Do you consider a career as a software developer? Are you tempted by high salaries, social mobility, remote working and impressive outlook? Are you afraid of competition and difficulty in learning? Are you confused about where to start? If so, this book is right for you.
Or perhaps you work with developers, hire them, or even live with one? This book can help you understand their world as well.
Many positions on the market focus on teaching how to code, build systems, and manage databases. Not many of them explain what a developer's work looks like, what are the career paths and obstacles? It's challenging to find a publication that allows you to choose the right specialisation, explain your new environment, set expectations, and calculate the risks.
Łukasz Marek Sielski, developer and manager with over two decades of experience in the trade, shares his experiences and observations. Based on his learnings and the stories of people around him, he tries to give you the essential knowledge before investing your time and money in courses and training.
The book starts by explaining the "Destination" - kinds of developers and other professions in IT, possible earnings, and the impact this choice may have on your future. Then, in "My Story", he walks you through his experience from a self-taught coder to Head of Software Development, sharing his successes and failures. In "Path", he explains what it takes to learn and land your first job and where it may take you further. In "Work", you dig deeper into technical knowledge to understand how different systems work, what programming looks like, how work is organised and how to approach your daily tasks. In the last part, "Environment", he sets your expectations towards the employer, manager, colleagues and the market. He also discusses complex problems like imposter syndrome, burnout and lack of diversity.
