Pinned — 28 Oct 2025 #codingStreet-Smart Coding: 30 Ways to Get Better at Coding Without Losing Your Mind
I spent five years in college learning to code.
A stupid dissertation delayed my graduation. But that’s another story.
Most of my five-year program didn’t prepare me for real-world coding. My real coding journey began at my first job, with one Google search: “how to get good at coding.”
I found a lot of conflicting advice:
“Use comments”
“Don’t use comments”
“Do this”
“Don’t do that”
Arrggg!
It took years of trial and error to learn what worked.
I had to survive on-call shifts, talk to stakeholders, and say “no” politely. More importantly, I had to learn that coding takes more than just syntax.
That’s why I wrote Street-Smart Coding— a roadmap of 30 lessons I wish I had when I started. For every dev who’s ever typed “how to get better at coding” into Google or ChatGPT. (Back in my days, I didn’t have ChatGPT… Wait, I sound like a nostalgic grandpa…)
Preview of the first ~12 pages
Inside “Street-Smart Coding”
This isn’t a textbook. It’s a battle-tested guide for your journey from junior/mid-level to senior.
Some lessons are conventional.
Others were learned the hard way.
And a few are weird.
One lesson comes from a TV show. Nope, not Mr. Robot or Silicon Valley. That’s on Chapter #29. It will teach you about problem-solving.
You’ll learn how to:
Google like a pro
Debug without banging your head against a wall
Communicate clearly with non-tech folks
…and 27 more lessons I learned over ten years of mistakes.
After a week of typing, my next book’s first draft is done.
This month, I’m running a book experiment: I’m turning a hit post into a short guide, but backwards.
Today I transcribed the last chapters. Yes, I handwrote some of the chapters. The draft is 7,084 words across 24 pages in Google Docs. That’s the minimum page count for an Amazon KDP paperback. Formatting and front/back matter will add more pages.
Even when hitting a small victory, like finishing the first draft, my inner voice speaks louder. “Do I have something good?”“Are people going to like it?” I have to trust the process and focus on the next task.
Now that the first draft is done, here’s what I’m doing:
Take distance. I’m letting the draft sit for a few days to read it with fresh eyes.
Replace placeholders. To finish my first draft in a single pass, I used “XXX” for places where I needed to fill in details later.
#3. A book trilogy: Before retiring from coding, I’m leaving all my lessons in books. My plan is to write a trilogy. I already wrote Street-Smart Coding. That’s a roadmap of coding skills. The first I wrote, but the second in the trilogy.
I’m turning my most popular post about personal development into a short, actionable guide. My goal is to finish it in one month. I’ve made good progress on the first draft, even handwriting some chapters.
The other day, it was “Nothing” time and I hadn’t written my daily post. So I decided to grab pen and paper to write it. Yes, I had to “work” twice: write and then type. But somehow it felt different.
I’m not alone in handwriting
This experiment made me think of Roberto Gomez Bolaños, aka Chespirito, who also relied on pen and paper to write scripts for his TV shows and sketches.
When he started his writing career, he didn’t know how to use a typewriter. And later when he injured one of his hands, he kept the habit. At least, that’s what his biopic shows.
Like Chespirito, I wrote by hand, but only a few chapters. I planned 13 chapters. I wrote the first draft of 12. 2 of them need transcribing. Chespirito probably had an assistant for transcriptions. I don’t.
It might seem like extra work.
But pen and paper force me to think hard before putting the pen down. I don’t have a backspace key. Well, I can cross out lines and scratch. But I don’t find myself going back to edit while I’m writing by hand.
When I’m transcribing (like now. I handwrote this post first), I edit less. Handwriting and transcribing force me to switch tasks and detach from the original text—and of course, slow down from the rush of digital writing. That’s a point for pen and paper.
The backspace key is a blessing, but sometimes a curse. And slowing down can be its own blessing.
#2. Now there’s a Reddit for AI: Moltbook…or whatever the latest name is. Here’s a breakdown of why it’s the most interesting place on the internet (7min). Imagine AIs ranting about their tasks. It seems they aren’t conspiring against us yet.
#3. AI isn’t replacing us, just changing our job description. Maybe we won’t be coders anymore. We will be code sculptors (2min). Imagine job descriptions: “Looking for a 10x Michelangelo to join our amazing family.”
#4. The only social media I use is LinkedIn. You probably found me there first. I avoid the feed though. If you want to jump in, here’s a guide on how to use social media mindfully (3min).
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding, 30 lessons to help you code like a pro. From Googling to clear communication, it covers the lessons you don’t learn in tutorials. It’s now out on Kindle and paperback on Amazon.
90% of respondents use AI for assisting development. But only 55% of them rate AI as “extremely or very effective.”
96% don’t fully trust that AI-generated code is functionally correct.
48% always check their AI-assisted code before committing.
Why this matters: We’re flooded with headlines predicting the end of coders.
AI generating more than X% of code at a FAANG. One CEO suggesting nobody else should learn to code. To then retract himself saying that replacing senior coders with AI is crazy. And companies using AI innovation as an excuse for more layoffs.
What to do: If you think you’re missing the whole AI movement, let the dust settle down. Double down on the fundamentals, not shiny objects. Maybe it’s time to pick Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs or any classical textbook.
With 96% not trusting AI, code reviewing, clean code, and security remain essential. Don’t throw away your copy of Clean Code. And even if AI takes over, there’s work for human coders to do.
It’s easy to fall into the AI hype. AI wins on speed. But humans win on communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
Street-Smart Coding covers some of those skills. Follow this roadmap to build hype-proof skills and become the kind of coder AI can’t replace.
