I have had the joy to chat with Mårten Bendroth at Cygni Syd. He’s got a wonderful story from when he participated in Advent of Code in 2020 and gave it all. Please enjoy!
It is with delight mixed with horror, I remember the Advent of Code 2020.
I was in the middle of my education and thought that enough if statements could solve all the world’s problems. Why would Advent of Code differ?
That belief took me to the 14th or maybe the 15th of December in the competition before I had to throw in the towel and realize my limitations. By this time I had of course paused all of my assignments and group work at the university to help Santa get back to the North Pole – unfortunately without telling either teachers or fellow students of my current “situation”.
My winning instinct took over about the same moment I solved the first puzzle, and I have a vague memory that there was some extra studying going on during the Christmas break to supplement substandard submissions and group work.
In return, I learned more about nested for loops, recursion, and test-driven development - and as everyone knows, Santa also came home that Christmas without my if statements.
All the best and good luck at this years Advent of Code! /Mårten Bendroth
Best wishes! /Pär