Ten best practices every beginner should use..

[cyanglee]

18.Never give up.

[kempofighter]

19.

Try this habit (where input is the variable and EXPECTED_VALUE is a const

if( EXPECTED_VALUE == input)
{
   // ...
}

instead of

if( input == EXPECTED_VALUE)
{
  //...
}

in order to avoid errors like this one

if( input = EXPECTED_VALUE)
{
  //  will always execute this block since assignment operator used 
  //  accidentally.  The compiler will catch this if the const is on the LHS
}

[Zaita]

18. Use a debugger. They were made for a bloody reason.
19. Do your own fking homework.

[z05DSL3A]

20: buy and read C++ Coding Standards: 101 Rules, Guidelines, and Best Practices By Herb Sutter, Andrei Alexandrescu.
_{Or other books along these lines...there will probaby be some suggesting posted after this... :0)}