Writing software promises a career full of intellectual challenges, never-ending learning, and collaborative projects. Yet sometimes, the career path can seem arduous and hidden, especially for those not on the management track. How can engineers lead when they’re not managing a team? In this book, Gergely Orosz shows how engineers can establish a career, progress to senior level and tech lead, and then move onto principal or staff engineering roles. None of these roles involves managing direct reports, but these positions all involve making a progressively larger impact through engineering work.
Like all books in the Pragmatic Engineering series, this guide is eminently practical; that is, it is borne out of experiences in the modern tech workplace. It addresses venues ranging from small startups to Big Tech. It discusses universally accepted expectations across companies while exploring where different companies might approach nuances uniquely.
As a software developer, this book helps coach me through situations that my manager or colleagues cannot. It gives me targets to work towards that come out of larger industry experience instead of just my particular company. It also equips me to better coach fellow developers about how to develop their careers. This coaching role is particularly important in leadership because leaders develop others first and foremost.
Those involved in software engineering comprise the primary audience for this book. It’s written for those in the field by someone with longstanding, firsthand experience in the field. Teachers and academics can benefit by understanding how to equip their students to dive into fulfilling careers. I’m not sure there’s a whole lot of room for project or program managers, but anyone who’s directly involved in the production of code should take heed as their careers take flight.
The Software Engineer’s Guidebook: Navigating Senior, Tech Lead, and Staff Engineer Positions at Tech Companies and Startups
By Gergely Orosz
Copyright (c) 2023
The Pragmatic Engineer
ISBN13 9789083381824
Page Count: 401
Genre: Software/Technology
www.amazon.com