I like this better than 95% of what&#x27;s written in this thread (and better than the original post).  My favorite part is &quot;don&#x27;t follow advices [sic] blindly&quot;.  Fresh college graduates have a peculiar way of damaging code when they follow best practices without the experiences to back them.<p>I would add one thing.<p>Know your target.  Batch programs, daemons, microcontroller programs, cross-platform programs are all different and you&#x27;re going to end up with different styles.