My philosophy on coding (in Perl and other languages):
only use references when you need them. Not when you think they'll be cool. (except for obfuscated code) :-)
use subroutines, even for small programs. It makes them more manageable and scalable.
comment the hell out of your subroutines. If one knows what a subroutine is supposed to do, then they know where to look to change something.
always use Strict; It may mean the difference between a few minutes of
searching for a bug and days of pulling out your own hair.
there's always someone who knows more than you do. Keep an open mind and listen before making judgements.
even those who know less than you will know something that you don't. Keep your ego in check and follow the advice from the previous bullet.
if someone makes a mistake in their code, while it's alright (and even encouraged) to point out their mistake, never belittle them or draw too much attention to it. Who knows? It may be your turn next.
always have a sense of humour. If you can't have fun programming, then you are in the wrong field, my friend.