Atypical Takeaways
13 May 2025Beyond the code…
Throughout my experience learning to program applications, I found that coding standards and ethics are both concepts that can be extended beyond web development to the world of software engineering as a whole. These aren’t just buzzwords, people. They are crucial in every area of programming, helping to maintain not only quality but also responsibility in the technology we create.
Keeping it standard
Coding standards are a set of rules that dictate how code should be formatted to maintain consistency and organization. These rules aren’t strictly for web application development; coding standards are relevant when it comes to anything related to programming in general.
You kind of have to use coding standards so long as you are working with other people in a team of any kind. It keeps your work consistent, organized, and readable, which is extremely important since other people will be actively reading and working with your code. If you are working alone, then sure, you don’t necessarily have to follow the guidelines set by some other guy. Those guidelines may still be helpful if you aren’t the most organized person, but at the end of the day, you know yourself best—whatever system works best for you should be the system you stick with. But it’s always good to anticipate that your code may one day be read by other people, and you don’t want to complicate the process.
And hey, your future self will thank you when you revisit that code six months later and it actually makes sense.
Not just a virtual world
Ethics are moral principles that guide right and wrong behavior. When it comes to software engineering, ethics have us consider the impact of software on users, society, and the environment, and like coding standards, they are not strictly relevant to web application development. They apply to all areas of programming because all software can have real-world consequences.
Ethical considerations might include things like respecting user privacy, writing secure code, or avoiding practices that exploit users. No one wants to build an app that secretly sells their data or breaks their device. Software doesn’t just live in a vacuum—it impacts real people, and that means we need to think about its effects on users and society.
Ultimately, ethical practices in software engineering ensure that the technology we build serves the greater good, upholds trust, and minimizes harm, regardless of the application.
The bottom line
All in all, both coding standards and ethics are foundational principles that transcend web application development and play a critical role in ensuring high-quality, responsible software engineering—because at the end of the day, sticking to coding standards and ethics isn’t just about following rules. It’s about taking pride in the work we do and knowing that what we build has the power to impact people, for better or worse.