I worked on a small project (in the Agile or JIRA world, it’s a story), and I experimented Copilot more this time, in fact, I think I tried to use Copilot as much or as practically as possible, for 2 out of the 3 main coding tasks. This is in addition to the Copilot code review feature which I have been using probably for a year now. Back to the coding tasks: refactoring and adding unit tests are the two main tasks that I used Copilot extensively. I also think Copilot did a decent job on bath. The 3rd task, which is to create a controller (an end point), I forgot to try the Copilot – hope I can try something like that down the road.
I used the IntelliJ Ultimate edition for my Java project IDE, and I was familiar with some IDE basic features on refactoring, such as extract methods, or change method signature. This mini project involves moving code from one layer down (from UI to the service layer). Copilot did it in one shot when I asked it to perform the task, from and to, mainly using the correct prompt.
For Unit Testing, I did two things, I changed the mocking framework from EasyMock to Mockito (which is more modern), also I added and cleaned all the unit tests, as much as I can. I admit I am still learning on the unit testing front. Sometimes I felt it’s somewhat like “teach an old dog a new trick”, I mean the “test driven development” or writing a complete unit test suite. But I am getting there: not just on Java, for JavaScript, I had some fun writing Jest test as well. For Java it’s JUnit.
Code review
This is similar as before I worked on this mini project, but I am getting more out of the Copilot code review comments, most of which I think is valid.
On a side note, I did a coding test for this LinkedIn AI trainer gig – not sure that I passed it, as I was not very confident on my Python language. But I still think it’s good exercise for me – I mean the coding test via HackerRank.
Certain Toyota models in recent years. I brought the 2020 Camry to the dealer this am, and it was indeed the coolant engine valve issue #24TE04 – this link goes to the PDF file hosted at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website. The PDF file has the complete list of impacted model and year.
My local Toyota dealer fixed it at no cost for me – share here for awareness as I think both Camry and RAV4 were top selling sedans 🚘 or small SUVs 🚙 , respectively, during those years.
“Established in 1975 by David Monnig as a Honda & Toyota specialized repair service. Built on honesty and integrity, JAMCO Is still operated In the same fashion today. With old fashioned customer service, owners Micki Monnig & Don Mascare, with long term mechanic Kent, second generation mechanic Joe and secretary Heather will happily assist you with your Toyota & Honda needs.”
Full disclosure: I worked in the software (or IT) industry for last 25+ years ago. I put most of my 401k in the S&P 500 index funds. I also have a little individual stocks in my IRA and brokerage accounts, although comparing to the S&P 500 index fund, and other stock positions such as BRK.B and KO, my software stock holdings are insignificant.
There are tons of YouTube videos on this topic recently. Personally, I think the reality will probably somewhere in between, just like this LinkedIn post.
Chatgpt: learn agentic AI in 30 days. I just got started: better late than never. Adapt or become irrelevant (as a coder). I am not sure if the link here will work for everyone, but one can type those words, and Chatgpt will come back with the 30 day plan. I think 30 day is good. One factor that drove me to learn, was I saw requirement for a Senior AI developer position, and the recruiter (whom I had a brief interaction probably 20 years ago) responded, with some AI related questions below (note this is just a subset, she asked some other questions too).
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Years experience working with AI Tools such as Windsurf and Github Copilot?
AI principles including LLMs, RAG, agents, and prompt engineering
AI Integration into app workflows
Familiarity with AI SDKs and frameworks (e.g., OpenAI SDK, LangChain) is a plus
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I quickly realized that I need to brush up skills to be relevant to say the least.
The second point, probably more importantly, is I want to be relevant for the upcoming AI tsunami – the agentic AI coding and all. I did start look at it recently, and documented my learning here in a google doc.
Certifications
Thinking it may be useful, or at least helpful if one wants to do more structured learning. Here is the google search.
PS: I gave it a bit more thought on certifications. A few years ago I thought about getting the AWS certifications, probably in 2020 or 2021. I bought the cert prep course at Udemy and eventually didn’t complete the prep and attempt the cert exam. From my personal experience learning CFA many years ago, while the prep process will help me to learn, the cert itself is not going to make huge difference in career – it may still help one to secure an interview or a job. But I think the learning the AI is more important. Again this is because AI is and will have even more impact to our lives or work. If I could use an analogy, in 2008 I had my 1st smartphone (Blackberry), and first iPhone was debuted in 2007, in a few years, iPhone basically defeated Blackberry. I think similar things will happen to coding between AI and human beings. AI (the super computer) will beat us human beings eventually – probably it won’t take long there either.
It doesn’t mean we have to accept the defeat, and find another trade job (electrician, or plumber), but we can still do other parts of the tech job: requirements gathering, supervising AI agents (somewhat like supervise the junior engineers), talk to end users and thinking about the bugs and features, etc.
Noted this: why the Uber 1099-k includes gross income (google search). The important part is: You report the 1099-K gross amount on your Schedule C, then deduct the fees and commissions as business expenses to ensure you are only taxed on your actual earnings, notes TurboTax and Stride Health. (this is from Google AI overview)
Btw, I am not sure if this is new for this year (tax year 2025). I assume if one has tax professionals do the tax, they will catch it. For those DIYers, or people who don’t drive a lot for Uber, this heads up may be relevant. Personally, I added up all the money I received from Uber (at my bank website), and added them up, before comparing with the tax summary from Uber.
Update 03-07-2026: Filed via Turbo Tax e-file.
Update 03-10-2026: I realized I forgot to expense the Internet (Broadband) cost, as both my wife and I work full time from home. Well, if there is any other significant reason that I need to amend the return, I would include that change as well. Otherwise, I just make a note here for myself – don’t forget to expense it next year.
Update 03-15-2026: both federal and state refunds are in my bank account.
I sort had a bad dream last night. I dreamed that my old colleague admonished me for not working hard enough. I think perhaps I had too much work-related stress recently.
On a related note, 我感觉AI对大众码工(yours truly included)和大部分软件公司和IT行业的冲击才刚刚开始。。。 大厂已经裁了几轮了。。。Personally I am at peace if I have to drive ride share or food delivery to feed or support my family – I felt I already enjoyed my 25+ years of 码工job，and now it’s probably good for me to do something different 😂
Btw, I could be a little biased (because I have been in the IT/software arena, and on LinkedIn since 2008), but it seems to me there are tsunami of people looking for work now #OpenToWork . The overall situation looks pretty bad. And we know in the USA, the current administration is pretty much hands off to the AI, gen AI etc.
PS: I came across Anil Dash’s article here – What do coders do after AI? I quote some below, as I tend to agree with his assessment. I think he said some of what I wanted to say, and said it much more elegantly.
……But the level at which the change is happening in this transition is one that gets closer to people’s sense of self-worth and identity, rather than to their perceptions of simply having to acquire knowledge or skills. It doesn’t help that the change is being catalyzed by some of the most venal and irresponsible leaders in the history of business, brazenly acting without any moral boundaries whatsoever.…..
……I’ve come to the personal conclusion that the only way forward is for more of the hackers with soul to seize this moment of flux and use these tools to build. The economics of creating code are changing, and it can’t just be the worst billionaires in the world who benefit. The latest count is 700,000 people laid off in the last few years in the tech industry. We’ll be at a million soon, at the rate things are accelerating. Each new layoff announcement is now in the thousands.……
……I’ve spent my whole career working with communities of coders, building tools for the people who build with code. I don’t imagine I’ll ever stop doing it. This is the hardest moment that I’ve ever seen this community go through, and it makes me heartsick to see so many people enduring such stress and anxiety about what’s to come. More than anything else, what I hope people can remember is that all of the great things that people love about technology weren’t created by the money guys, or the bosses who make HR decisions — they were created by the people who actually build things.…..
Also this post on LinkedIn by Laurie Voss, let me quote below as linkedIn post search could be buggy from my observation.
I have always been the kind of developer who only cared about outcomes. Give me the tool, the framework, the head start. I just want my website.
A totally different kind of developer exists who cares about the craft. Getting that function just right. Those devs are in pain right now.
LLM-powered engineering is the ultimate outcome-based method: in the extreme case you ship code you’ve never even read.
This is anathema to those who care about the craft and you can see their cultural convulsions across social media every day. “People aren’t caring AND THEY SHOULD WHAT IS WRONG!?”
I don’t know what’s going to happen to the craftspeople of code. I’m not here to predict their irrelevance, they could end up being the most important people to cultivate in a world where nobody reads code. But I know they’re in pain right now, and my sympathy is with them.
It is a very, very weird time to be a software developer and anybody who tells you they know where this is going is deluded. We have shaken the kaleidoscope as hard as we can and the pattern it will land in is a total unknown.
(02-17-2026) During my lunch hour. I thought about doing it last week. And this noon I did it. My 1st order is to pick up food at Chick Fil A in U City (by Costco), and deliver it to wustl. The second order is in Clayton area, Jimmy Johns sandwich to an office building (a block a way or so). My total earning is about $13. The wustl girl gave me $1 tip.
(02-19-2026) I did two Uber driving trips in the evening as I didn’t get much Uber Eats order. First trip is from WUSTL Knight center to the Budget Avis car rental place near airport. The second trip is short one, near the apartment off Cypress road (again near airport) – a lady wanted to buy something from the plaza not too far from her apartment. I did notice a large group of teenagers (likely high schoolers) gathering outside the apartment complex.
(03-07-2026) I did two more deliveries this morning: Chick fil a CC (Ladue), Starbuck New Ballas/Clayton (across street)
Also noticed a bit meaningful surge (+$10 or more) in the evening at about 7:30 pm, Saturday 03/07/2026. A friend was going to airport, and noticed the normal fair of about +$30 went up to +$70. In other words, Uber is still pocketing most of the cost increase from the surge.
(03-08-2026) Today I drove this route when I drove for Uber. I had to admit I was scared during some portion of the trip – and I documented some of my feelings here in YT Shorts. Now I recall almost 30 years ago, when I was fairly new to the USA, and new to St. Louis, a few times I drove by some of the similar places in St. Louis (accidentally), and I was scared. And now I think it’s best for me to stay out of those areas, for that matter, stay out of Uber driving too.
(03–09-2026) Between 6 pm and 6:30 pm: delivered an Uber Eats order from Sides of Soul to Kirkwood apartment. Tip $11.98 + $2 delivery fee.
(03-10-1016) Did 4 Uber trips in the pm. One: from Panera Old Olive to house off Lackland near Costco Business Center; Two: from the International Paper manufacturing plant to McDonald off St. Charles Rock Road; Three, this one takes a bit time to drive, in hind sight I should not accept, from U city near Overland to the U city Chicken Fil A (not a lucrative trip, also the pickup location is not the best spot either.)
Uber offered total $7.50 incentive for the trips above. No tips today.
One thing I like to understand more is how Uber was trying both AI (offers trip to drivers), and promotions (loyalty, rewards and offers*, and driver reference) to get drivers to drive for the trip.
*Today is the first time I received offers money from Uber. It’s $4 for 2 trips, and another $3.50 for another trip (the last one). In my old Mastercard job, as I was working in the loyalty and rewards area, this is called “qualification” (meaning the cardholders need to perform certain action to qualify for the award). Promotion is different in the sense, it’s proportional to the card spend.
One main difference between Uber and Uber Eats: tip is upfront for Uber Eats and could be meaningful. Uber not that much: many factors came into play for tips; in general should not expect much tips.
Ultimately: safety first. After safety, when looking at a trip whether it’s profitable or not, I should look at the earning per minute or per hour. Do a quick math and see if it’s 50 cents per minute, or $30 per hour. At the end of the day though, I should pay more attention to the stock market because that’s potentially more lucrative. Thinking Uber should be a hobby or a way to get out, and feel the real world. So maybe just once or twice a week. There is another factor: the acceptance rate, I probably need to balance the empty miles driven vs acceptance rate.
(03-12-2026) I just signed up the “plus card” and “Shop and Deliver orders”. I think I am going to try that instead of accepting passengers for Uber (in addition to safety, sometimes I don’t like the body smell or perfume from my passengers, sometimes it took long time to dissipate – similar for the cannabis or marijuana).
In the evening, after getting home from “teaching my old daughter pratice on highway aka 141”, I did two Uber passenger trips, first one is from Maplewood to Chesterfield (Twin Peaks to Red Lobster, it appears two ladies or mom/daughter duo are working at two places sequentially?), and the second trip is at Chesterfield itself (from Bunge office off 64 to the Hyatt Place at Chesterfield Mall, traveller to the Bunge North America HQ office). No tips for the two trips.
After that I bought some groceries from the Chesterfield Schnucks and went home.
(03-14-2026) This morning I did 3 Uber Eats deliveries. The first two are normal ones, the 3rd one had a major hiccup. Two issues: it’s for Starbucks and I forgot about the morning rush at Starbucks when I accepted the order. I had to wait for probably 30 to 40 minutes for the order being prepared. Then as I reviewed the order I found out I cannot mark the order as picked up in the Uber driver app – it says delayed. I still delivered the order and tried to contact the customer service agents. And they didn’t solve my issue, and the two agents said complete opposite things. I think I will stop driving for Uber for now. My main complaints are their app didn’t work for me, and their agents are not consistent. It’s more and more like a #ratRace
(04-20-2026) Came across this article. He says he accepted the ride that was supposed to take 30 minutes roundtrip. Then he got ensnared in rush hour traffic. “It’s 5:01pm so there’s a lot of traffic in Charlotte. And I’m driving to the passenger. I hit traffic, it takes me instead of 18 minutes, it takes me 35 minutes to pick up the passenger,” he says. (I know this one btw)
