I'm Launching Street-Smart Coding: 30 Lessons to Help You Code Like a Pro (the Roadmap I Wish I Had Starting Out)

Pinned — 28 Oct 2025 #coding

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…)

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.

Now they’re yours.

Get your copy of Street-Smart Coding here and skip the years of trial and error. For launch week only: Pay what you want—even $1 or $2.

The Greatest Reward of Writing

06 Aug 2026 #writing

Every disappointment, breakup, or failure turns into inspiration.

A disappointment becomes a short story.
A breakup becomes a poem.
A failure becomes a lessons-learned post.

Writing helps you revisit, process, and reframe.

Nothing is wasted. It’s all material.

I share some of my life lessons in 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life.

Earn the Title By Doing the Work (A Taxi Driver's Lesson)

05 Aug 2026 #misc

After tuning the radio, the taxi driver found a station broadcasting a presidential speech. The president was just days away from leaving the office.

I had finished my weekly groceries and was heading home. It was raining, and I rushed home after forgetting to close the windows. So I didn’t put my bags in the trunk, but on the front seat.

“That guy talks a lot… He was born to be a politician,” the taxi driver said, breaking the silence after hearing my destination. “Those roles need someone who talks a lot.”

“That’s right! Someone who convinces and coordinates people,” I said.

“In my neighborhood, almost all the community leaders have already passed away. There are still two guys. They’re already old and sick… But one of them still does things for the community… He’s organizing a 70s-themed party for this month…”

“There are a couple of young people who ran for local mayors. But they’ve done nothing for the community. How they expect me to vote for them? If the street lights don’t work, they should call the company.”

“So they’re just waiting for the title before acting…” I said.

Lesson: Do the work first, then the title comes after. That applies when turning a hobby into a new career or when running for local mayor.

A Trick If You Can't Put Your Phone Down

04 Aug 2026 #misc

Yesterday, I came back home after a 3-hour road trip.

With no phone reception or WiFi, I had no other choice than to sit with my thoughts, watching the passing trees and road signs until I fell sleep. It was the longest “do nothing” moment I’ve had in a while.

If you think you can’t leave your phone aside, take a road trip or a flight. Not just for the traveling part, but for the unplugging time.

The Only Productivity Tip That Actually Works

03 Aug 2026 #productivity

All productivity advice can be summarized into one single tip:

Follow your energy levels.

Not in a woo-woo sense, but be aware of your energy levels.

1. Tackle your most important work when they’re at its highest.
2. Learn to rise them: exercise, laugh, or walk.
3. Keep your glucose spikes under control.

Notion dashboards, todo lists, and weekly goals aren’t useful if you don’t have any energy to tackle them.

My 8-Year Blog Journey In Minutes

02 Aug 2026 #writing

Eight years ago, I published my first post—without any idea what I was doing

I was starting my coding career, and one day I googled “how to get better at coding.” I kept finding “start a blog.” So I did.

I built a blog on top of my GitHub account. I still host my blog there, after all these years.

The early days

My first post was a tutorial to compile hours of googling.

OK, “tutorial” is a strong word. It was like a word vomit. Here’s my very first post, still unchanged as a reminder.

My blog was a public notebook. I wrote about what I was learning at work. It was a 100% coding blog.

I didn’t have any schedule or intention. I only did to improve my coding skills.

The rise and fall

Thanks to Income School on YouTube, I learned about SEO optimization.

I learned to play the SEO, aiming at Google’s first page. I changed my style: one post every other week about a cluster of topics.

To drive readers to my blog, I shared my posts on dev.to and on LinkedIn. I still reshare on dev.to and I recently ran an AMA to celebrate my anniversary.

My blog replaced my portfolio and earned me my first paycheck online.

I kept showing up until 2023, when burnout made me quit for months.

The comeback

In 2024, already burned out, I was laid off. I felt lost.

With lots of free time, I jumped back to writing as therapy.

I took my first writing class. I started to write daily. Last June, I hit my 600-daily-post milestone. I also adopted a workflow and changed my blogging rules. My blog became a time capsule, instead of a coding-only blog.

Writing (and my blog) saved me. That’s why I keep doing it.

My blog was (and still is) the playground and inspiration for my books. It’s now part of my healthy routine.

But, it hasn’t been unicorns and roses. I’ve wanted to quit more times than I can count. Then I remember my heroes. Among them, Seth Godin, who’s blogged for over 20 years. And I go back to it.

No matter what, I always return to writing and my blog. It’s my longest project and my proudest.

And I can finally call myself a writer, thanks to my blog.

You can find my best ideas packed in short and practical books. Find them here.