
Nick Cosentino | Simplifying software engineering concepts for you | Principal Software Engineering Manager @Microsoft | Creator of @BrandGhostAI 👻
Seattle, WA
Joined January 2023
- Tweets20.2K
- Following1.1K
- Followers6.2K
- Likes11.8K
Object-Oriented Programming in C#: State, Contracts, and Collaboration
Learn object-oriented programming in C# through state, contracts, and collaboration, with clear examples of encapsulation, inheritance, and composition.
Read the article here:
bgh.st/35y1tg
Some of my favorite tests do a lot of heavy lifting
integration tests have proven to be invaluable.
In my ASP NET Core apps, I have tests that will launch the entire app stack.
Not just that - They'll launch Testcontainers to have my databases ready to rock and roll alongside my app.
Yes, my unit tests tell me with precision when something breaks... But my functional tests give me high-level confidence that the pieces are working together
Watch the full video here:
youtu.be/4Tsmo9IAzQI
Earning Your Team's Trust as a New Engineering Manager
Earn your team's trust as a new engineering manager through listening, follow-through, individual support, and openness to feedback without forcing disclosure.
Read the article here:
bgh.st/lm8wuk
Do you think every developer should learn how to write documentation? Does your opinion change with AI tooling being used more and more?
Prioritize This CRITICAL Skill as a Developer - Interview With Callie Buruchara
This is the first EVER software engineering interview done on Dev Leader, and I was excited to be able to have my first awesome guest:
Callie Buruchara!
Callie knows that communication is a critical skill to have in software engineering, and she's experienced first-hand how big of a difference it can have even in a highly technical field. In fact, most people greatly over-prioritize their technical skills instead of communication!
Watch it here:
podcasters.spotify.com/pod/s…
C# Regex Performance: How To Squeeze Out Performance
Read it on Medium:
stories.devleader.ca/csharp-…
devleader retweeted
This one thing kills most of the value of your tests...
Different tests have different types of coverage, and as a result, offer different kinds of confidence benefits.
I like unit tests for ensuring specific code paths are run how I'd expect. They don't help with refactoring but they help prove to me my code does what I said.
I like integration and functional tests for more general confidence and ability to refactor. They might be a bit harder to setup, tear down, and reset, but they are incredibly helpful.
But the one thing killing your tests:
Not running them.
Make sure you wire these up to get coverage automatically or you'll end up like me (in too many situations).
Watch the full video here:
youtu.be/4Tsmo9IAzQI
📌 If you like the memes I post, you'll love my educational content:
weekly.devleader.ca
Do You Suck At This Critical Software Engineering Skill?
I have worked with a lot of junior software engineers over the years, whether they are people I manage directly or people that I mentor. There's one skill that comes up repeatedly and I think it's a critical thing to pay attention to and practice as a junior software engineer. Any guesses? Watch and find out how you can put this to use for yourself!
Watch here:
bgh.st/ntk1zx
So it looks like there's more than one way to compare strings in CSharp, eh?
Read more here:
bgh.st/8pkari
#csharp #dotnet #dotnetcore #beginners
MongoClient in ASP.NET Core: Lifetime and Resource Ownership
Learn MongoClient in ASP.NET Core with explicit configuration, singleton reuse, borrowed collection handles, and version-aware cluster ownership at shutdown.
Read the article here:
bgh.st/jmus1m
Helping a Mentee Choose a Development Focus
Help a mentee choose a development focus by exploring interests, everyday friction, and useful opportunities without forcing a goal or a larger career plan.
Read the article here:
bgh.st/c6v2d8
This one thing kills most of the value of your tests...
Different tests have different types of coverage, and as a result, offer different kinds of confidence benefits.
I like unit tests for ensuring specific code paths are run how I'd expect. They don't help with refactoring but they help prove to me my code does what I said.
I like integration and functional tests for more general confidence and ability to refactor. They might be a bit harder to setup, tear down, and reset, but they are incredibly helpful.
But the one thing killing your tests:
Not running them.
Make sure you wire these up to get coverage automatically or you'll end up like me (in too many situations).
Watch the full video here:
youtu.be/4Tsmo9IAzQI
I'm not going to debate the "engineer" part of the "software engineer" title but...
Some people aren't aware there are restrictions around this title depending on where in the world you work!
When I was in Canada, "engineer" was classified as a licensed profession that required:
- An education from an accredited university
- An ethics exam
- Accumulated working hours signed off by an engineer
- Yearly dues to the governing body of engineers
Literally -- you could not call yourself a "software engineer" and there are many cases of the governing engineering body going to companies to tell them to adjust their job titles.
We were allowed to say we were "doing work in the field of software engineering", but we could not claim we were engineers unless we met the conditions I listed above.
Tough love, eh?
So by Canadian standards, I'm still not a "professional" to this day.
- I never accumulated the hours under another engineer
- I never wrote my ethics exam
I only had the schooling as part of my experience.
All of this just to let people know that there are different perspectives to take -- even when we're all talking about the same things and using the same words.
Are you a professional software engineer in Canada? Has anything changed since I've been there?
(How about that iron ring?!)
📌 Check out my channel for FREE learning resources on C#, dotnet, and software engineering in general:
youtube.com/@devleader
AI-generated code is here. Should teams start reviewing AI pull requests differently than human-written ones?
Becoming The Interview Champion - Interview With Dynamic Singh
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Bhupinder Singh, popularly known as Dynamic Singh, to discuss his journey in turning his interview problems... into one of his greatest strengths!
In our conversation, we discussed that it's not just about copying some steps and hoping you land the job -- truly, you need to become the person that you're aspiring to be.
And guess what that means?
You have to put in the time, and the effort, and the practice to become someone who is great at interviewing. It's all a mindset shift!
Watch it here:
podcasters.spotify.com/pod/s…
#Interview #Podcast #SoftwareEngineering








