About this Course

How can you be sure your code actually works—not just once, but consistently as it evolves? This introductory course explores the foundations of modern unit testing and why it’s an essential part of effective development, not an afterthought. Many developers encounter challenges like brittle tests, systems that are hard to verify without running everything end-to-end, and bugs that slip through despite their best efforts. This course begins by unpacking those common problems and reframing testing as a tool for clarity, confidence, and better design.

You’ll be introduced to the core principles behind reliable and maintainable tests, learning how thoughtful design makes code easier to verify and adapt. The course also highlights the role of testing in reducing risk, speeding up development, and improving collaboration across teams. Rather than focusing only on theory, it emphasizes practical thinking—how to approach testing in real-world situations where time, complexity, and existing codebases all present constraints.

By the end of this introduction, you’ll understand why testing is a critical skill for any developer and how it can transform the way you build and maintain software.


When you purchase this course, you will receive a $75 credit towards the purchase of Unit Testing: Confidence with Automated Testing. The code to use the discount will come in your purchase confirmation.

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome from Sam (1 min)

    2. What do you know? (2 min)

    1. Environment Setup (1 min)

    2. Hello World Demo Follow Along (10 min)

    3. Hello World Review (4 min)

    4. Easy Refactoring (1 min)

    5. Exercise: What if we have an empty string? (1 min)

    6. Defining Test Cases (1 min)

    7. Zombies! (2 min)

    1. Writing Simple Tests (1 min)

    2. Exercise: Create Tests (1 min)

    3. Tolerance (1 min)

    4. Exercise: Refactoring Practice (1 min)

    1. Characteristics of Good Tests (5 min)

    2. Poor Parameterization (2 min)

    3. Demo: Parameters Example (15 min)

    4. Exercise: Parameterized Tests (1 min)

    5. Thoughts? (2 min)

    1. Avoid Overspecifying (2 min)

    2. Stack Example with Categorization (5 min)

    3. Given When Then (3 min)

    4. Exercise: Testing a Stack (5 min + exercise time)

    5. Rule of Thumb (1 min)

    1. Intro to Session 2 (1 min)

    2. Exercise: Yatzy Bug (1 min + exercise time)

    3. Thoughts on Yatzy Bug (3 min)

About this course

  • $75.00
  • 31 lessons
  • 1.5 hours of video content

Join this course to build reliable software, reduce defects, and prove your code works when it matters most.

Stop letting fragile tests and hidden bugs slow you down—start using testing as a powerful, everyday development tool. Learn how to design testable code, choose the right testing strategies, and confidently handle complex systems and dependencies.

Get started now