Software Developer's Career Handbook

What Hacker News says

1. caprockJan 2025
   I'll suggest some, all very different.

   1. The Software Developer's Career Handbook: A Guide to Navigating the Unpredictable by Michael Lopp

   This is about all the things around being a programmer at work.

   2. The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder

   This is a well regarded book about an engineering team building a Data General computer in the late 70s. So the lessons are indirect, but it's a pleasant and technical read. It reads almost like a novel.

   Separately, I think it's worth reading at least a couple things that are more cynical. It's helpful for balance. On that front I'd say...

   1. The Gervais Principle by Venkatesh Rao

   This is a lengthy blog series (or ebook). It uses a metaphor about The Office, but it's still plenty relatable if you didn't watch that show. The abstraction this lays over modern knowledge work is quite interesting. It's a weird combination of demoralizing and liberating.

   2. The Peter Principle by Peter and Hull

   I remember reading this book and having trouble understanding if it was real or some form of satire. If I read it again now, many years later, I'd probably understand it better.

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2. ekkeMay 2018
   In that section, would like to add recommendations for:

   - "Being Geek: The Software Developer's Career Handbook" https://www.amazon.com/Being-Geek-Software-Developers-Handbo...

   - "Team Geek: A Software Developer's Guide to Working Well with Others" http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920018025.do -- Software engineering teamwork a-b-c. I'd love to work on teams where everyone has read this one.

   [edit: 2nd edition of "Team Geek" is titled "Debugging Teams"; having read both, no difference which you get]

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3. tedmistonSep 2017
   I know it's commonly recommended here, but the other Rands' book, Being Geek: The Software Developer's Career Handbook, is top notch as well for devs and those living somewhere in-between experienced dev and team manager.

   https://www.amazon.com/dp/0596155409/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_mr...

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4. s00pcanMay 2011
   No one has mentioned this book yet? It's what I expected this article to be like.

   Being Geek: The Software Developer's Career Handbook http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PUHbK9h-44

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