Coding dojos

Several times a year, software enthusiasts at ERNI Switzerland take on the challenge of a coding dojo. Solving a coding problem in a limited time frame is a great way to test your skills and expand your technical horizons.

A training tool for software engineers

Dojo is Japanese for “practice hall”. And this is exactly the purpose of the coding dojos, which are organized several times a year at ERNI Switzerland. The challenge and interaction with peers gives employees the opportunity to hone their software engineering skills.

The software engineers are given a coding problem to solve in one hour. This task is usually completed by a team of two and then presented to all participants. It does not matter if the solution was implemented in C++, C#, Java, Python, or another programming language.

"ERNI gives us the time and space to get together with colleagues in inspiring sessions like the coding dojos."

The challenge is followed by a discussion focused on learning from the other teams. Participants are often surprised at how different their solutions look. After all, developers who write their solution in Java or C# usually have a different approach than developers who use C++ as their programming language. In addition, there are often different technical approaches. For example, recursion vs. iteration or the use of different data structures. This gives employees a fresh perspective on the task at hand, which can help them broaden their technical horizons.

Sometimes such a coding dojo session is organized together with employees of the ERNI Group from the Philippines. The diverse team creates an exciting dynamic that fostered cross-cultural exchange.