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.

Daring to Ask: Cold Emailing My Writing Heroes

16 Aug 2026 #experiments

“Ask and you shall receive,” Jesus said.

That’s what I did after reading Mark Thompson’s cold email challenge.

I reached out to four writers I admire and shared how they had inspired me. I also sent them a digital copy of 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life and asked for a review.

One wrote a LinkedIn post about it. His words pushed me to keep going. I don’t know if others will reply, but it was my boldest step in weeks.

My next dare: pitching some of my books to local libraries.

Who could you cold email and politely ask for something? Maybe you shall receive as well.

Why You Need a Hobby You'll Never Want to Quit

15 Aug 2026 #wellness

Yesterday, I found a comeback post after a 14-year pause.

14 years! OK, I didn’t read the full post. Maybe the author explained why.

But it made me think of my burnout story: Work burnout made me stop exercising, eating well, and writing. It only made everything worse.

The cure was simple: do something I love every day. Resurrecting my blog was part of the recovery. It gave me a reason to get out of bed. That’s why I keep writing.

Have a hobby that keeps you alive. Writing, running, painting, taking photos, dancing, playing the guitar, or whatever makes you lost track of time. If you ever hit rock-bottom, going back to it can save you.

I shared more ideas that helped me recover from burnout in 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life

Friday Links: Meeting recordings leaked, Alzheimer's, and phone use

14 Aug 2026 #mondaylinks

Hey there.

Here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:

#1. Too Long; Didn’t View, the AI meeting notetaker, left over 100K meetings in the open. Here’s the full disclosure (8min). Someone who vibe-coded an app forgot to harden it.

#2. Just in case, AI finally takes over our jobs… Taxi drivers rarely die of Alzheimer’s (7min).

#3. Need a rule to reduce your phone use? Don’t use it while you poop (3min).

#4. Want to become a thought leader on LinkedIn? Here’s the LinkedIn CringeBot 3000. “Transform any topic into peak LinkedIn cringe.”

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And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about mentors and role models (2min) and my rule for reading translated books (2min).

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(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding Manifesto. A case against syntax obsession. Because real impact comes from skills outside your IDE.

Keep coding smart,

Cesar

10 Things to Upgrade Once You Have More Money

13 Aug 2026 #misc

I recently watched Codie Sanchez’s video on 10 upgrades to make once you have more money. It reminded me of a 10-idea list I wrote. Here it is.

1. Healthcare. No more ER waiting lines.
2. Shoes, mattress, and chair. No more back pain.
3. Diet and food. No more cheap fast foods.
4. Library. No more ebooks or pirated books.
5. Dedicated reading room. No more reading on the couch.
6. Air conditioning in common areas. No more heatwaves in summer.
7. Workspace. No more virtual backgrounds hiding mess in meetings.
8. Home workout equipment. No more waiting for machines at a gym.
9. Hire a virtual assistant. No more unpleasant tasks.
10. Accountant and financial advisor. No more taxes.

A Shortcut for Being Happy (Balance This Ratio)

12 Aug 2026 #wellness

My days feel different when I start with email, book sales, or social media.

Daniel Miessler wrote in Creativity vs Consumption:

If there’s one metric to watch for managing your happiness level, it’s Creativity vs Consumption.

After a 1-week detox, I learned screens don’t energize me, even when used for inspiration.

To put limits on my consumption time:

• I set a timer for 15 minutes to read blog aggregators and news
• I have an alarm to signal the end of my working day
• On most Sundays, I go analog

Daniel’s line reminds me of Derek Sivers: stop consuming for the rest of the year and start creating. Because we’re born to create. And the busiest minds are the happiest.

Writing is my favorite way to create and the one I recommend in 10 simple ideas that changed my life