5 Things Every New Coder Should Watch, Ask, Read, Do, and Pass On
07 Aug 2025 #codingWhile curating this week’s Friday Links email, I found out about Dense Discovery and got inspired.
That newsletter features a section called Worthy Five where a subscriber shares 5 things worth watching, reading, asking…
So I’m stealing (like an artist) that idea, and tweaking it for new coders:
#1. A video worth watching.
Well, it’s more a lecture series. Watch Stanford CS106A on YouTube.
That’s an introductory course to programming. I watched all the lectures in the 2010s while learning to code. I loved the energy of the teacher and the exercises using video games to teach programming concepts.
Watch the first few lectures, you’ll love it.
#2. A question worth asking.
Ask what you want out of your career.
I jumped from job to job without any plan until I got bored or fired. At the end, I burned out after trying to make a “good” job work for me. I never took the time to set an intention for my career.
Come up with a career plan or goal. Remember you can always change it.
#3. A book worth reading.
OK, let me give you two.
First, Clean Coder. I enjoyed this one more than Clean Code. Clean Coder isn’t about writing code, but about being a professional developer. It covers professionalism, unit testing, and estimates.
The other one? Code That Fits Into Your Head. This isn’t precisely a book on syntax, but rather one about programming practices. Its main point? Write code in such a way you can keep its details in your head.
If you don’t know which one to pick first, go with Clean Coder.
#4. An activity worth doing
Write!
I’m biased here. I love writing. But, seriously, write anywhere online. To put your thoughts on paper. To document your learning.
Writing opens doors you can’t even imagine. For example, my blog has done more than a portfolio.
If you don’t know how to start, write TIL posts.
#5. A piece of advice worth passing on
Back at my first job, a coworker gave me this piece of advice:
Imagine you only make half of your salary, save and invest the other half.
Probably the best piece of advice I’ve received for free. Here are another two I never asked. That one helped me survive a layoff. Definitely worth passing on.