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The Missing README: A Guide for the New Software Engineer

by Chris Riccomini (Author), Dmitriy Ryaboy (Author)

4.7 107 ratings

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Key concepts and best practices for new software engineers — stuff critical to your workplace success that you weren’t taught in school.

For new software engineers, knowing how to program is only half the battle. You’ll quickly find that many of the skills and processes key to your success are not taught in any school or bootcamp. The Missing README fills in that gap—a distillation of workplace lessons, best practices, and engineering fundamentals that the authors have taught rookie developers at top companies for more than a decade.

Early chapters explain what to expect when you begin your career at a company. The book’s middle section expands your technical education, teaching you how to work with existing codebases, address and prevent technical debt, write production-grade software, manage dependencies, test effectively, do code reviews, safely deploy software, design evolvable architectures, and handle incidents when you’re on-call. Additional chapters cover planning and interpersonal skills such as Agile planning, working effectively with your manager, and growing to senior levels and beyond.

You’ll learn:

How to use the legacy code change algorithm, and leave code cleaner than you found it
How to write operable code with logging, metrics, configuration, and defensive programming
How to write deterministic tests, submit code reviews, and give feedback on other people’s code
The technical design process, including experiments, problem definition, documentation, and collaboration
What to do when you are on-call, and how to navigate production incidents
Architectural techniques that make code change easier
Agile development practices like sprint planning, stand-ups, and retrospectives

This is the book your tech lead wishes every new engineer would read before they start. By the end, you’ll know what it takes to transition into the workplace–from CS classes or bootcamps to professional software engineering.

ISBN-10

1718501838
ISBN-13

978-1718501836
Publisher

No Starch Press
Publication date

2021
August 4
Language

EN
English
Dimensions

6.0 x 0.9 x 9.0
inches
Length

288
Pages
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From the Publisher


'Thorough overview' "This is an impressively thorough overview of the many skills a new software engineer will need to learn, beyond coding, to be successful in the job." —Camille Fournier, former VP of Technology at Goldman Sachs	'Excellent reference' "An accessible, handy guide to practical aspects of being a Software Engineer . . . The clear, Readme-style writing makes this book an excellent reference for any level Software Engineer from Intern to CTO." —Tim Burns, Data Architect	'Fun to read' "Fun to read, full of sage advice and priceless stories. It is like having coffee with a senior mentor, except you don't even need to come up with the right questions." —Gwen Shapira, Engineering Leader at Confluent

About the Authors

Chris Riccomini is a software engineer, startup investor, and advisor with more than a decade of experience at major tech companies such as PayPal, LinkedIn, and WePay. He has been involved in open source throughout his career and is the author of Apache Samza.

Dmitriy Ryaboy is a software engineer and engineering manager. He’s worked at a variety of companies and organizations, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Cloudera, and Twitter. He helped create and grow multiple open-source projects, including Apache Parquet. Dmitriy is currently the Vice President of software engineering at Zymergen.

About the Publisher

No Starch Press has published the finest in geek entertainment since 1994, creating both timely and timeless titles like Python Crash Course, Python for Kids, How Linux Works, and Hacking: The Art of Exploitation. An independent, San Francisco-based publishing company, No Starch Press focuses on a curated list of well-crafted books that make a difference. They publish on many topics, including computer programming, cybersecurity, operating systems, and LEGO. The titles have personality, the authors are passionate experts, and all the content goes through extensive editorial and technical reviews. Long known for its fun, fearless approach to technology, No Starch Press has earned wide support from STEM enthusiasts worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This is an impressively thorough overview of the many skills a new software engineer will need to learn, beyond coding, to be successful in the job. A great book for new college grads and those just entering the profession who want to see what the next phase of their career curriculum will be.”
—Camille Fournier, former Vice President of Technology at Goldman Sachs and author of The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change

"The Missing README is exactly the book I wish I had when I started my career. Fun to read, full of sage advice and priceless stories. It is like having coffee with a senior mentor, except you don't even need to come up with the right questions. Very useful for engineers early in their career, and senior engineers who wonder what they missed."
—Gwen Shapira, Engineering Leader at Confluent

"The Missing README is an excellent practical introduction to the day-to-day realities of software engineering in the 21st century. It covers the wide range of essential skills, techniques and heuristics that you'll need to be an effective part of any team that builds, deploys and operates production systems."
—Adewale Oshineye, Developer Advocate at Google and co-author of Apprenticeship Patterns

"This book puts together all the things you don’t learn on your own starting out. The information is well organized and a pleasure to read. I will be giving a copy to all my interns and new college grads."
—Thomas Hanley, Senior Engineering Manager

"An accessible, handy guide to practical aspects of being a Software Engineer . . . The clear, Readme-style writing makes this book an excellent reference for any level Software Engineer from Intern to CTO."
—Tim Burns, Data Architect

"The Missing README provides practical and actionable insights for both new and seasoned developers. The authors cover, in detail, how to expertly navigate widespread obstacles software developers will encounter at any organization they join. This book is the README we all need."
—George D., Advanced Reviewer

“The Missing README is like having a mentor on hand to give how-to tips and general encouragement. The book acknowledges that it will not describe every workplace or every situation, but the lessons offered should prove useful to both junior engineers and those already on their career path. For undergraduate students it could serve as a textbook for the things you don’t learn in Software Engineering Class . . . I plan to incorporate the chapter on 'Learning to Learn' as part of my lesson plans because I am always happy for my students to hear advice from another source."
—Mary Moore, Professor of Computer Information Systems at West Virginia University, Advanced Reviewer

About the Author

Chris Riccomini is a software engineer, startup investor, and advisor with more than a decade of experience at major tech companies such as PayPal, LinkedIn, and WePay. He has been involved in open source throughout his career and is the author of Apache Samza.

Dmitriy Ryaboy is a software engineer and engineering manager. He’s worked at a variety of companies and organizations, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Cloudera, and Twitter. He helped create and grow multiple open-source projects, including Apache Parquet. Dmitriy is currently the Vice President of software engineering at Zymergen.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Starch Press (August 4, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1718501838
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1718501836
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.01 x 0.85 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #180,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #95 in Microsoft Programming (Books)
- #149 in Software Development (Books)
- #318 in Programming Languages (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 107 ratings

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Chris Ricoomini
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Chris Riccomini is a software engineer, startup investor, and advisor with more than a decade of experience at major tech companies such as PayPal, LinkedIn, and WePay. He has been involved in open source throughout his career and is the author of Apache Samza.
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Dmitriy Ryaboy
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4.7 out of 5

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Guy

Really useful book for getting situated really quick

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2023

Verified Purchase

Highly recommended for someone getting started or anyone wanting to assess their own situation at work.

Helpful

Zuhayr E.

Good book for those entering the software engineering industry

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book is really good in that it covers a lot of important topics which are not taught in a traditional school setting. Highly reccomend to understand the different tools and processes important in software development

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xamat

Great overview of all the practical aspects of software engineering

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

I started reading this book thinking that I would probably find it boring and uninteresting, particularly because it is pitched as a guide for the *new* software engineer, and I am quite old :-) In fact, I have been in management/leadership for some time, so I am pretty far from what you would consider an entry level engineer. However, I ended up loving the book, and now I recommend it not only to junior engineers, but also to senior engineers who mentor juniors, to managers, and even to non-engineers who want to understand what software engineering is all about.

The Missing Readme covers all the practical aspects of day-to-day engineering that are not covered in most CS studies or technical books. Many years ago I was a Software Engineering professor at the undergrad level, and we tried to cover some of the topics in the book (like testing and release management). I wish I had had this book back then for the students! The book not only covers the most important topics in software engineering and includes a lot of practical tips and anecdotes, but also has a lot of references after each chapter in their "Level Up" section. And, it is so accessible that even non-engineers (or managers) can read through it without having to skip too many sections for being "too technical".

Again, totally recommended whether you are a new engineer fresh out of an undergrad or bootcamp, a seasoned one in charge of mentoring new folks, a manager, or someone working in tech wanting to understand "engineering culture".

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

Melissa R

Essential reading, especially for Bootcamp grads!

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

When graduating from a bootcamp I felt very aware of the fact there was a lot of things in Software Engineering that I didn't know, and the things I knew I didn't know was just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more below the surface that I wouldn't have even been aware of that existed that I didn't know, things you only learn through decades of industry experience. This book uncovers a lot of the key pieces that are essential to software engineering, but that are rarely taught in school.

I highly recommend this to anyone in and around the world of software engineering!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

ival

An excellent book for doing SWE in industry

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

Absolutely great, not only for new SWE but even for those already doing development for a while. It is written clearly yet concisely with "level up" sections linking out to additional resources about the subject at the end of each chapter. This book covers many parts of SWE development work outside of direct coding, carefully weaving useful advice while avoiding over-focusing on particular tools/frameworks/etc. I think the two main omissions (and no book can really cover everything) are (1) issues related to security and (2) issues related to developing cloud-native code.

3 people found this helpful

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Abdul

Excellent read!

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2022

Verified Purchase

Excellent read and I recommend it even to those who haven’t landed their first developer job. Currently on 5th chapter but decided to drop a review based on the content I’ve already consumed.

3 people found this helpful

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Albert

Great book with practical examples

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

A great introduction to the status quo in the software Engineering industry. Good prep for any one starting a new job

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2022

Verified Purchase

Just kind of tells people how to behave in the workplace.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Should be default reading material for any new SWE

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2023

Verified Purchase

Recommended by my manager after I was struggling a bit - has been a whole-heartedly excellent guide to navigating the tech world for someone who is not from a compSci or software engineering background. It gives you practical tips on how to approach skilling up from a technical perspective as well as how to interact with the rest of the team effectively. A lot of unwritten rules that I found out by myself after a lot of stress were already discussed in this book which I appreciate. I'm still only in the beginning few chapters but I have a lot of hope for what I can learn.

R. Sampathkumar

Good but gets into the weeds despite calling itself a README

Reviewed in India on September 5, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is a very useful book, and should be a reference one comes back to. I can think of this book being useful for many engineers who have spent a few years in the industry, or for engineering managers who have lost touch with the tech stuff. I wish I'd discovered this years ago.

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