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Debug Smarter, Communicate Like a Pro
Created by Shaunak Ghosh
Learn a repeatable, evidence-based debugging workflow (reproduce → read errors → inspect state) and the professional communication habits that help interns unblock fast. You’ll practice turning confusion into clear artifacts—steps, errors, and findings—so your questions, updates, and escalation timing build trust with your team.
Requirements
- Basic familiarity with writing/running code (any language)
- Comfort using a code editor or IDE at a beginner level
- Willingness to share partial progress and ask questions
What you'll learn
- Explain what professional teams expect from interns when work is blocked, including why transparency builds trust.
- Reproduce a reported bug by capturing steps, environment details, and expected vs. actual behavior instead of relying on ‘works on my machine.’
- Extract actionable information from an error message/stack trace (type, message, file/line, relevant frames) and convert it into a testable next step.
- Use debugger breakpoints and stepping controls to inspect variables and execution flow at meaningful moments.
- Apply the 30-minute rule by timeboxing, documenting what you tried, and escalating with a clear, answerable technical question.
Learning path
5 modules • Each builds on the previous one
1
Workplace Expectations and Trust Basics
What professional teams expect from interns: be reliable, communicate early, and show your work. You’ll learn how transparent communication (even about struggles) builds trust rather than harming it.
1 video6 min
2
Systematic Debugging: Reproduce, Hypothesize, Test
A repeatable debugging loop that replaces random guessing: reproduce the bug, read the symptoms, form a hypothesis, run one test, and repeat. Includes how to avoid “works on my machine” by controlling environment and steps.
1 video6 min
3
Reading Error Messages and Stack Traces
How to extract actionable information from error messages and stack traces: what the message means, how to find the failing line, and how to map the call stack to your code path.
1 video6 min
4
Debugging Tools: Print, Logs, Breakpoints
Use the right tool for the question: quick print statements, structured logging, and debugger breakpoints/step-through. You’ll learn where to place them, what to inspect, and how to keep the codebase clean afterward.
1 video9 min
5
30-Minute Rule, Asking Help, Status Updates
When to keep debugging vs. ask for help (the 30-minute rule), how to search effectively, how to ask a technical question that gets a good answer, and how to write standup/progress updates plus early blocker/delay messages.
1 video5 min
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Begin your learning journey
Modules5
Duration29 min
Science-backed learning
In-video quizzes and scaffolded content to maximize retention.
Key concepts
Workplace Trust Through TransparencyProfessional Intern Expectations (Show Your Work, Communicate Early)Systematic Debugging Over Random GuessingBug Reproduction Across Environments And User StepsUsing Logs As Evidence When You Can’T Reproduce LocallyReading Error Messages And Stack Traces For File/Line And Root Cause CluesDebugger Breakpoints For Inspecting Program StateTimeboxing With The 30-Minute RuleAsking High-Signal Technical Questions With Context And AttemptsEfficient Help-Seeking And Escalation EtiquetteTargeted Searching Using Error Messages