New Year, New Opportunities: 3 Books to Help You Level Up as a Software Engineer
As the new year begins, it’s a great time to set goals and make resolutions for your career. As the year passes, you may gain experiences from what you did last year — some might make you a star, while others might crash you like a meteor. It can be helpful to have books to guide you through the ups and downs of your career journey. Here are my top 3 books that have helped me get through last year, ranked from the highest rating.
1. The Missing Readme: A Guide For The New Software Engineer
written by Christ Riccomini
As a newcomer to the software development field with no internship experience, I had found the jargon and communication within teams to be overwhelming. “The Pragmatic Programmer” was like a guiding light in the darkness, helping me navigate the unfamiliar territory. Some of the concepts I found most useful in this book were how to excel at being on-call, how to prioritize my work effectively, and how to onboard myself and assist others in onboarding. This book has truly been a valuable resource for me. The rating of this book is 10/10. You can finish it in about 6–8 weeks.
2. Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager: How to Be the Leader Your Development Team Needs
written by James Stanier
I recently received an amazing opportunity to lead a high-impact project, but as a first-year employee and first-time project leader, I was feeling daunted and unsure of how to manage the project. After hearing that “Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager” could be helpful even for those not yet in a managerial role, I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned from this book — making to-do lists and having weekly reviews for myself were just a couple of the lessons that I have applied since finishing the book. While some of the content did not necessarily apply to my current position, I still found the book extremely valuable and give it a rating of 9.9/10. It took me 8–9 weeks to finish, but I believe it could be completed in 5–6 weeks at a faster pace.
3. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master
written by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas
Some of you may argue that “The Missing Readme” and “The Pragmatic Programmer” cover the same topic — practical ways to excel in software engineering — but I found that they each discuss it in their own unique way. For this reason, I decided to purchase both books. As the title suggests, this book provides a practical guide to software engineering. I particularly enjoyed the sections on designing software that is ready for change and making software solid through testing, as well as the advice on effectively communicating and working with customers and business units. Overall, I would give this book a 9.5/10 as some of the content can be shortened. It took me about 5–6 weeks to read with some skimming.
As a software engineer, it’s important to constantly seek out new learning opportunities and ways to improve your skills. The three books mentioned in this blog are all excellent resources for helping you do just that. Whether you’re looking to improve your coding skills, learn how to create effective documentation, or gain leadership skills, these books have something to offer.
One thing to keep in mind is that reading these books is just the first step — it’s important to put the concepts into practice in order to truly benefit from them. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things, and don’t be discouraged if things don’t go perfectly at first. Learning and growth take time and effort, but the rewards are well worth it.
I hope these recommendations have been helpful, and that you’ll consider adding one or more of these books to your reading list for 2023. Here’s to a year of learning, growth, and success as a software engineer!
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