Huffman Coding Explained: Build a File Compression Program in C
If you want a project that truly improves your programming skills, building a Huffman compression program in C is one of the best challenges you can take on. Huffman coding is a data compression algorithm that reduces file size by assigning shorter bit sequences to frequently used characters and longer sequences to rare characters. The…
4 Criteria for an Awesome Coding Project
If you ask the internet, “How do I learn to code?” you usually get the same advice. Just build something. So you build a calculator. Or a weather app. Or a to do list. But after you finish, you feel like this person who says, “I can’t understand and can’t do anything on my own.”…
How Senior Devs Organize Their C Projects
From Amateur to Pro: 3 Layers of Separation for Your Codebase Does your project directory look like a flat pile of files? You know the look: logic, headers, tests, and binaries all fighting for space in one folder. In a university project, this is fine. But in a professional environment, this is called Source Pollution.…
How to Fix “Permission Denied (Publickey)” When Cloning from GitHub
Whenever you’re using a new tool or system, the hardest part is getting things set up — especially when it comes to coding. Git and GitHub are incredibly powerful tools for software developers, but they can be a bit tricky in the beginning. I remember when I started at my first company, I was told…
How to Break Free From Coding Tutorial Dependency
A lot of people who apply to my one-on-one mentoring program tell me that they feel stuck.They watch all these tutorials, copy the code, and even build tutorial-based projects.But when it comes time to build something on their own, they don’t know where to start — or they feel overwhelmed. They want to break free…
Don’t Fear the Terminal: Simple Commands Every New Coder Should Learn
In my very first coding class, we were taught how to use the terminal to write, compile, and run all of our code. At the time, it felt unnecessary. Why bother with something that looks so old and clunky? But when I started my first real software job, I realized that terminal is everywhere. I…
Why I Stopped Using Printf to Debug My Code!
I remember back in university, our professor introduced us to a debugger for C called GDB. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. It seemed like a powerful tool, but also way too intimidating. Setting it up felt complicated, and how it worked just seemed mystical. So, I stuck with what I knew:…
Git Reset vs Revert vs Rebase — Fix Your Mistakes the Right Way
Learning Git basics like git add, commit, and push is great — but what happens when things go wrong? What if you commit buggy code, or push something to the remote repo that shouldn’t be there? In my latest Git tutorial video, I walk through how to fix common mistakes with three powerful commands: git…
How To Break Down a Coding Problem Like a Pro
If you’re a beginner coder, you might think that mastering 10 programming languages or frameworks is what separates you from professional developers. But the truth is much simpler: it’s the ability to break down coding problems into clear, manageable steps that you can actually solve. In today’s world with AI writing code, what really matters…