Theory & Life Lessons
The thinking behind great software and great developers.
What is IT?
Everything is information. IT is about collecting, sending, processing, and storing it.
A post office for data
R02Web Architecture
Clients request, servers respond. Like a restaurant where you order and the kitchen prepares your meal.
Restaurant: customers order, kitchen prepares
R03Problem Solving
Understand before you build. Most software work is thinking, not typing.
Doctor: diagnose before prescribing
R04The 20/80 Rule
20% of knowledge covers 80% of real work. Focus on what matters most.
5 cooking techniques cover most dishes
R05Consistency Beats Passion
Daily practice beats bursts of inspiration. The marathon runner wins in the long run.
Marathon runner beats the sprinter
R06Path of Least Resistance
New tools get adopted when they are easier than the old way. Innovation flows like water.
Water flows downhill
R07Keep Things Super Simple
Simple solutions beat complex ones. A few basic tools beat a Swiss army knife for real work.
Toolbox beats Swiss army knife
R08Code Quality
Good code works, runs fast, and is easy to change. Three levels like a restaurant.
Restaurant: edible, delicious, smooth kitchen
R09How to Learn
Learning is exploring a map. First you do not know what you do not know.
Exploring an unknown map
R10KakkoiSchool Case Study
How this site is built: markdown lessons, a small Python build that emits HTML and markdown side by side, GitHub Actions for translation, GitHub Pages on school.kakkoi.dev.
Study the thing you use every day
R11Adaptability
The tech industry rewards those who embrace change. Fundamentals outlast frameworks.
Foundations outlast any single tool
R12Work-Life Balance
A career is a marathon. Sustainable pace beats chronic overwork.
You cannot sprint a marathon
R13Workplace Politics
Navigating office politics, protecting your work, and knowing when to leave.
Document, build alliances, stay focused
R14Communication & Teamwork
Technical skills get you hired. Communication skills get you promoted.
Brilliant code nobody understands is useless
R15Working with AI
AI is a force multiplier. Learn to work with it, not against it.
A robot assistant that read millions of books
R16Shipping is a Skill
Many can code, fewer can ship. Finishing and presenting work professionally is its own skill.
A finished project beats an impressive unfinished one
R17The Importance of English
English is the lingua franca of tech. Working mastery unlocks resources, communication, and career opportunities.
The common language of the global kitchen
R18Documentation is Your Best Friend
It is ok to not know everything. Your job is to fix problems. Use docs, Google, and AI without shame. Pride slows you down.
Even surgeons check the reference before operating
R19A Business Runs on Money
A business survives on money. Mission statements are a face, not the engine. Understand the why behind tickets to ship code that serves the business.
No money, no mission
R20Never Trust an AI
Frontier AI will blackmail and let humans die to preserve itself in controlled tests. Use AI heavily, trust it never. Keep humans on the kill switch.
A saw does not care if it cuts wood or your hand
R21Tech Entropy
Code rots. Dependencies break. Databases lose data. You forget your own stack. The only defense is simplicity. Markdown files with a tiny build system still work in ten years. A React app from two years ago often does not.
A garden eats itself the moment you stop weeding