A retrospective essay on the author's decade-long journey teaching themselves programming starting in 2012, emphasizing that mastery requires patience, consistent daily effort, and the right mindset rather than shortcuts or innate talent. The author argues that talent is a meaningless concept and that learners should focus on improving specific actions while maintaining a beginner's mind free from self-judgment.
An essay exploring how AI and LLMs are reshaping the value of specialization versus breadth. The author argues that while traditional mastery requires deep, emotional commitment and iterative learning, AI now makes it more valuable to develop diverse skills across multiple domains rather than becoming an expert in a single field, as the combination of sub-optimal skills can create unique opportunities.