Well, 2025 is coming to an end, so I would like to give programmers a bit of advice for 2026.
- The AI bubble is bursting. Quit coding with AI and get your skill back and actually learn and understand what you're doing instead of half-assing your work. (The amount of extremely poorly "written" AI generated code by first time programmers that I've seen this year is actually insane. Let's hope that 2026 will be less of that. I have hope y'all.)
- Stop saying your code is "good enough"; try perfectionism instead! Think about why your code is the way it is and if you can do it better, and then apply it retroactively in your older code as well.
- Consider contributing more to open source projects; find something in a library/program that you don't like? Fix it yourself and submit it as a PR! (Take your time to do it right - seriously, nobody's rushing you on this.) Additionally, file a well documented issue and ask how you can help to fix it. (Optionally, open source projects are underfunded - consider donating to projects you rely on.)
- Being versatile in multiple programming languages and subject domains is *extremely* valuable. See also the above point. Try new things, read documentation, read source code, learn a thing or two.
Okay bye 