IMO, pair programming is most useful for short design discussions and mentoring, like explaining a better way to architect a feature to a junior engineer. I look back on these experiences fondly, and this type of collaboration helped me grow a lot as a developer.
I don't feel like I get the concentration and focus required to "put the whole code implementation in my head" when I'm pairing, so I don't really see how it can be used 100% of the time to build systems efficiently.
And regardless of whether it's a good way to work or not, many engineers just won't want to have someone looking over their shoulder 24/7. That kind of environment would drive me mad. I need to be able to drown out the world and bury my head in the code, and most of us don't work on code the entire day. I like having the freedom to read an article or browse the web for a bit whenever I want to fuck off.
Pair programming and mob programming are definitely not for me, and there's no way I would take a job that requires doing either most of the time.
IMO, pair programming is most useful for short design discussions and mentoring, like explaining a better way to architect a feature to a junior engineer. I look back on these experiences fondly, and this type of collaboration helped me grow a lot as a developer.
I don't feel like I get the concentration and focus required to "put the whole code implementation in my head" when I'm pairing, so I don't really see how it can be used 100% of the time to build systems efficiently.
And regardless of whether it's a good way to work or not, many engineers just won't want to have someone looking over their shoulder 24/7. That kind of environment would drive me mad. I need to be able to drown out the world and bury my head in the code, and most of us don't work on code the entire day. I like having the freedom to read an article or browse the web for a bit whenever I want to fuck off.
Pair programming and mob programming are definitely not for me, and there's no way I would take a job that requires doing either most of the time.