James Lieu 🇬🇧

Seasoned Software Developer | C#, JavaScript, Golang | ☕:

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

Truth is, when I started out, I was a terrible developer and among the worst in my coding bootcamp cohort. None of the programming concepts stuck.

The reason I made it this far, and others in my cohort didn't, was that I didn't quit 🔥

[The Deal Trader @TheDealTrader_]

How to Make Big Decisions

[Programmer Humor @PR0GRAMMERHUM0R]

neverForgetThatOneSrDev https://t.co/Ae4G8Bfa8n

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

@Dave_DotNet Single() expresses intent

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

“…plans are useless, but planning is indispensable” - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Planning is better if you want to handle uncertainty, complexity, and change.

And having a plan is still useful, and you really want both, but without continuous planning, the plan becomes obsolete fast

[Book Therapy @Book_therapy223]

5 Rules to keep people engaged during your talk

[Book Therapy @Book_therapy223]

How to set goals and stick to them

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

Stay safe out there folks

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

🚩 Flag arguments are a code smell.
If a function needs True or False to decide what it does, split it into two.

One job per function 🚀

[Milan Jovanović @mjovanovictech]

Never return null collections in C#.

Why? Because it forces every caller to handle the null case—even when they just want to iterate.

This leads to:

- Extra null checks
- More verbose code
- Potential runtime errors if checks are missed

Instead, return an empty collection:

- Enumerable.Empty<T>()
- new List<T>()
- Or [] if you're using C# 12

This keeps your code safer and easier to work with — no surprises, no crashes.

I share tips like this every Saturday with 67,000+ .NET engineers.
Join here: https://t.co/fkjATDld4x

What’s your take on returning null vs empty collections?

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

Tackle the real root cause, not just the symptoms.

This mindset saves time and prevents the same problems from resurfacing repeatedly. It’s what separates quick fixes from true problem-solving.

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

Do this everyday

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

Code is read and modified far more often than it’s written. Designing for maintainability means you help your future self and your teammates succeed.

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

I’ve tried vibe coding and kind of like it, but use it with caution.

[James Lieu 🇬🇧 @J_Lieu]

A growth mindset is going to set you apart from the competition

[Always Keep Learning @AlwaysKeepL]

Things employees truly cares about

[George Stern @georgestern]

13 things top performers never do -

And what you SHOULD do instead:

[Eric Partaker @Eric_Partaker]

The Japanese secret that makes success feel effortless.