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.

Friday Links: AI, productivity, and Brook's law

30 Oct 2026 #mondaylinks

Hey there. Before today’s links, a quick victory and a small announcement.

Victory: This week, Street-Smart Coding turned 1 year old.

One year ago, it felt like a distant goal. Today, over 90 devs are coding smarter. You’ve probably started getting these emails after grabbing your copy.

If you’ve read the book, I’d appreciate a quick review on Gumroad, Amazon, or Goodreads. That’d help more devs code smartly.

Maybe it’s time to start thinking about a new edition.

Announcement: After 1 year, Street-Smart Coding became a 4-part series.

I’m working on the third book. A short and actionable guide to help you leverage AI without becoming dependent on it. I’m calling it: Street-Smart Coding in the Age of AI. You can preorder your copy starting at just $1.

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As usual, here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:

#1. In the age of AI, it’s time to revisit Brook’s law (3min).

#2. Just this week, I spent more hours testing an AI-generated feature for a client. I complained for a while. But software may be getting worse, but it used to be horrible (14min).

#3. Like any other tech breakthrough, AI promised less work, but we’re working more (8min).

#4. It’s hard to avoid reading about AI (OK, I’m guilty. I just realized all 4 links are about AI), but you don’t need to use AI (3min).

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And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about gratitude toward the people who’ve helped you in your career (2min).

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(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Preorder your copy of Street-Smart Coding in the Age of AI. A short and actionable guide to leverage AI without losing your skills.

See you next time,

Cesar

Take Some Time to Celebrate Your Wins (Especially The Small Ones)

29 Oct 2026 #misc

Yesterday, Street-Smart Coding, my first book, turned one year.

It isn’t a New York Times best-seller… yet?
It doesn’t pay my rent… yet?
It’s just another tiny piece of content filling the Internet ether.
But it’s a big small win for me.

That’s why I broke my weekly routine and went out to eat a slice of pizza or two.
To make it more symbolic, I paid for it with the book sales.
By the way, I ate some salad and protein before, to control the glucose spikes.
Even I took some pictures to remember it.

Some say, happiness is about the journey, not the destination.
Just make sure to celebrate those small moments along it.

I’m doing nothing the rest of the day off to keep celebrating.

If you’re curious, you’ll find Street-Smart Coding and the rest of my books here.

Today I'm Lighting One Candle For Street-Smart Coding, My First Book

28 Oct 2026 #coding #bookwriting

One year ago, writing a book felt like a distant goal.

Today, Street-Smart Coding turns 1 year old.
It’s the book I wish I had when starting out as a coder.
A roadmap with 30 lessons to build skills that last a career.
From the most conventional to the most unexpected.

I wrote it for my younger self Googling “how to get better at coding.”

Street-Smart Coding became a book series

After one year, Street-Smart Coding became the second book in a 4-part series.

I wrote a prequel, Street-Smart Coding Manifesto, and I’m working on a sequel, Street-Smart Coding in the Age of AI.
I already have plans for a final career guide.

Those four will be my attempt to pass on everything I’ve learned about coding, and nobody taught me.

What I would do differently

Street-Smart Coding made me learn to write a book the hard way.

I missed some steps writing it.
And, of course, today I’d do a couple of things differently:

1. I’d write a shorter introduction.
2. I’d rewrite Chapter 1 to make it timeless. The principle is there: find your own answers. But I framed it using Google, which is not as relevant in these days of AI as it was years ago.
3. I’d start writing it backwards.

Writing a book taught me a whole lot about writing, publishing, and marketing.
But more importantly, it gave me the confidence to call myself a writer.

Some random numbers

Unless you write a New York Times best-seller, you won’t live off a single book.

But if someone outside your circle buys your books, it’s already a success.
Street-Smart Coding is a huge success.

In the last year, it’s sold 92 ebook copies via Gumroad, and 9 Kindle and 2 paperback copies via Amazon.
It passed 100 copies in its first year.

Apart from sales, it earned me my first hater.
Someone called me “b*tch” for promoting it.
And it helped me define my category of one.
Someone called me the “Street-Smart Coding guy” in a comment.
Since then, I’ve made it my bio everywhere online.

Apart from my daily blog, Street-Smart Coding is the project I’m the most proud of.

One year later, I’d still recommend it to my younger self. If you want to code smarter and build real-world skills that last a career, grab your copy of Street-Smart Coding today.

Five Random Ideas on Coding I Shared On Social Media In Past Weeks

27 Oct 2026 #coding

Commenting might be the ultimate growth hack on social media for some.

For me, it feels unproductive and time-consuming. I still comment from time to time. And to avoid make it a waste of time, here are 5 random comments I shared on social media in recent weeks:

#0. Change is part of the job description of software engineering. Decades ago, we were punching cards. Years ago, we were writing every single line of code by hand. Well, not anymore. Change is probably the most exciting and challenging part of being a coder. Ride all the waves that come along.

#1. Clean Code isn’t the book everyone should read. The best in the Clean series and the book everyone should read is: Clean Coder. Clean Code turned me into a maniac of lines of code, a police offer looking for infractions. But nobody told me how to actually become a professional. The closest book was: Clean Coder.

#2. With AI, languages and syntax isn’t the edge anymore. Well, the real edge has always been ownership, communication, and collaboration.

#3. The real job is to solve problems, not to write code. Every time I share that end users don’t care about code, I get virtual stones. But interestingly enough, I’ve never heard a single client or end user asking to see the source code of the tools we build for them.

#4. It’s completely fine if you don’t know about everything. Full-stack? Full-stack who understands DevOps? Full-stack who understands agentic coding and is able to define the product they’re building.

Truth is, both generalists and specialists are needed. And we can’t pretend everyone should thrive on every mode. From Range by David Epstein: The world needs both frogs (deep-focused specialists) and birds (“above the trees” generalists who can see the bigger picture).

If any of these ideas resonates, you’re going to like Street-Smart Coding Manifesto. A case against syntax obsession to stand out as a coder.

How to Start Writing Your First Book (Don't Start On Page 1)

27 Oct 2026 #writing #bookwriting

Don’t start writing a book by writing a book.

It’s tempting to start your book by creating a new Google Docs and throwing words into a page. You’ll doubt every step in the process.

Start by writing about your book subject months or years in advance:

1. You’ll validate your ideas even before they become your table of content.
2. You’ll grow an audience to sell your book to.

After writing Street-Smart Coding, my first coding book, I write almost all my books backwards. That’s what I learned from a book experiment I ran earlier this year when I wrote 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life And Could Change Yours Too.

I start by validating ideas as posts, emails, or social media posts.

The top performing ideas will eventually become book chapters, and the ones with less performance become supporting ideas.

Once I have enough validated ideas, I come up with a book promise, title, subtitle, 1-line summary, an outline, and Amazon sales page. It sounds counterintuitive, but it forces you to clarify your messaging and packing it.

Your book will be your best ideas presented in a new format. Your real job is to become a DJ of your own ideas.

And if writing a 100-page book sounds intimidating, aim for a mini-book: a short, focused book a read could finish in a sitting that solves one problem.

If you’re curious, you’ll find my books here. Short and actionable books on coding and personal growth.