Raleigh, NC—Remarkable careers don't come by chance--they require planning and a well thought-out strategy. The Passionate Programmer (Pragmatic Bookshelf, $23.95) tells you how to create a remarkable career in software development. Author Chad Fowler has revised and updated his timely advice, and lays out a strategy for planning and creating a radically successful life in software development.
Chad explains that the first part of the problem is recognizing that there even is a problem. "Strangely, we don't all set out on the quest to lead remarkable lives when we start our careers. Most of us are content to go with the flow. Our expectations have been lowered for us by the media and by our friends, acquaintances, and family members. So, leading a remarkable life is something you have to discover as even being a reasonable goal. It's not obvious."
Success in today's IT environment requires you to view your career as a business endeavor. In this book, part of the new Pragmatic Life series, you'll learn how to become an entrepreneur, driving your career in the direction of your choosing. You'll learn how to build your software development career step by step, following the same path that you would follow if you were building, marketing, and selling a product. After all, your skills themselves are a product.
The choices you make about which technologies to focus on and which business domains to master have at least as much impact on your success as your technical knowledge itself--don't let those choices be accidental. Chad will walk you through all aspects of the decision-making process, so you can ensure that you're investing your time and energy in the right areas.
You'll develop a structured plan for keeping your mind engaged and your skills fresh. You'll also learn how to assess your skills in terms of where they fit on the value chain, driving you away from commodity skills and toward those that are in high demand. Through a mix of high-level, thought-provoking essays and tactical "Act on It" sections, you will come away with concrete plans you can put into action immediately. You'll get a chance to read the perspectives of several highly successful members of our industry from a variety of career paths, and new tips have been added through the book to reflect new lessons to learn and new actions to take to improve your career.
As with any product or service, if nobody knows what you're selling, nobody will buy. With the help of The Passionate Programmer, you'll see an effective way to navigate the often-neglected world of marketing, and you'll create a plan to market yourself both inside your company and to the industry in general.
Above all, you'll see how you can set the direction of your career, leading to a more fulfilling and remarkable professional life.
For a review copy or more information please email pragprogpr@oreilly.com. Please include your delivery address and contact information.
Chad Fowler is an internationally known software developer, trainer, manager, speaker, and musician. Over the past decade he has worked with some of the world's largest companies and most admired software developers. He is co-organizer of RubyConf, RailsConf, and RailsConf Europe and author or co-author of a number of popular software books.
Additional Resources
For more information about the book, including errata, discussions, full table of contents, excerpts from the book and more, see the catalog page for The Passionate Programmer.
The Passionate Programmer is a revised edition of the book originally published as My Job Went to India: 52 Ways To Save Your Job.
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
Chad Fowler
ISBN: 9781934356340, 200 pages,
Book Price: $23.95 USD, £18.50 GBP
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