Making it Big in Software: Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great. [Paperback]

Sam Lightstone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0137059671 | ISBN-13: 978-0137059676 | Edition: 1

The Software Insider’s Guide to Getting Hired and Getting to the Top!

 

Here’s all the information you need to jumpstart your software career: the best ways to get hired, move up, and blaze your way to the top! The software business has radically changed, and this book reveals today’s realities–everything your professors and corporate managers never told you. In his 20 years at IBM as a software architect, senior manager, and lead programmer, Sam Lightstone has briefed dozens of leading companies and universities on careers, new technology, and emerging areas of research. He currently works on one of the world’s largest software development teams and spends a good part of his time recruiting and mentoring software engineers. This book shares all the lessons for success Sam has learned…plus powerful insights from 17 of the industry’s biggest stars. Want to make it big in software? Start right here!

 

Discover how to

• Get your next job in software development

• Master the nontechnical skills crucial to your success

• “Work the org” to move up rapidly

• Successfully manage your time, projects, and life

• Avoid “killer” mistakes that could destroy your career

• Move up to “medium-shot,” “big-shot,” and finally, “visionary”

• Launch your own winning software company

 

Exclusive interviews with

Steve Wozniak, Inventor, Apple computer

John Schwarz, CEO, Business Objects

James Gosling, Inventor, Java programming language

Marissa Mayer, Google VP, Search Products and User Experience

Jon Bentley, Author, Programming Pearls

Marc Benioff, CEO and founder, Salesforce.com

Grady Booch, IBM Fellow and co-founder Rational Software

Bjarne Stroustrup, Inventor, C++ programming language

David Vaskevitch, Microsoft CTO

Linus Torvalds, Creator, Linux operating system kernel

Richard Stallman, Founder, Free software movement

Peter Norvig, Google’s Director of Research

Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Fellow and Windows Architect

Tom Malloy, Adobe Chief Software Architect

Diane Greene, Co-founder and past CEO of VMware

Robert Kahn, Co-inventor, the Internet

Ray Tomlinson, Inventor, email

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sam Lightstone is the creator of MakingItBigCareers.com as well as Program Director and Senior Technical Staff Member with IBM’s Software Group, where he works for one of the world’s largest software engineering teams on product strategy and R&D. Sam is a sought-after public speaker, author, inventor, recruiter, and mentor. He has presented to dozens of Fortune 500 companies, industrial and scientific conferences, and major universities on topics related to careers, new technology, and emerging research needs. Sam has been quoted in eWeek, InformationWeek, InfoWorld, and the MIT Technology Review. His management career has spanned from small high-performance applied research teams up to large-scale projects with more than 200 staff across multiple geographies.

 

Sam is the founder of the IEEE Data Engineering Workgroup on Self Managing Database Systems and a member of the International Advisory Committee of the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Autonomous and Autonomic Computing Systems. Sam is inventor and co-inventor of more than 30 patents and patents pending and author of several books and scientific papers. In 2003 he was awarded the title of IBM Master Inventor for his contributions to IBM’s patent portfolio and his sustained work mentoring software engineers about the process of invention. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University and a Master of Computer Science & Software Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (March 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0137059671
• ISBN-13: 978-0137059676
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sam Lightstone has briefed dozens of leading companies and universities on technology careers, trends, and emerging areas of software research in his 20 years of employment at IBM. A sought after public speaker, author, and prolific inventor, he currently works on product strategy and product architecture for one of the world's largest commercial software products and spends a good part of his professional time recruiting and mentoring software engineers.

You can learn more about Sam at his personal home page www.SoftwareTradecraft.com, or at his career guide page www.MakingItBigCareers.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing February 13, 2011

By Martín Pérez

Format:Paperback

When I saw all the five star reviews I thought this book must be really good. When I saw all the people interviewed in the book I thought this book had to be great. Well, after reading I have to say that I was wrong.

The book is full of advice but most of it should be quite obvious to the average reader. Things like don't be evil, respect your coworkers, create a plan, consider changing jobs after few years, etc. All are common sense things that can be already found in tons of different books. Apart from that, I found the interviews quite disappointing. I enjoyed the first couple of interviews. Just enough to realize that all the interviews were sharing a good bunch of questions. Seriously, if you have the chance of interviewing such high profile people, why would you want to ask everyone their opinion about graduates or how they keep themselves up to date with technology? Come on! What would you expect them to answer? So, this book offers interviews with great people but the interviews themselves are repetitive and without any interesting content at all.

Don't get me wrong. The book probably has some value, but to just to recent graduates or just to all those people obsessed with grow in the corporate ladder.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Five-star value to junior and mid-level developers May 3, 2010

By Reynold Xin

Format:Paperback

Countless books exist in the market about the software field, covering development techniques, engineering management, to marketing. However, I've yet to find one that gives a systematic overview of career development in the software business, and this is exactly what Sam's new book offers. In large organizations, individuals are often confined to the scope of their positions and this book can fill in the gap between what you do and what software business is all about.

For starters, Sam gives a very good overview of different positions and how each fits into the business structure (e.g. functional testing vs development vs marketing vs CTO vs CEO). He comments on the importance of time management (it's how much you spend on the important yet non-urgent tasks that matters). Later in the book, he writes about how to become great, and then visionary, laying out a "path" for those who are ambitious.

To complement Sam's own experience, he also included 17 interviews with very well known people from the industry. Sam carefully handpicked 17 stars coming from different backgrounds: those with or without graduate degrees, those working for established companies or smaller shops (even Richard Stallman!). Throughout these interviews, the reader can find the key message that is played again, again, and again: there are many different paths to make it big, and it's all about loving and enjoying what you do.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Business/Technology Read Worth The Time April 7, 2010

By non-fiction reader

Format:Paperback

For those in need of inspiring advice and real-life stories, Making it Big in Software is a great read for these economic times. The gist of the book's message is "follow your passion," but Sam Lightstone's mini-essays at the beginning of each chapter remind readers of some business skills which will aid such a pursuit. This would be a great gift to anyone majoring in computer science or information systems... it's always helpful to hear from veteran's in the same field.