> Honestly, I’m not sure all of them are experienced enough to give a useful critique
I wouldn't let this be a stumbling block to asking for more review. I think it's like writing an article or paper - once you've invested a lot of time into the thing it gets harder to see the warts. Having another set of eyes can really help catch that stuff, even if they aren't at the same level of expertise as you. Back in my research days the department I was in had a person who's job was basically reading research papers and providing feedback - in this case she usually focused on the paper structure, clarity of phrasing, and of course grammar - she was an expert in writing not in CS. Yet looking back a drafts of papers before and after she had given input shows a massive improvement, even if the technical content was unchanged. Similarly a smart intern can be a great source of input for making my code clearer and better, even if the algorithm doesn't fundamentally change.
Also, if like me you are prone to falling into ego traps, inexperienced folks can bypass the ego's defenses. A simple "hey why did you do it $complicated_way instead of $simple_way?" can hit a lot harder than "hey make this $simple_way" from a mentor. I think it's because I've invested time into teaching the intern and when they ask a good question like that my ego gets a boost from "I taught that kid well" to balance out the "OMG YOU THINK I'M TERRIBLE AT THIS LETS FIGHT" response. (It may also be tempered because I tend to view the intern's questions as genuine requests for input, so I start thinking of the explanation and realize $simple_way will in fact work just fine.)
I wouldn't let this be a stumbling block to asking for more review. I think it's like writing an article or paper - once you've invested a lot of time into the thing it gets harder to see the warts. Having another set of eyes can really help catch that stuff, even if they aren't at the same level of expertise as you. Back in my research days the department I was in had a person who's job was basically reading research papers and providing feedback - in this case she usually focused on the paper structure, clarity of phrasing, and of course grammar - she was an expert in writing not in CS. Yet looking back a drafts of papers before and after she had given input shows a massive improvement, even if the technical content was unchanged. Similarly a smart intern can be a great source of input for making my code clearer and better, even if the algorithm doesn't fundamentally change.
Also, if like me you are prone to falling into ego traps, inexperienced folks can bypass the ego's defenses. A simple "hey why did you do it $complicated_way instead of $simple_way?" can hit a lot harder than "hey make this $simple_way" from a mentor. I think it's because I've invested time into teaching the intern and when they ask a good question like that my ego gets a boost from "I taught that kid well" to balance out the "OMG YOU THINK I'M TERRIBLE AT THIS LETS FIGHT" response. (It may also be tempered because I tend to view the intern's questions as genuine requests for input, so I start thinking of the explanation and realize $simple_way will in fact work just fine.)