why don’t we…” are excuses and road blocks that you’re throwing up based on nothing. If you can, get the facts. Ask questions. No harm comes from asking questions.

In the book The Last Lecture by Randy Pausche, he talks a lot about how he got what he wanted simply by asking for it. The example that sticks out most for me is riding in the front car of the Monorail at Disney World. His son wanted to sit up front and Randy’s father assumed that you couldn’t. Randy asked the conductor, who said, “Certainly.” The advice he gives, based on this story:

Ask. More often than you’d suspect, the answer you’ll get is, “Sure.”

This can be applied to anything. Want to ask that girl out? Don’t assume she doesn’t want to. You could miss out on a great opportunity. Want to write a book? Do it. Send proposals to publishers. Ask. The next time you’re thinking about something you want, and you really want it, don’t throw up an imaginary barrier by assuming the worst and then working off of that assumption. Get the facts. Ask questions. You’ll probably be surprised by the outcome.