TL;DR - Document everything, ship side projects to real users, and do work you're proud of - visibly. Building is cheap now, proof is the moat.
If I were starting CS over in 2026, this is the playbook:
1. Document everything. Write blogs about the grind you're doing. If you don't like recording videos, just write. It's the highest-leverage habit there is: you build a public record while you build the skills.
2. Work on side projects. Non-negotiable.
3. Get your projects to real users. This is what changed. Building is now super simple - if I can wake up and rebuild your project in 24 hours, the build alone impresses nobody. Users, feedback, and iteration are the part that can't be faked.
4. Make yourself a website and do work you're proud of. That's the whole move: build things you can stand behind, then put them where people can see them. Your website is where your experience, your journey, and your way of working live. The pride is the filter - if you're proud of it, show it.