software-engineering

A practical comparison of vibe coding and spec-driven development — when to flow freely with AI, when to nail down specs first, and how to combine both without losing your mind.

Every software project exists to solve a real-world problem. But developers aren't domain experts — and that gap is exactly why you need someone who is, sitting with you from day one through delivery.

Coding is just one tool in a developer's toolkit. The real job is solving problems — and that means adapting to any tech stack, understanding the business, and thinking beyond syntax.

Companies are cutting junior roles and investing in AI, but they're destroying the pipeline that creates senior engineers. Why this 'structural collapse' threatens the entire tech industry by 2030.

A practical guide to writing unit tests that help rather than hinder. Learn the AAA pattern, isolation principles, naming conventions, and when to mock — with real code examples.

A personal reflection on my VNG fresher program in 2012 — the 6 months that taught me more real-world engineering than 4 years of university. From Windows to Linux, C# to Java, SQL Server to Redis.

Most developers start with a simple mental model: frontend does UI, backend does logic. But that binary thinking hides the real craft — the invisible layers, thoughtful defaults, and system-level decisions that separate functional code from great software.

A practical guide for junior developers on how to approach tasks in unfamiliar codebases and tech stacks — without freezing up, over-researching, or faking confidence.

Stop tutorial-hopping. The fastest way to grow as a junior developer is to learn while doing real work — solving actual problems, mastering your current tools, ignoring the hype, and shipping quality code.

Beyond the fear of AI replacing developers lies a deeper truth about professional gatekeeping, accountability, and what actually makes engineering valuable in the age of code generation.