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.
It’s sales day, and the whole grocery store is crowded.
“We have to be patient, right?” a guy said to me. I’m in the butchery section. The guy is frantically walking from one side of the aisle to the other, phone in his hand.
“I have 70,” he said when I asked what turn he had. “I have 94, and I only need one chicken breast,” I told him while taking my U-shaped ticket out of my pocket. The display shows 64 in red LED lights. We both laughed. He knew I was more screwed than he was.
A few minutes later, when it was finally his turn, he came running from another aisle. I asked him if he could order the chicken breast for me. He was kind enough to do it. I smiled and told him he had just saved me about an hour.
After thanking him again, I walked around to give away my 94. You know, to return the favor. The guy with the 95 accepted it. “Well, one turn earlier,” he said.
I thought I only needed a couple of things, but after walking around, I ended up with my hands full. It’s not the first time that has happened, even when I had a to-buy list.
Later, while in line to pay, an old lady behind me handed me the cart she was using. “I’m only buying a few things,” she said.
Wow! Sometimes I lose hope in humankind, but a guy ordering for me and a lady handing me her cart made my day.
Lesson: You don’t have to give away money to make someone’s day…And somehow, you’ll always end up buying more than expected—even with a list. So pick a cart.
Their feedback helped me simplify chapters and cut duplication.
Here’s some of their feedback.
“What I liked the most is that it is actually relatable, experiences we’ve all been through at some point in our careers. You can really think, that’s true, that happened to me. Some of the points can put a smile on your face when reading them.”
“‘Don’t work hard.’ This is the stuff nobody tells you early in your career, deliver on time, don’t be a hero, document your work, be easy to work with. I wish someone handed me this list on day one instead of having to figure it out over years.”
Want make real impact beyond lines of code? Grab a copy of Street-Smart Coding Manifesto. A short, actionable guide you can finish over coffee to help you truly stand out.
That reminds me that the real hack is sticking for years.
I’m reflecting on my 8-year anniversary. I don’t like to ask for coffee, but uf you’d like to support this blog, grab one of my books—Actionable books that respect your time on coding and personal growth.
#1. No more SEO-optimized posts.
Google killed blogging as a business.
Then LLMs put the last nail in the coffin.
I wrote my first posts to rank high in Google search results.
I chose subjects and headlines from Google’s “People also asked” and related searches.
Not anymore.
#2. More subjects apart from coding.
I don’t know what category to put my blog on.
coding, csharp, and career are still the categories with more posts.
But this isn’t a coding blog anymore.
It’s more like a workshop in a garage with the door always open.
#3. From tutorials to lessons to stories.
As I mastered coding, I took public notes in tutorials.
While recovering from burnout, I shared lessons I wish I had known.
These days, I like my blog to be a collection of stories, thoughts, and observations.
#4. From bi-weekly to daily posting.
To please the SEO gods, I wrote every other week.
Too many blog posts was a bad idea for SEO.
Not anymore.
After my first writing class, I started to write daily.
I was shocked to hear I should write daily.
I thought I had nothing to say.
But I haven’t stopped since Nov 1st, 2024.
#5. A new definition of post.
A post isn’t a keyword-optimized 2,000-word piece anymore.
A descriptive headline and a few lines count as a post.
Anything longer than a tweet works to call it a day.
I also stopped adding covers and feature images.
Posting daily made them a waste of time.
An idea I stole from Seth Godin.
#6. Few meta-sentences.
I don’t like them…and I don’t use them.
We don’t pick up a phone and say, “In this call, I’m going to share…“
And before hanging up, we don’t say, “In this call, we covered…“
#7. Each sentence on its own line.
This is a writing exercise I learned recently.
A writer’s work is to write good sentences.
A good piece is just a chain of good sentences.
Sometimes I publish with each sentence on its own line.
#8. My blog as my central hub.
In some shape or form, all my ideas start and end on my blog.
No more exclusive content for social media.
#9. Offer a helpful next step.
Just like Netflix offering you a similar show.
There’s no shame in offering something (free or paid) at the end of a post.
Making money online doesn’t have to be that hard: offer a helpful next step.
#10. Books are my main vehicle.
I don’t ask for coffee anymore or plug my coding courses.
Who still watches tutorials or reads technical content anyway?
Books have longer lifespans.
We’re still reading the Odyssey, Bible, and Meditations.
Maybe one day, in the distant future, people will read mine.
I do drink coffee, but I don’t like to ask for it. If you’d like to support this blog, grab one of my short and actionable my books on coding and personal growth. You can pay what you want via Gumroad. They’re also available in Kindle and paperback formats via Amazon.
I spent days choosing a Jekyll theme and a name.
I turned hours of googling into a post and hit publish.
OK, I vomited some words onto a page.
That first post is still unedited as a reminder.
That’s how I started blogging.
Here I am, 816 posts later.
624 written since Nov 1st, 2024.
That’s when I decided to write every day.
I do drink coffee, but I don’t like to ask for it. If you’d like to support this blog, grab one of my books. You can pay what you want via Gumroad. They’re also available in Kindle and paperback formats via Amazon.
