16 Aug 2025 #coding
The other day, I shared my story of how I met my first computer on dev.to. It resonated with at least a dozen people. From the 1 KB RAM computer story to the grassy hill wallpaper of Windows XP.
All comments had something in common: Seeing a computer for the first time was like a magical moment. For many, changing letters on a screen felt magical 10 or 20 years ago.
Most of us ended up choosing programming because of the mystery and magic of seeing computers for the first time.
Maybe my first encounter with a computer wasn’t that magical. I didn’t know then I’d work with with computers. But I narrowed down all my options until a computer-related one was left. I owe it to my STEM classes and having a computer at home, a luxury for universities and big firms back then.
These days, computers are everyday tools we barely notice. That magic has faded away.
15 Aug 2025 #mondaylinks
Hey there.
Here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. One senior developer failed at a live coding interview session. Funny enough, once the interview was over, he solved the exercise. Arrggg! He wrote a breakdown of why live coding sucks (9min).
#2. Here are 50 bits of career advice (12min). Bit#26 is what I call “my code is not my baby.”
#3. It’s interesting to notice how coding has changed over the years. Coding a spellchecker used to be a huge challenge (3min). These days we have plenty of memory, we don’t really care anymore.
#4. This is a coder vs huge corporation story. He wrote a piece of code that a major AI corporation uses. But they rejected him when he applied to work there. He gave AI arms and legs, then it rejected him (7min).
And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about the one lesson I wish I’d known when I started coding (2min) and some C# extension methods I stole from Reddit (3min).
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Check my Gumroad store to access free and premium books and courses to level up your coding skills and grow your software engineering career.
Coming soon: the “C# Fundamentals Bundle,” all of my beginner-friendly C# video courses to help you master the language from the ground up. Launching in just a few weeks, so stay tuned!
See you next time,
Cesar
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14 Aug 2025 #misc
Today, Derek Siddoway’s LinkedIn post deeply resonated.
He wrote that he didn’t work out or sleep early. He shared a honest “didn’t do” list with unhealthy entries: burger for lunch and two cans of Mountain Drew. But he managed to find time to write.
I’ve had a busy week too. I’ve missed my daily practice. I haven’t worked out. And I’ve barely kept my daily streak intact. But like Derek, I found time for one thing that made my days matter: I supported my family when they needed me… and hit Publish.
Imperfect days happen. Ride the tide. One action could turn an imperfect day into a good one. Tomorrow is always new. That’s what I’m learning to do.
13 Aug 2025 #coding
A Redditor recently asked for tips to become a better programmer here. The kind of tips we wish we had known when we started coding.
I’ve been taking a few courses here and there for c# as a side language I’m learning. Curious if you know something I don’t and have tips for making other newcomers a better programmer… Lmk what you wish you could have learned earlier thst would of helped you progress faster!
I already wrote about four career lessons I wish I had known here. But there’s a coding lesson before those four.
You’re not going to like it, but:
Don’t obsess over syntax and programming languages.
Coding isn’t about learning every feature of a language.
You don’t need a huge list of tools to start. With HTML/CSS/JavaScript, one backend language, and a good amount of SQL, you have enough to make your way through the coding world.
You could learn the rest by doing and Googling.
More important than syntax and languages is product thinking.
Instead of obsessing with the best language features, think in terms of the product you’re building.
Ask the questions most coders wouldn’t dare (or care) to ask:
- Are we building what users really need?
- How will they use our product?
- How many users will we have?
- How much are we charging?
Ask about marketing, sales, or anything beyond coding. Get interested in the business behind the code you’re writing.
That attitude will make you stand out in any team. It will save you from building the wrong features or optimizing for a scale you won’t have.
Product thinking will open doors to climb the corporate ladder faster.
There’s more to coding than typing symbols on text files.
After 10+ years, I’ve learned that the more senior you become, the less it’s about syntax and the more it’s about how you collaborate, communicate, and solve business problems.
I wish someone had told me that earlier. As a junior coder, I obsessed over learning languages and ignored other valuable skills: product thinking, teamwork, and clear communication.
And that’s why I wrote Street-Smart Coding: 30 Ways to Get Better at Coding, the guide to the lessons I wish I’d known from day one.
Grab your copy of Street-Smart Coding here.
12 Aug 2025 #misc
According to fortune.com, Starbucks in South Korea has forbidden their clients to bring desktop computers, printers, and “bulky items.”
After the COVID crisis, Starbucks isn’t just a place for coffee in South Korea, but for cheap coworking spaces.
It reminded me of a lesson from The Boron Letters. That’s a series of letters (turned into a book) he legendary copywriter Gary Halbert wrote to his son from prison. He taught that, to sell more hamburgers, you don’t need the best recipe or location, but a starving crowd.
Starbucks has a starving crowd. Their starving crowd is asking them not only for coffee but for something else. It’s time to pivot, not to forbid that starving crowd to be hungry.