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.
This last 100 posts felt like crossing the final line in a marathon, without realizing how you got there.
It was just one foot in front of the other—or one post after the other.
My daily writing started in Nov 1st, 2024.
I was recovering from burnout and writing was my way of bringing joy back to my life.
I knew writing would take me somewhere else.
And I was right.
It’s one of the habits has changed my life.
If any of my posts has inspired you or taught you anything, and you want to support this blog, grab a copy of one of my books. You can pay what you want via Gumroad. They’re also available in Kindle and paperback formats via Amazon.
Here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. Do you remember the first lines of code you wrote? I do! It was in school using QBASIC. Here are 10 lines of code that shaped a career (6min). Maybe you recognized some of them too.
#2. When AI handles almost everything, we lose touch with our systems (6min). Just like pilots, we should train for what the autopilot can’t and shouldn’t do.
(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.
#1. If it drains you, cut it out.
Screens, social media, doomscrolling, sales dashboards, anything with a number next to your name… Either it energizes you or it’s out.
Time in front of a screen is time away from real interactions and yourself.
#2. Stick to your baseline.
For over two days, my overthinking didn’t let me sleep.
I woke up with my heart racing and breathing fast, just like when you had a bad dream with a love one dying in an accident.
I had to go back to exercising, sitting in silence, journaling, and walking in nature to quiet my monkey brain.
Have a set of daily healthy habits that keeps you regulated—and stick to it like your life depends on it.
#3. If you work for it, you’ll have a perfect life. But it won’t be perfect all the time. Credits to my sister, when I opened up about my frustrations.
Struggling is always part of the journey.
#4. You get what you expect when you detach from the outcome.
The more you chase something, the more it gets further away.
It’s true for money, relationships, and pretty much anything else in life.
Do your part and surrender the outcome.
#5. “Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.”
From Ecclesiastes 4:6 (NLT).
Another proverb from one of the wisest man in history.
It came to my mind on a Monday evening when I was drinking a green smoothie and eating some olives at a cafe.
Only tourists and retirees were around—and me.
Better to find contentment in a boring but perfect Tuesday than in a meaningless pursuit just for the sake of money.
If someone recommends you a book you already read, it’s time to reread it.
Last week I asked a friend for a book when you want to slow down.
He’s the kind of guy who needs a separate truck for his books when moving out.
Of course, he had something for me.
He told me about the author he had in mind.
When we met, he returned one book I lend him and showed me his recommendation.
It was Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, a book I already had and read.
A perfect excuse to pick it up again.
