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Soft Skills: The software developer's life manual 1st Edition

by John Sonmez (Author)

4.4 474 ratings

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Summary

Soft Skills: The software developer's life manual is a unique guide, offering techniques and practices for a more satisfying life as a professional software developer. In it, developer and life coach John Sonmez addresses a wide range of important "soft" topics, from career and productivity to personal finance and investing, and even fitness and relationships, all from a developer-centric viewpoint.

Forewords by Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob) and Scott Hanselman.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About the Book

For most software developers, coding is the fun part. The hard bits are dealing with clients, peers, and managers, staying productive, achieving financial security, keeping yourself in shape, and finding true love. This book is here to help.

Soft Skills: The software developer's life manual is a guide to a well-rounded, satisfying life as a technology professional. In it, developer and life coach John Sonmez offers advice to developers on important "soft" subjects like career and productivity, personal finance and investing, and even fitness and relationships. Arranged as a collection of 71 short chapters, this fun-to-read book invites you to dip in wherever you like. A Taking Action section at the end of each chapter shows you how to get quick results. Soft Skills will help make you a better programmer, a more valuable employee, and a happier, healthier person.

What's Inside

Boost your career by building a personal brand
John's secret ten-step process for learning quickly
Fitness advice to turn your geekiness to your advantage
Unique strategies for investment and early retirement

About the Author

John Sonmez is a developer, teacher, and life coach who helps technical professionals boost their careers and live a more fulfilled life.

Table of Contents

Why this book is unlike any book you've ever read
SECTION 1: CAREER
Getting started with a "BANG!": Don't do what everyone else does
Thinking about the future: What are your goals?
People skills: You need them more than you think
Hacking the interview
Employment options: Enumerate your choices
What kind of software developer are you?
Not all companies are equal
Climbing the corporate ladder
Being a professional
Freedom: How to quit your job
Freelancing: Going out on your own
Creating your first product
Do you want to start a startup?
Working remotely survival strategies
Fake it till you make it
Resumes are BORING—Let's fix that
Don't get religious about technology
SECTION 2: MARKETING YOURSELF
Marketing basics for code monkeys
Building a brand that gets you noticed
Creating a wildly successful blog
Your primary goal: Add value to others
#UsingSocialNetworks
Speaking, presenting, and training: Speak geek
Writing books and articles that attract a following
Don't be afraid to look like an idiot
SECTION 3: LEARNING
Learning how to learn: How to teach yourself
My 10-step process
Steps 1-6: Do these once
Steps 7-10: Repeat these
Looking for mentors: Finding your Yoda
Taking on an apprentice: Being Yoda
Teaching: Learn you want? Teach you must.
Do you need a degree or can you "wing it?"
Finding gaps in your knowledge
SECTION 4: PRODUCTIVITY
It all starts with focus
My personal productivity plan
Pomodoro Technique
My quota system: How I get way more done than I should
Holding yourself accountable
Multitasking dos and don'ts
Burnout: I've got the cure!
How you're wasting your time
The importance of having a routine
Developing habits: Brushing your code
Breaking things down: How to eat an elephant
The value of hard work and why you keep avoiding it
Any action is better than no action
SECTION 5: FINANCIAL
What are you going to do with your paycheck?
How to negotiate your salary
Options: Where all the fun is
Bits and bytes of real estate investing
Do you really understand your retirement plan?
The danger of debt: SSDs are expensive
Bonus: How I retired at 33
SECTION 6: FITNESS
Why you need to hack your health
Setting your fitness criteria
Thermodynamics, calories, and you
Motivation: Getting your butt out of the chair
How to gain muscle: Nerds can have bulging biceps
How to get hash-table abs
Starting RunningProgram.exe
Standing desks and other hacks
Tech gear for fitness: Geeking out
SECTION 7: SPIRIT
How the mind influences the body
Having the right mental attitude: Rebooting
Building a positive self-image: Programming your brain
Love and relationships: Computers can't hold your hand
My personal success book list
Facing failure head-on
Parting words

About the Author

John Sonmez is the founder of Simple Programmer, where he tirelessly pursues his vision of transforming complex issues into simple solutions. John has published over 50 courses on topics such as iOS, Android, .NET, Java, and game development for the online developer training resource, Pluralsight. He also hosts the Get Up and CODE podcast, where he talks about fitness for programmers. John is a life coach for software developers, and helps software engineers, programmers and other technical professionals boost their careers and live a more fulfilled life.

ISBN-10

1617292397
ISBN-13

978-1617292392
Edition

1st
Publisher

Manning Publications
Publication date

January 6, 2015
Language

English
Dimensions

7 x 1 x 9 inches
Print length

504 pages
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Manning Publications; 1st edition (January 6, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 504 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1617292397
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1617292392
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.8 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #591,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #728 in Software Development (Books)
- #2,948 in Business Motivation & Self-Improvement (Books)
- #7,351 in Success Self-Help

Customer Reviews:
4.4 474 ratings

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John Sonmez

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John Sonmez is a software developer and the author of two best-selling books, The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide and Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual.

He's also the founder of the Simple Programmer blog and YouTube channel, where he reaches 1.4 million software developers yearly with a central message:

Technical skills alone aren't enough for a successful career—or life.

By focusing on "soft skills" like the ability to communicate clearly and lead by example, the mental resilience to bounce back from failure and even an improved level of personal fitness, software developers can break through the "glass ceiling" and enjoy extraordinary success.

John learned these lessons himself the hard way—through trial and error over his 17+ year career as a developer—and he's candid about the fits and starts he struggled through during those early years.

John started his software development career at age 10, hacking C and C++ to create virtual worlds for his favorite MUDs.

When John landed a coveted six-figure Silicon Beach job at age 19, he thought his career was set.

In reality he was only set up for years of frustration and disappointment—from getting "laid off" from that cushy job after underwhelming his boss with his C++ skills, to a spectacular implosion during an intense onsite interview with Microsoft, to finally taking a job outside of programming just to pay the bills.

Eventually though John realized that there's a huge difference between knowing how to program and having all the skills to be a successful, professional software developer—and he set out to develop the technical, leadership and communication skills he lacked.

John went on to become a highly paid consultant in test automation and Agile methodology, and the 55 courses he published with the technical education powerhouse PluralSight makes him one of the most prolific online trainers in the field of software development.

John effectively retired at 32 and moved to San Diego.

Today he focuses his energy on helping other developers achieve the success they desire through the videos, books and courses in his Simple Programmer platform.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

474 global ratings

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Edward

I visited the authors website to get a better picture of him and was bombarded with a pop ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

I almost didn’t buy this book. I visited the authors website to get a better picture of him and was bombarded with a pop up and pictures of his biceps. As an engineer, I thought: “this guy can’t really be one of us” (but who knows? He seems to get readers). I read this books table of contents, and while all the topics are important to understand, they didn’t seem to justify the price of the book to me.

So why did I buy it? I realized I had read a lot of professional software development books: on languages, coding style, design patterns, high level concepts, mindset, etc. But I had a blind spot: no books on software development social/soft skills. I searched for software development books on social skills and this one stuck out. There also doesn’t seem to be much competition (if you know of any other good ones, please let me know).

So against all my instincts telling me “this guy is not really an engineer. He’s a marketing bro. How could he know what he’s talking about? How could this book apply to my life?” I decided to purchase the book. My next thought was shock: “WHAT? The delivery time is TWO WEEKS? It’s not prime!?”

When the book finally arrived and I started reading it, it didn’t take me long to start making highlights, bookmarking sections, and writing notes. The book is good. He gives a lot of good advice in a wide variety of topics. The ones I found most useful were about career planning, networking, marketing, productivity, and mindset. He surprised me by offering advice I hadn’t heard before and can instantly put into practice. I would share them here, but he deserves the book sales.

When you have a book with such a wide variety of topics, it’s inevitable that many readers will already have a good understanding of a few of those topics. For me it was personal finance, fitness, and diet. I didn’t think his chapter on dating added value either.

His writing was simple and easy to understand, but not exactly spellbinding. He opens a lot of chapters with a single paragraph explaining why the subject is important and follows it by saying “now that I’ve convinced you this subject is important…” Most of the time, he didn’t. It felt cheesy. But his points are clear and he offers a lot of important questions to ask yourself.

This book covers a lot of subjects at a high level with examples you can put to use right away. I think most readers will be able to take away a few things that they can apply to their own lives that over time will make a significant difference. What more can you ask for from a book?

38 people found this helpful

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Joel Medina

I'm glad I bought this book early in my career

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2015

Verified Purchase

I'm glad I bought this book early in my career! I'm only 1 year into my professional career (early 20's) and I believe this book has given me the knowledge necessary to be a successful software developer and just a better person overall. I especially enjoyed reading the sections on productivity and learning how to learn. John has learned a lot of what he knows the hard way, through trial and error. I'm glad to have the opportunity to learn from such a knowledgeable professional. Since buying this book I have been reading John's blog and watching his YouTube videos which give additional tips on self improvement for software developers.

I also liked that buying the book gives you access to the PDF because you can then listen to the book using one of the many available PDF to Speech mobile apps. This means I can commute and exercise while learning! (one of his multitasking tips)

Well, now that I have finished the book, time to apply what I have learned! This book will be one that I refer back to over the years.

One person found this helpful

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Richard J Mahler

The missing manual

Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2016

Verified Purchase

A practical guide, covering all aspects of life from a software developer. If you are frustrated at your progress, this book will point you in the right direction. John particular tells you to pick a specialty and tells you the pros and cons of different career paths and how NOT to waste time! He also goes into depth into creating your personal brand and standing out over the competition. Also, I can attest to the sections on learning and productivity - especially the Pomodoro technique. You will have to look it up yourself, but it has done wonders for my daily routine. While I appreciate the sections talking about finance and fitness, they only go into the basics which I think most people don't know. The final section on having the right attitude and dealing with failure is spot on. Overall, a must read if you are starting your career in the world of software development.

One person found this helpful

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Jack

Great overview material

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2016

Verified Purchase

I'm about a hundred pages into this book and I have to say it's good reading. Some other commenters are complaining about it being too shallow, but I think the point of the book is to cover a lot of topics in a well-rounded coverage. As such, the chapters have to be presented in a "100 words or less" kind of treatment (figuratively speaking), and they're meant to act as a springboard for delving deeper into the topics that apply to the particular reader. A lot of what's discussed can apply to any field, not just coding. It has some good common-sense advice and some strategies the reader may not have thought about. I'll no doubt be going back to the book for occasional motivation and ideas whenever I need them.

2 people found this helpful

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DS

Definitely Buy. Covers Right Set of Topics for Overall Growth.

Reviewed in India on January 9, 2024

Verified Purchase

I liked the simplicity of the book and the content. The book is large size, making it even more easier to read and understand the concepts. The reader definitely feels motivated with the non-fancy advise on going about mastering once work and personal life. Highly recommended.

gustavo sanchez

Recomendado.

Reviewed in Mexico on November 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

Un libro de conducta profesional recomendado. No todo en la vida del programador es código, existen temas mas allá de lo técnico que no son tocados. Recomiendo este libro al programador que este buscando mejorar en lo personal y en lo profesional.

2 people found this helpful

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makrelito

Essentiel

Reviewed in France on January 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

Un livre que chaque développeur devrait posséder, une vraie mine d'or pour donner un coup de boost à sa carrière

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ximeg

Very insightful and actionable book about almost every aspect of professional life

Reviewed in Germany on July 28, 2019

Verified Purchase

Despite the "software developer" part of the title this book is applicable to almost every knowledge worker. It provides a well-structured and actionable review of almost every aspect of professional life. It addresses such topics as how to market yourself and get a better job, how to negotiate your salary, how to be professional and what differentiates one from an amateur, how to deal with burnout, how to learn new things quickly and effectively, how to set your goals and reach them, and much more. I also enjoyed the topics about personal finance planning, in particular about avoiding silly spendings and doing smart investments, as well as section about being fit and healthy.

The book is easy to read, it is alive, vibrant, and each section ends with a list of specific actions to follow. I recommend this book to any knowledge worker!

Vivian

Must-read book for software developer

Reviewed in Australia on January 16, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is an awesome book. It tells you about many aspects in career of a software developer. How you can climb corporate ladder, marketing your personal brand, how to write good blog, why developers should go to the gym and what to do there, how to invest as a developer. Many interesting topics. I have been inspired a lot from reading this book. Highly recommend!!!

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