Debugging Is a Skill Nobody Teaches You

Posted May 4, 2026

By Billy Okeyo 4 min read

Debugging Is a Skill Nobody Teaches Properly

You’ve been staring at the same bug for 2 hours. You’ve restarted the server. Cleared cache. Added random console.logs. Somehow… it still doesn’t work.

At some point, you stop coding and start guessing.

And that’s the real problem.

The issue isn’t the bug. It’s that nobody actually teaches debugging as a skill.

The Way Most Developers Debug

Let’s be honest. Most of us learned debugging like this:

Sprinkle console.log everywhere
Change random lines and hope something works
Copy-paste error messages into Google
Restart everything “just in case”

It sometimes works.

But it’s slow, frustrating, and unreliable.

It’s not debugging.

It’s trial and error disguised as progress.

What Debugging Actually Is

Here’s the mindset shift that changes everything:

Debugging is not about fixing code. It’s about finding where your mental model diverges from reality.

You think the system works one way.

Reality says otherwise.

Your job is to close that gap.

The Debugging Mindset

Before tools, before techniques, this is what matters most.

1. Assume Your Assumptions Are Wrong

If something doesn’t work, at least one thing you believe is false.

Your job is to find it.

2. Narrow the Problem Space

Bad debugging:

“Something is wrong with the app”

Good debugging:

“The issue happens only when this function runs after login”

3. Reproduce Before Fixing

If you can’t reliably reproduce the bug, you don’t understand it.

And if you don’t understand it, your fix is luck—not skill.

4. One Change at a Time

If you change 5 things and it works… which one fixed it?

You don’t know.

That’s how bugs come back later.

5. Understand Before You Patch

Quick fixes feel good.

Understanding the root cause makes you dangerous (in a good way).

A Repeatable Debugging Process

This is where things become practical.

Step 1: Reproduce the Bug

Make it happen consistently.

Click button → error appears  
Refresh → still happens  
Different browser → still happens

If it’s inconsistent, your first task is to find the pattern.

Step 2: Define Expected vs Actual

Write it down clearly.

Expected: API returns user data  
Actual: API returns empty array

This step alone eliminates confusion.

Step 3: Isolate the Problem

Shrink the scope.

Comment out unrelated code
Remove layers (UI → API → DB)
Test pieces independently

Think of it like this:

[ UI ] → [ API ] → [ Database ]

Which layer is lying?

Step 4: Form a Hypothesis

Be explicit:

“I think the API is returning empty data because the query filter is wrong.”

Now you’re not guessing—you’re testing a theory.

Step 5: Test the Hypothesis

Use targeted tools:

Logs
Breakpoints
Network inspector

Example:

  
console.log("User ID:", userId)

But intentional—not random.

Step 6: Fix and Verify

Fix it.

Then confirm:

Does it work in all cases?
Did you break something else?

Step 7: Understand the Root Cause

This is where most devs stop too early.

Don’t just fix it—explain it:

“The bug happened because the state updated asynchronously, and we read it too early.”

Now you’ve learned something reusable.

Real Example: “The API Is Broken” (But It’s Not)

Let’s walk through a real scenario.

The Bug

Frontend shows: No data available

Initial Assumption

“The API is broken.”

Step 1: Check Network Tab

You open DevTools → Network:

API returns correct data

So… not the API.

Step 2: Check State

  
console.log(data)

It logs:

[]

Empty array.

Step 3: Trace the Flow

  
useEffect(() => {
  fetchData()
}, [])

Inside fetchData:

  
setData(response.data)
console.log(data) // still empty

The Problem

React state updates are asynchronous.

You’re logging before state updates.

The Fix

  
useEffect(() => {
  fetchData()
}, [])

useEffect(() => {
  console.log(data)
}, [data])

The Lesson

The bug wasn’t in the API. It was in your mental model of how state updates work.

Tools That Actually Help

Not everything is about tools—but the right ones matter.

1. Browser DevTools (Underrated Powerhouse)

Network tab → verify API calls
Console → inspect runtime values
Application tab → check storage

2. Breakpoints (Game Changer)

Instead of spamming logs:

Pause execution and inspect state live

3. Intentional Logging

Bad:

  
console.log("here")

Good:

  
console.log("User after login:", user)

4. Stack Traces

Read them.

They literally tell you:

Where the error happened
What triggered it

5. Rubber Duck Debugging

Explain the bug out loud.

Yes, seriously.

You’ll often solve it mid-explanation.

Problem → Hypothesis → Test → Learn → Repeat

Common Debugging Traps

Avoid these and you’ll already be ahead of most devs:

Fixing Symptoms Instead of Causes

You silence the error… but the bug is still there.

Changing Too Many Things at Once

Now you don’t know what worked.

Ignoring Error Messages

The error is literally telling you what’s wrong.

Read it.

Assuming the Bug Is “Weird”

It’s almost never weird.

It’s misunderstood.

“It Works on My Machine”

This is not a flex.

It’s a clue.

A Better Mental Model

Expectation ≠ Reality  
        ↓  
Investigate the gap

That’s debugging.

Final Thought

The best developers aren’t the ones who write perfect code. They’re the ones who can quickly understand why things break.

Debugging isn’t a side skill.

It is the job.

Programming, Software Development, Career

This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.