The Dev Leader Weekly series, sharing candid weekly reflections on career growth, engineering challenges, product dynamics, and life as a working developer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss when team leads should raise concerns and how early coaching protects the team.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I break down what principal-level scope actually looks like, why impact and visibility feel so vague, and how sustained ownership changes the job.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I break down the three-layer system I've been building so AI agents can scaffold and ship entire projects -- Ralph loops, an orchestration layer, and an optional Spec Kit integration -- and why my template library, not the fancy orchestration, is the real unlock.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I dig into a Reddit thread about engineers reporting directly to a product manager -- the healthy conflict you lose, the career and delivery risks, and how to make it work if you find yourself in that spot.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to make progress on a problem when you genuinely have no idea what's going on, and the prove-or-disprove framework I use to turn guessing into a data-driven investigation.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I dig into a Reddit thread about getting your manager to prioritize tech debt -- why it almost always loses to shipping features, the two forces working against you, and how to reframe the conversation in the language the business actually cares about.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I dig into a Reddit thread about the management trap -- why engineering management is a fundamentally different job than being an IC, how I think about absorbing chaos so my team can stay focused, and what you actually need to understand before you take that management promotion.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I share my honest take on a Reddit thread about ADHD, anxiety, and depression in software engineering -- and the concrete things I've learned about prioritization, burnout, and structuring engineering work around how your brain actually operates.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I dig into an ExperiencedDevs Reddit thread from someone who feels their ideas always get ignored -- and why it's almost never about the quality of the ideas.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the Reddit thread telling someone to quit their bad manager -- and why I push back on the all-or-nothing framing, plus what to actually try first.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the perception trap around working hours -- why your start time doesn't define your work ethic on its own, but your hours absolutely shape what your team thinks is expected of them.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I break down how to think about measuring engineering manager effectiveness across technical, project, and people dimensions.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the shifting landscape of AI-related career fears -- from being replaced to being left behind -- and how developers can navigate the change.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss context switching -- why it's unavoidable, how startups and big companies handle it differently, and what you can actually do about it.
When your role shifts from coding to strategy, it's easy to feel like you're losing your technical edge. In this issue, I break down how to maintain technical depth without going back to being a full-time individual contributor.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I talk about finally stepping away from Visual Studio after a lifetime of using it, why Copilot CLI clicked for me, and how I'm using Roslyn analyzers as guardrails to stop AI from repeating its own mistakes.
![Weekly Recap: Observer Pattern, C# Source Generators, and GitHub Copilot SDK in C# [Apr 2026]](https://devleader-d2f9ggbjfpdqcka7.z01.azurefd.net/media/SquareBanner.webp)
This week covers Observer Pattern implementation and best practices in C#, source generator techniques, Factory Method and Composite patterns, and GitHub Copilot SDK multi-agent capabilities. Plus developer career videos on getting credit for your work, advancing past invisible barriers, and navigating strong opinions as a senior dev.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to approach talking to your manager about burnout -- what to say, how to frame it, and what you should actually expect from the conversation.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss whether there's a real ROI on learning C# -- and why the answer has almost nothing to do with C# itself.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss whether developer career fulfillment depends on believing in your company's mission -- and why understanding the "why" behind your work makes all the difference.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss why communication with non-technical stakeholders is the skill that separates good developers from truly great ones.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to approach hiring for roles you don't have expertise in -- and why the real question isn't "how do I interview?" but "what problem am I solving?"
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss planning in software engineering -- why it looks different across environments, and why optimizing for agility beats optimizing for the perfect plan.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the challenges of being stuck on legacy systems, how to use AI tools effectively even in rough codebases, and bridging the communication gap with your PM.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss rewrites, refactors, and the constant inaccurate optimism as developers.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss interviews with a focus on side projects and soft skills.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the Github Copilot CLI tool and how you can get started with it!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how and why to build software outside of work as a software developer!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss my tips for prepping for FAANG interviews!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss 2026 New Years Resolutions and invite YOU to share yours!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss what it means to take ownership in software engineering.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss some of the awesome features Auth0 is bringing for building AI agents!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss balancing time coding as a senior software engineer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss different approaches for keeping AI on track when writing code.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss just how much of our developer careers are maintaining software systems.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the vibes. And they are indeed immaculate.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to navigate feeling overwhelmed as a developer in a senior+ role.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to focus your time and energy as a developer in college.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the trade-off with doing extra work to get promoted as a developer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss navigating situations where team members are underperforming.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to help empower junior developers to be more effective on code reviews.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how I approach software engineering interviews as the interviewer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to work on managing stress when leading engineering projects.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how asking stupid questions contributes to a stronger engineering culture.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss some of the biggest mistakes made by new managers and team leads.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss building side projects, adding complexity, and doing so intentionally!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to survive your software development sprint or... consider moving on!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how junior software engineers can approach finding mentorship!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to mentor mid-level engineers -- even if they are doing awesome already!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss why you might be stuck as a senior software engineer and what to do about it.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss my reflections looking back on 20 years of programming and building software.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss my take on the interview between Sundar Pichai and Lex Fridman interview on AI.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to breakdown what keeps you engaged as a software engineer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the usage of AI for junior developers just getting started.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the trap of becoming a hero on the team and what you can do about it!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss communication styles for software engineers that don't love speaking up!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss my experience using AI agents to refactor code.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss engineering management and how it's perceived as being gatekept.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss networking tips for aspiring software engineers.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to navigate codebases that have evolving code standards.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to approach one on ones with your software engineering manager.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss what it looks like to do a role switch with a new tech stack or language.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the hot topic of Vibe Coding and what it means for you!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss some thoughts as I'm working through a period of burnout.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to approach getting feedback form your manager.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss what might be a bit uncomfortable... but do senior engineers actually code less?!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss what it means to have 10 years of experience vs the same 10 years of experience!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss what junior developers can focus on as they approach their careers in development!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the differences between coding at work vs coding at school.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to take ownership as a software engineer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss recent claims about AI replacing mid-level engineers.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to and why you should learn in public as a developer!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss my goals for 2025!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss structuring software engineering teams.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss different considerations when it comes to changing developer job positions and companies!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss effective ways to help other developers AND how to ask for help
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss a high-level overview of some topics I discussed in Code Commute.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss what types of projects to focus on as a junior software developer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how even junior software developers can demonstrate leadership!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss my take on AI tools and getting started as a software developer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the things I wish I knew before becoming a software engineering manager.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss fixing an issue in production is WAY harder than just following a tutorial on a happy path.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how codebases grow in complexity with an example -- AND what to do!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the lessons I've learned while building a SaaS
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the differences between environments where there is blame vs radical accountability.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how focusing on roadblocks instead of solution seeking can grind engineering teams to a halt.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss situations where we may or may not want or need to write tests!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to try and improve from failed interview experiences as software engineers.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how to be curious when joining a team and not belittle others.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss common behavioral interview questions in big tech and my thoughts on them!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the importance of working in areas you're uncomfortable in to gain more experience.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I celebrate 4 years at Microsoft and what I learned from being in Big Tech so far!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the basic building blocks for building a Web API in DotNet!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss behavioral interview tips for software engineers!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss behavioral interview tips for software engineers!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I plugin architecture in DotNet based on a presentation I did in Dallas!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how situations like the CrowdStrike outage can reinforce our safe deployment practices.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the first full year of Dev Leader Weekly and how content creation changed my life.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss different scenarios where I built my own vs when companies decide to build vs buy.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss my mid-year retrospective and how retrospectives can help YOU!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss various actionable code review culture tips!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss ways you can leverage AI as a developer and things to avoid too!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss why it's important to be kind to yourself as a software engineer looking to improve.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss focus areas for junior developers to consider for becoming more effective.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss why feedback is important at all levels of engineering AND how it works two ways.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss developer burnout and what you can do about it in your career!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss imposter syndrome and how it affects you as a software engineer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the idea of the best software engineers being replaceable but indispensable.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I answer the question of how much math do you need to program -- with help from Twitter.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue sponsored by Zuplo, I share how I'm putting an API gateway in front of my ASCII art API!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I share with you 5 things I've changed my mind about in my career!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the third of a 3-part series with a focus on actions once you start working!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the second of a 3-part series with a focus on actionable interview tips!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss the first of a 3-part series with a focus on getting visibility when applying for jobs.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I share things to focus on and actions you can take when you have a new manager on your team.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I share actionable advice for software engineers based on my own management journey.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss how I intend to apply a Growth Mindset to learning Rust to support my team.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I discuss my experience as an engineering manager and engineers going from mid to senior engineer.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I dive into the sunk cost fallacy, how it affected me, and how it may affect you!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I dive into how we can use entity framework core in our Blazor application!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, I dive into how I modified the Blazor plugins we created to work with Quartz for job scheduling!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, we celebrate the winner of the dotUltimate license and talk about collaboration killers.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, we'll look at doing a spike of our Blazor web application!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, we'll continue to explore iterators and moving to a paging approach in C#!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, we'll continue to explore iterators and moving to a paging approach in C#!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue, we'll continue to explore iterators and moving to a paging approach in C#!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue I'll dive into IEnumerable and iterators. Buckle up for this one!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue I'll dive into software engineering documentation and my approach!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue I'll dive into situation that resulted a series of bugs and how I navigated them.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue I'll dive into comparing unit testing vs functional testing!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue we'll look at refactoring and how to effectively prioritize tech debt.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue we'll look at my career journey and number of promos to be at principal level.
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue we'll look managing your competing work streams and your calendar!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! In this issue we'll look at Enums and why you're probably using them wrong!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! We'll dive into a sample project you can download to use as a vertical slice template!
Welcome to another issue of Dev Leader Weekly! We'll dive into Blazor unit testing in this issue, including how to use xunit and bunit for our tests!
In this issue of Dev Leader Weekly, I share useful resources with a couple of videos focused on exceptions in C#! Thank you for supporting! Check it out!
In this issue of Dev Leader Weekly, I share a full spectrum of assorted content for all levels! Check out this issue for a nice variety!
In this issue of Dev Leader Weekly, I mention my travel to the office which slowed me down a bit. Still plenty of software engineering topics!
In this issue of Dev Leader Weekly, we have Blazor and plugin architecture taking the spotlight!
In this issue of Dev Leader Weekly, we have plugin architecture topics being introduced along side beginner programmer resources! So much C# and dotnet!
In this issue of Dev Leader Weekly, there are tons of beginner resources to highlight. Keep in mind - seniors can learn from these topics as well for coaching!
In Dev Leader Weekly, we'll explore thought-provoking ideas, code examples, and highlight content from the week to help you excel as a software engineer.
In Dev Leader Weekly, we'll explore thought-provoking ideas, code examples, and highlight content from the week to help you excel as a software engineer.
In Dev Leader Weekly, we'll explore thought-provoking ideas, code examples, and highlight content from the week to help you excel as a software engineer.
In Dev Leader Weekly, we'll explore thought-provoking ideas, code examples, and highlight content from the week to help you excel as a software engineer.
In Dev Leader Weekly, we'll explore thought-provoking ideas, code examples, and highlight content from the week to help you excel as a software engineer.
In this newsletter, we'll explore thought-provoking ideas, code examples, and highlight some content from the week to help you excel as a software engineer.
