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.
Yesterday, I shared 5 Ideas on growth and money. To build on that, here are 4 fresh ideas about content creation, monetization, and networking from last week:
#1. Run a $1/month club
Monetizing your content doesn’t have to be complicated.
If sales make you nervous, offer a simple $1/month membership. No fancy tiers. No paywalls. Just $1. Manuel Moreale made the concept popular. Now there’s a club of $1/month creators. That doesn’t sound that bad at all. Maybe I’ll join the club.
#2. Follow ROOTS
I follow POSSE, aka using your website as your content hub.
But last week I learned about ROOTS, Return Old Online Things to your own Site.
If you’ve guest posted or collaborated, archive those posts on your site. I have at least 4 or 5 posts that I could “root.”
#3. A 90-day note
Losing my job has taught me the value of networking. Most job applications hide behind phone calls and recommendations.
If you wait until you lose your job to network, it’s too late. Why not keep in touch with colleagues and friends with a quarterly email? It’s like catching up at a party, but via email.
To unclutter my brain and take public notes, here are 5 interesting ideas I found last week:
#1. Workout using antagonistic supersets
Improving my health led me down a fitness rabbit hole. I found Dr. Michael Israetel and his YouTube channel.
Well, you don’t need to spend hours every day at the gym.
Most gym time is wasted checking your phone or waiting for machines. Two to three full-body workout sessions per week are enough to be healthy. In just 20 minutes, you can work out every major muscle group by alternating two unrelated muscle groups with minimal rest between sets.
If you’re a creator, freelancer, or “side-gigger,” instead of constantly hustling, aim to work for 2-3 hours, but daily. Short sessions force you to focus and achieve more.
#4. Entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be complicated
You don’t need to worry about creating a business entity, the hustle culture, or complicated systems. Entrepreneurship is way simpler. It’s helping!
#5. Be more valuable to make more money
In Purpose and Profit, Dan Koe shares that, to make money, you have to be helpful to others since nobody will give you money in exchange for nothing. To earn more, make others value you more, solve bigger problems, or help more people.
Here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. The internet is dead. It doesn’t seem to be a theory anymore (2min). Reddit, LinkedIn, GitHub…AI-generated slop is everywhere. Even bots interviewing bots.
#4. When was the last time you finished a book? I’m replacing social media with books. But with plenty of distractions, it seems nobody finishes books anymore (14min). That’s a challenge for authors and educators.
Years ago, I thought entrepreneurship was nothing but risk.
I once thought running a business was crazy: registering a company, hiring employees, waiting for clients to pay… Being an employee was better. A monthly paycheck was safer. I couldn’t have been more wrong! I was young and naive. I had to be fired only once to change my mind.
Recently, to debunk all myths about entrepreneurship, I’ve stumbled upon two simple definitions—I’m paraphrasing them to practice the 7-word summary:
#1. Solving problems
From Purpose and Profit by Dan Koe, entrepreneurship is solving your own problems and distributing your solutions to others.
You don’t need to stare at the ceiling waiting for the perfect idea. If you have solved one of your own problems (losing weight or overcoming burnout, for example), you can share what you did and make some profit.
#2. Making extra money
Recently, during my feed-free week, I picked up Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier. Apart from early-retirement tactics, his definition of entrepreneurship resonated. He says entrepreneurship is simply finding other income sources.
You don’t need the LLC, employees, or fancy systems from a business coach, but to make money on the side. As simple as that. Of course, he advocates investing that extra money so you can retire before your 60s.
With those two definitions, entrepreneurship feels less intimidating. Maybe you’re already an entrepreneur without realizing it.
I’ve had only one job that fit all the definitions of a toxic place. Inexperienced management, competing deadlines, scope creep… To cope with the 9-5, I hung out with coworkers, worked out, and engaged in hobbies. That kept me sane. But it wasn’t the job that burned me out. It taught me enough lessons for a book.
The way to the exit door was clear. When the pain is real. So is the urge to leave.
The job that burned me out
A few years later, I landed my best job.
I was working from home, learning new subjects, and making a good salary. It wasn’t Silicon Valley, but it was where most coders wanted to be. It turned out more painful than my “worst” job.
Everything was good until the honeymoon ended. Another project doing the same tasks. No new roles for me. All seats were already taken. Same grind, same story.
This time, the way out wasn’t that clear. Updating a CV to play the hiring game made staying seem tolerable. “The pay is good.”“I don’t work overtime.”“I’ll wait until I finish this project.” Meanwhile, hiring trends were tougher and tougher each year.
The next thing I knew, I was rushing to the bathroom. It wasn’t to throw up, but I’ll spare the details.
My job became a burden. I rushed to finish my daily tasks and skipped my meals. Painful mistake! That brought stomach issues. When I least expected it, I was sick and burned out. The way down was slow. But the way up was more painful and slower.
Lesson: If it makes you sick, you don’t need more signs to leave.
My most painful and expensive career mistake
Not having a career plan was my biggest, most painful, and expensive mistake.
I didn’t stop to think what I wanted out of my career. Money, title, connections, challenge? Maybe my only plan was to gain experience and make some money. Whatever that meant for my past self.
Lesson: Choose wisely. Or wait to leave when sick, bored, fired, or burned out.
A plan or intention would have made me move out and saved me a lot of pain. But like a frog in a pot, the water wasn’t boiling, it was slowly heating up. By the time I noticed the exit sign, the damage was already done.
