> I'm not sure being good at programming has much to do with having a whole bunch of CS knowledge; rather, it's being able to figure out what knowledge you need to know -- when you need to know it.
What I often tend to find valuable is not so much knowing what I need to know (although that's good too), but knowing what's possible. For example, there's really little need for me to be able to rattle off the code for a splay tree off the top of my head, but knowing its characteristics (and those of other data structures) is very useful - it allows me to match potential solutions to problems. All I then need to do is read up a bit more on the specific solution I have in mind.
I've found that this approach stops me reinventing the wheel too much, although it has also given me a slightly depressed view on many innovations within the computing world :-).
What I often tend to find valuable is not so much knowing what I need to know (although that's good too), but knowing what's possible. For example, there's really little need for me to be able to rattle off the code for a splay tree off the top of my head, but knowing its characteristics (and those of other data structures) is very useful - it allows me to match potential solutions to problems. All I then need to do is read up a bit more on the specific solution I have in mind.
I've found that this approach stops me reinventing the wheel too much, although it has also given me a slightly depressed view on many innovations within the computing world :-).