𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 — 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦-𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦: 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

This is what really sets you apart as a software developer: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

And comments. A lot of comments. Humans know it's not a good practice and try not to write them. AI generates comments explosion. Like c = a+b // adds a and b and stores in c

Hey, you! Stop for a moment!

Are you okay?

Really, I find it that this question helps me to monitor my mental health, and everyday state of mind. It is crucial in our busy modern world.

So here is your reminder: are you okay? Do you need something?

Show some love to yourself

AI is a game-changer if you are experienced by yourself.

There are few examples of SEs building truly fascinating solutions.

They do have a common denominator: they treat AI like another tool for engineering.

Here is their best practices. Care to add more?

🛠️ If you don’t know how to build without AI, you probably shouldn’t build with it.

AI is great at:
Teaching you how code works
Explaining concepts better than humans

It’s not a substitute for real engineering skills. Build understanding first - then build with AI.
#AI

Can I ask what project did you work on? What as it something front-end related?

Wait, did you writet this response with AI? Lol

It finally clicked for me why experienced software engineers and architects aren't hyped about AI coding tools: they don't write Hello World programs anymore. They literally can't get AI to help them even if they tried.

Software systems have infinite vulnerabilities, and with countless hackers looking for a quick profit, sensitive data is always at risk. I have learned this participating in and preparing for the the CTF challenge.
So be safe everyone!
#CyberSecurity

"Amateurs hack systems; professionals hack people." - Bruce Schneier

You would ask:
Who would target me?

Answer:
Any opportunistic hacker.

Will your app withstand an attack?
Will your bank's app withstand one too?

Learn cybersecurity. It's worth it!

But sometimes, to learn something, you don’t need to get everything right. Breaking things is a great way to learn too.

#CTF #Git

At first, all of these tasks took me hours to get right.

Turns out, what was my past failure became my present asset.

But hey! I learned something new from pros: since Git is essentially a database, you can dump all of its contents into a single file using a simple batch script

And I was right. About every single one of them. (I was very impressed with myself.)

How did I know?

I messed up so many times: accidentally deleting branches and restoring them, resolving nightmare conflicts, juggling multiple branches without committing to the right one.

I am proud of my failures!

I visited AtHackCTF - a 27-hour hacking competition.

One of the challenges required finding five specific strings hidden somewhere in a Git repo. The moment I saw the task, I knew exactly where to look: deleted branches, dangling commits, stash…

One of the wildest challenges?
📂 Given: A PNG file
🎵 Hidden: Two audio files in its metadata
🔍 Clue: One file contained hints, the other - random noise
📊 Trick: The hints led to drawing a spectrogram—revealing the flag!
Okay, maybe this one wasn’t exactly security-related, but it was mind-blowing!

@athackctf was all about solving hacking challenges—a mix of fun, competition, and meeting incredible people. From forming a team with diverse backgrounds to tackling challenges together, it was a perfect way to grow while having fun.

Additionally, I know that security is essential for a software developer, and I wanted to dive into it. But where do you find the mental energy for even more focused learning?

Simple: learn through play.

If you're tired of endless learning, maybe it's time to learn how to make learning fun.

That’s exactly why I joined a 30-hour Hackathon CTF.

I already learn every day—at work, in my Master’s program, and with a team of VR enthusiasts on a side project.

Yeah, not Physics, it won't do it.

Our industry is flooded with AI-generated code & a lack of proper junior training. We need devs who can think critically, review code, and mentor others.

If not game jams, how do you keep yourself challenged?

Maybe it’s time to join a game jam?

I did, and here’s what I realized: If you don’t challenge yourself, you’ll forget what you once knew.
I work with Unity 3D/VR. But making a 2D game? Had me spinning my wheels - literally. Hours of debugging only to realize: Physics2D exists

Had it as a hobby when I was a teen. Fell in love when I tried to make a VR game

In tech, change isn’t optional—it’s survival 🔥.

Like in any other craft, good developers, expand and master their tools: refining basics 🔄, learning creatively, and evaluating relevance.

Here are a few things you can do to ensure smooth development 👇

4/ That’s why I’m preparing for a security-focused hackathon next year and the Global Game Jam—the biggest game jam in the world—in just a month. These events combine learning, collaboration, and fun, and I couldn’t be more excited to take part!

3/ I’ve explored many ways to make programming fun. My top three? Participating in hackathons, diving into game jams, and writing mods for my favorite games. These activities challenge me, spark creativity, and add a sense of adventure to my work.

2/ Fun keeps me engaged, motivated, and creative. Without it, coding feels like a chore. Creativity especially thrives on fun—it’s hard to innovate when you’re stressed. For me, making time for fun isn’t optional; it’s a key part of staying inspired and doing great work.

1/ Programming tasks often swing between extremes: repetitive and boring or overwhelmingly difficult. Both can drain you emotionally and mentally, making it hard to stay motivated. That’s why I’ve learned that fun isn’t just a bonus—it’s essential for thriving as a programmer.

If programming is not fun then you are doing something wrong.
Part of my mission as a developer: HAVE FUN!

Happy New year to you too! Let this year help us all strive professionally

Shout out to the most active .NET Foundation open source projects maintained by the .NET Community in 2024... @dotnetfdn #dotnet #opensource dnfprojects.org

4/ Someone once said, “Code is like a joke—if you have to explain it, it’s bad.” That’s the standard I hold myself to. My aim is to write code that’s clear, intuitive, and self-explanatory. Because when your code speaks for itself, your team works faster and better.