There was an episode in the very first star trek series called “Spocks Brain” in which aliens use a machine to boost their intellegence and transplant out Spocks Brain into a computer. In the episode the skill to do this was totally beyond Dr McCoy so he uses the same machine to boost his intellegence and starts transplanting it back like it was the easiest job in the world, unfortuantely the brain boost effect wears off near the end and he finds himself questioning how he possible did what he did. Obviously he managed to save Spock and everyone was happy.
It was a pretty crappy episode really but I often find myself in the same position as Dr McCoy when I come to update or changes some of the programs I wrote earlier in my career, ie “How could I possibly have done this, its too complicated!” then the anxiety kicks in and I hunker down to several hours working through the (usually well commented) code to finally make the necessary changes.
I guess it happens to everyone and while I genuinely think a lot of the time I used to be a lot smarter than I am now, I still end up making changes above and beyond what I was called to do to improve some code that I now know how to do better.
I did write an assembler and a compiler for 8031 microprocessors when I was 23 (No I diddnt share it with anyone else because it was 1986 and how would you even do that!) and I still honestly believe it would be beyond me to do this today. It probably isnt!
The reason I am saying this is that my modus operandi is to say yes to every problem I get no matter how impossible I think it is and I often suprise myself how easy it ends up being.
As I am now at the ripe old age of 55 I often wonder when the curve will finally end and I will take on something I cannot do. I really am not looking forward to that day!
