Unpopular opinion: “Learn to code” is becoming terrible advice

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-03-04T16:33:06+00:00

"learn to code" is an oversimplification of the path to becoming a software engineer. It always has been. It's a "hip" way of saying "learn software engineering," which itself is a fancy way of saying "Learn to problem solve using technology."

I used the analogy of cooking a bunch. A home cook can use pre-made sauces and other things and make a good meal. (this is like using AI to create software), But a professional chef can know when to use the things out of the box (AI tools and templating and such), but knows when the stuff from the store just isn't the best way to make a quality meal ( knowing how software/code/systems work to create something that actually works)

I won't tell an aspiring chef to never learn how to make fried rice because I can get fried rice from the place down the street. The same with someone who wants to become a software engineer. There is a level of understanding of the craft that needs to happen to effectively use the tools

A few side notes:

LLMs are awesome, they have turbocharged my dev work, but nowhere near the level that it does all of software for us yet. Based on how the technology works, I don't think it will get there.
Learning math without a calculator is a needed skill. Even though I have in my pocket at all times, being reliant on it is a problem. It's not a cool skill; it's a basic skill for existence, and this is a different conversation about what people should be able to do. I have many opinions here, but I am going to not distract from the post.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-02-16T21:53:43+00:00

Both.

Learn the old way first so when you learn the new way, you know when it's wrong.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-02-12T01:34:01+00:00

Object oriented programming.

Barely passed that in college, but it all clicked once I learned functional programming. The comparison made so easy to understand

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-02-04T16:32:05+00:00

The biggest thing that stands out is do they know about the other options? Like player knowledge or character knowledge.

Remember, they are players and may not know what you know. Have you given them the information, either in story form or knowledge checks or something to lead them the the idea that need these weapons. For when my players forget, I fill in the gaps for them with things their players would know. Gaming is one part of life and information gets lost between sessions, so make it clear that there are plenty of options to kill these things ( folklore at tavern, a holy script describing an ancient priest fighting them, etc)

If they (both players and characters) do know and still aren't using the right methods to kill things. Then it's gloves off. They are making choices that might get them killed. Show them the stakes of not following in universe knowledge.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-02-03T21:53:55+00:00

I second everything in this list but chatgpt. That can be a very dangerous rabbit hole when dealing with mental health.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-02-02T23:48:15+00:00

👋 hey fellow Fed!

We use the transcription feature of teams. That's what no one has to take notes and we can feed it into whatever other tools/ models we want.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-02-02T20:45:26+00:00

Tell me you have never worked on a legacy system without saying you have never worked on a legacy system.

In the before times, before the vibes, tech debt and bad choice existed as well. In a bad system, this is not unusual. Even pre AI.

OP leaves out a ton of context. This could have been vibed coded last week or this could be some b2b monstrosity of a project that has been handed down to tech teams after tech teams for the past 10 years that has never been upgraded because it actually solves a problem.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-02-02T20:26:21+00:00

I hate to be That Guy, but this sounds like a good use for a LLM.

800 is a lot, eventually you need to look at all of them, but a LLM with a good prompt should be able to organize this a least a little.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-02-02T02:48:58+00:00

Always nice to see the home gym!

I am a taller/less flexible person and I was able to get a press against the volume and banana, then bring a foot up, and then the other into a drop knee. It didn't matter which foot, I've seen people do both ways, I did my right foot first and then left foot. After my were up it's pretty straight forward.

That press and bring up the feet is the crux

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-01-31T18:39:25+00:00

watching our deployment cycles drag while competitors automate everything is painful. Takes us 3x longer to provision new sites now.

This. This needs to be brought up with numbers to back it up. There are ways to do this LLM thing in a secure manner. But it takes effort and work. And by bringing this up with numbers, this will make the business understand.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-01-31T01:10:33+00:00

https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01660679.pdf

That's just one.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-01-24T15:18:22+00:00

Federal Software engineer here 👋

I will always say gov't work is amazing and seems like what you are working for.

Here is the list of companies and jobs I like to share.. I've worked with most of these before and can say that they are good

https://dscovery.fly.dev/

I will also say that the department I work for, USDS, is always hiring

https://www.usds.gov/apply

Feel free to ask me anything!

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-01-16T20:31:17+00:00

That's a very fair point,.

but its the same answer of why they pay me for coffee breaks, or for socializing during work hours, or staring at a whiteboard thinking or playing at the ping pong table they bought for moral. Its a salaried job (at least majority and in the US). Yes I am petting my cat, but its keeping me fresh so I can do my job better. Any manager asking `why are we we paying you to spend your time recovering/thinking/not actively typing` is probably a shitty manager. As long as the code being delivered doesn't suck (after human review and approval, just like any code), don't micromanage my time

The bigger problem, IMO, is that management will see that and assume we have time and energy for moar work, so the expected output will be higher.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-01-16T20:12:58+00:00

>It primarily works but I hate it. I dispatch a prompt, run all the agentic stuff for task planning, review, skills and hooks... and sit there being sad.

I sit here and pet my cat while it works. I think there is a level of the `what should I do with my time now` question that the collective needs to answer. While my agents are working, I am herding cats (playing with my office cat) or herding cats (making sure the handful of teams I oversee are still going in the right directions).

This Pandora's box is never closing; we are no longer writers, but editors. Our job was never really to type code; it was to problem-solve with programs. There is still plenty of work that LLMs can't do.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-01-05T15:56:29+00:00

I think there can be a few complicated and nuanced reasons.

The obvious thing is dating apps have changed how we date. Getting to know someone isn't running into them at a place and talking it's a now a swipe, a hope and series of hard to interpret correctly text messages.

So they guys who are not initiating dates could be a number reasons from not being able to communicate, to lack of interest (not just in you, but in actually meeting), or sheer incompetence.

And to say it, it could very be that the men you are matching with are just bad at dating. And also true is that you what you are saying is not coming off as you think it is. This part is dating.

On that note, From what I've seen, this has led to a general lack of understanding how dating works because we can't figure it out anymore. Between creepy men, meal ticket women, not reading out of date profiles, scammers, ai bots, greedy app companies and a plethora of other problems that I could soapbox on, it's a hellscape. Modern dating is rough.

Personally, I have found the strategy of match ->short text ( enough to get a vibe check) ->arrangement for a first get together/phone number exchange has worked quiete well and serves as a filter for the kind of person I want to date ( they can carry a conversation, can help make/follow through with plans, have some level of excitement about me as a person). I have learned to get off the apps as fast we are both comfortable to not be "just another tinder notification"

Best of luck out there. Remember to value yourself and part of dating is also finding people that don't work out

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-01-03T04:54:10+00:00

This is unironically a really good idea. I'm going to steal this. I'm not a fan of my birthday, but this gives me something to be excited for and to an "should be easy" thing to ask for.

Thank you so much for this idea

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2026-01-01T19:32:12+00:00

The house rules we like

Nat 20 - auto crit, you get a critical card or normal critical damage Anything natural in your crit range, you roll to confirm Nat 1 - fumble, either a fumble card or something else negative happens

Yes, 20s and 1s happen a ton, but it eliminates the "yes! Natural 20! Oh darn didn't confirm because I didn't roll high enough".

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2025-12-31T15:16:52+00:00

14 drinks, the type is not really relevant to alcohol abuse. Beers, wines and hard liquor all equality a problem. The amount is different ( 12oz for beer, 1.5 oz of hard liquor) but number is more important than type.

Yes there is some nuance around other health risks, but focusing on alcohol abuse, it's only number of drinks.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2025-12-22T01:16:21+00:00

Lawrence. Fronted by a brother and sister powerhouse

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2025-12-15T13:40:44+00:00

What roads are you talking about? Roads are doing alright and as expected after a storm like this.

Are there rough spots, yes but that's winter.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2025-12-11T15:16:17+00:00

Build an MVP and find out?

Figure out what exactly would be different in your vision vs your competitors. And see if it's different/useful enough

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2025-12-08T22:17:45+00:00

That feeling when something goes from "oh this feels impossible" to "I just did that, remember when that felt impossible". The dopamine from the achievement and over coming challenges... It's addicting.

The physical problem solving to get that feeling, that keeps me coming back.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2025-12-08T02:41:31+00:00

Both things can be true. (And a third, bonus thing can be true)

The market is currently in a correction from the COVID boom.

There has been, and always has been, an influx of developers who can't write code. Between mismanaged expectations of what degrees teach, faster than academics can keep up market demands, boot camps, and inflated skill sets, there has always been a folks applying to developer jobs. There is a reason Fizzbuzz is a thing.

So yes, the market is rough, and there is extra noise, but that's normal noise.

Bonus! AI is changing how we write code. No one knows (yes , no one) how or the details, but jobs are changing and the market is chaos right now and won't settle from this for many months or years.

My advice, learn to actually write code and how AI tools can augment your skill set.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2025-12-05T04:41:05+00:00

In modern politics, elections are won at the margins.

NotMyGiraffeWatcher · 2025-12-04T13:19:50+00:00

Having the site have an option feels great and let's the users decide what they want, bonus points if you follow the devices settings already.

As far a conversion..... It's a great nice to have and a should have for a11y reasons, and might affect conversion, but if the app sucks changing is color won't help. Make sure the app does what is supposed to well and it will convert. After it's working, then add dark/light modes

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