There you were, minding your own business when this book’s awesome cover grabbed your attention and you just had to pick it up (or click on it.)
Now you are flipping through the pages asking yourself, “is this book for me?”
Don’t worry, I can assure you I wrote this book just for you, even though I don’t know anything about you.
How? You ask. After all, I don’t even know that you can read.
Well, actually I do know you can read, because if you couldn’t, my words wouldn’t be magically
vocalizing in your mind at this very moment.
I also know one other thing about you, which is that we share a keen sense of humor—or at the very least you can tolerate my humor—since you are still reading thus far.
Well, before I lose your interest permanently and you put this book back down on the shelf or click that other window in your browser, I suppose I should get a bit serious and get down to business. All joking aside, no matter where you are in your software development career, this book has something to offer you. For the scanners among us, allow me to quickly categorize you into one of three categories and you can read
the category that is most relevant to you:
BEGINNER OR JUST INTERESTED IN LEARNING
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
If you are starting out and trying to learn software development / programming or you’ve learned a little, but haven’t gotten your first job a software developer yet, you’ll find the largest amount of value in the first two sections of this book where I talk about how to get started as a software developer and how to get your first job.
The rest of the book you’ll find useful to fill in any knowledge gaps you’ll need to succeed as a
software developer, thrive in the workplace and advance your career.
You’ll find relevant topics in this book that you won’t find in any other book on software
development (that I’m aware of) which will help you get rid of all the confusion with how to
actually get your start, learn your first programming language and navigate the murky waters of college versus coding boot camps versus self-taught education.
MID-CAREER DEVELOPER
You’ll likely find the most value in section three, “What you Need to Know About Software
Development.” This section fills in any knowledge gaps you may have and will help you to actively manage your career to succeed in the workplace. But that doesn’t mean you won’t get any value out of the first section of the book, because even though you may already know how to program, you’ll probably find it useful to learn how to further develop and pick up new technical skills, learn new programming languages, apply for jobs, craft a resume, and negotiate your salary.
And if you are interested in advancing your career—which you should be—you’ll find the last
section of this book, “Advancing Your Career,” useful as well.
EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL
I know. I know you know all this stuff. You don’t need a basic book from some “hot-shot” on how to get started as a software developer. You don’t need to learn what source control is or get insight on whether you should go to college or boot camp.
I get it—really, I do.
But, trust me on this one, this book is still for you. Here’s why.
First of all, about half of this book is dedicated to working as a developer and advancing your
career. Even though you’ve been around for awhile and have likely been very successful—congrats by the way—you will probably find some benefit in learning how to better handle your coworkers and boss, sell your ideas, handle leadership and, heck, even get a raise or a promotion.
If you haven’t already, you’ll probably find yourself up against this “glass ceiling” in your
software development career, where you don’t feel like you can make much upward progress.
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
Fortunately, I also bashed my head right through that glass ceiling and I’ll show you how to do it by telling you how to build a personal brand, speak at conferences, start a side-project and a
whole lot more.
Finally, even though the beginning sections might seem a bit basic, you’ll still likely find some
value in the information about learning technologies, getting a high-paying job, negotiating your salary and choosing between contract and salaried employment.
Plus, you mentor other developers don’t you?
Would be nice if you had some good advice written down to give them about starting out, wouldn’t it?
So, yes. Yes, I say again, this book is for you, whoever you are.
I’ll even venture so far out and be so bold as to say that even if you don’t have the slightest interest in software development, you’ll still probably get a bunch out of this book, because even though this book is specialized to software developers, it’s really about managing your career and being as successful in it as possible.
And if you’ve made it this far, then this book is
really, really for you, because obviously you like me
—and you know what, I like you to.
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