Scott & Mark Learn To...A Public 1-1 for Software Engineering Preceptorship

Scott & Mark Learn To...A Public 1-1 for Software Engineering Preceptorship

From Scott & Mark Learn To... by Microsoft

March 11, 2026 · 15 min · Season 1 · Episode 33

About this episode

Scott and Mark discuss the challenges of developing the next generation of engineers and the role of preceptorship programs in the tech industry.

In this episode,  Scott Hanselman  and  Mark Russinovich  discuss their recent ACM paper and explore a growing challenge in the tech industry: how to develop the next generation of engineers. They debate the idea of preceptorship programs that train early-career developers inside companies, why many organizations avoid investing in junior talent, and how universities could play a larger role in bridging the gap between education and real-world experience. The conversation looks at the economics of hiring juniors, the risk of companies poaching trained talent, and what it might take to build a scalable pipeline for future technical leaders.       Takeaways:      Many firms prefer hiring experienced engineers instead of developing new ones  Universities could play a bigger role in connecting students with real industry work  Retention incentives might help companies keep talent they train      Who are they?       View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn    View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn       Watch Scott and Mark Learn on  YouTube &nbsp…

People in this episode

Hosts: Scott Hanselman, Mark Russinovich

Topics covered

  • software engineering
  • preceptorship programs
  • junior talent
  • education
  • industry experience
  • hiring practices

Keywords

  • software engineering
  • preceptorship
  • junior developers
  • hiring
  • education
  • talent retention

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ACM, Microsoft

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