The Software Engineer's Guidebook: Navigating senior, tech lead, and staff engineer positions at tech companies and startups
Product ID: 579981623
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In my first few years as a developer I assumed that hard work was all I needed. Then I was passed over for a promotion and my manager couldn’t give me feedback on what areas to improve, so I could get to the senior engineer level. I was frustrated; even bitter: not as much about missing the promotion, but because of the lack of guidance. By the time I became a manager, I was determined to support engineers reporting to me with the kind of feedback and support I wish I would have gotten years earlier. And I did. While my team tripled over the next two years, people became visibly better engineers, and this progression was clear from performance reviews and promotions. This book is a summary of the advice I’ve given to software engineers over the years – and then some more. This book follows the structure of a “typical” career path for a software engineer , from starting out as a fresh-faced software developer, through being a role model senior/lead, all the way to the staff/principle/distinguished level. It summarizes what I’ve learned as a developer and how I’ve approached coaching engineers at different stages of their careers. We cover “soft” skills which become increasingly important as your seniority increases, and the “hard” parts of the job, like software engineering concepts and approaches which help you grow professionally. The names of levels and their expectations can – and do! – vary across companies. The higher “tier” a business is, the more tends to be expected of engineers, compared to lower tier places. For example, the “senior engineer” level has notoriously high expectations at Google (L5 level) and Meta (E5 level,) compared to lower-tier companies. If you work at a higher-tier business, it may be useful to read the chapters about higher levels, and not only the level you’re currently interested in. The book is composed of six standalone parts, each made up of several chapters: Part 1: Developer Career Fundamentals Part 2: The Competent Software Developer Part 3: The Well-Rounded Senior Engineer Part 4: The Pragmatic Tech Lead Part 5: Role Model Staff and Principal Engineers Part 6: Conclusion Parts 1 and 6 apply to all engineering levels, from entry-level software developer, to principal-and-above engineer. Parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 cover increasingly senior engineering levels and group together topics in chapters, such as “Software Engineering,” “Collaboration,” “Getting Things Done,” etc. Naming and levels vary, but the principles of what makes a great engineer who is impactful at the individual, team, and organizational levels, are remarkably constant. No matter where you are in your career, I hope this book provides a fresh perspective and new ideas on how to grow as an engineer. Praise for the book “From performance reviews to P95 latency, from team dynamics to testing, Gergely demystifies all aspects of a software career. This book is well named: it really does feel like the missing guidebook for the whole industry.” – Tanya Reilly, senior principal engineer and author of The Staff Engineer's Path "Spanning a huge range of topics from technical to social in a concise manner, this belongs on the desk of any software engineer looking to grow their impact and their career. You'll reach for it again and again for sage advice in any situation." – James Stanier, Director of Engineering at Shopify, author of TheEngineeringManager.com Review: Useful information especially for junior developers - The author traces a consistent path, from describing the industry landscape, then the roles and he brings the reader naturally into the senior engineer landscape and cross team collaboration. Plenty of useful tips, albeit some are obvious, along the way that every engineer should keep in mind during their growth. I found the advice practical and actionable, and adds suggestions even at senior levels to expand knowlege and foster collaboration. Review: Very good book - is very good book written from a very experienced person which i followed him for years in LinkedIn, very useful to ready it when you start your career in junior and mid level. The only negative is the material of the book is not in a great quality for the price that you pay.
| Best Sellers Rank | 59,678 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 18 in Software Design & Development 18 in Programming Languages & Tools 19 in Computing & Internet for Professionals |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 581 Reviews |
A**A
Useful information especially for junior developers
The author traces a consistent path, from describing the industry landscape, then the roles and he brings the reader naturally into the senior engineer landscape and cross team collaboration. Plenty of useful tips, albeit some are obvious, along the way that every engineer should keep in mind during their growth. I found the advice practical and actionable, and adds suggestions even at senior levels to expand knowlege and foster collaboration.
N**K
Very good book
is very good book written from a very experienced person which i followed him for years in LinkedIn, very useful to ready it when you start your career in junior and mid level. The only negative is the material of the book is not in a great quality for the price that you pay.
F**C
If you're building software or working with engineers, this book is a must
If you're building software or working with engineers, this book is a must. It takes you through the journey we've all been on, figuring things out as we go, learning from mistakes, and growing in our careers. Gergely Orosz does a fantastic job of breaking down complex topics into something clear and practical. It's packed with real-world advice and insights that are hard to come by. Just like The Design of Everyday Things is a must-read for designers, this should be the go-to book for anyone involved in software development. In fact, I think every technical interview should start with: "What’s your favourite part of Orosz’s book?" Highly recommended, especially for those who don’t come from a technical background but want to work closely with engineers.
M**K
Required Reading for Software Engineers
I've just finished reading Gergely Orosz's book "The Software Engineer's Guidebook". I think it may be required reading for Software Engineers. The book addresses many of the career and role questions that Software Engineers will ask their managers or mentors. Topics such as... - How can I succeed as a Software Engineer? - What's the difference between being Senior and Staff/Principal? - What does it mean to be a Tech Lead, and how do you succeed as one? The book covers a lot of topics, so it doesn't always go into a ton of detail, but it gives the reader plenty of help/tips/guidance. I recognised and agreed with all of it, and reminded myself of a few things I should be doing better at. I suspect I'll dip into this book in the future, and quote from it when mentoring others.
G**Y
Must read, but gets very repetitive
As a senior level software engineer I found myself enjoying this book, but only up until midway through. After that it kind of got repetitive and stopped being enjoyable
V**N
Excellent! Mentor in your hands.
I love this book! I am a junior IT professional and this book feels like I have a mentor at my fingertips. The content is so thought-provoking, inspiration in my hands giving me much-needed perspective. To become the best version of myself in my career and progress to the next levels.
A**R
Great book on various aspects of software engineering career
This book will be useful for both beginner programmers and experienced ones. Here, you will find actionable advices that you can use from day one to improve your performance as an engineer and build a successful career in any company. Starting with a general overview of engineering skills, the book then advances to different career paths: senior engineer, tech lead, and staff+ people. For each stage, Gergely explains a set of key competencies you need to develop and care for to be effective. I wish I had such a book in the beginning of my IT path. For now, it is the best IT book of 2024 for me.
P**Y
Ok book
This book contains some valuable insights, but many of its concepts and ideas are already covered in other sources. Some sections are a bit oversimplified, and there are several printing errors throughout, including missing fonts and typos. While it can be a helpful supplementary read, you’ll be disappointed if you treat it as software engineering gospel.
G**A
Realmente prático
Muito bem escrito, atualizado, realista. Um livro prático para quem está começando ou pra quem já tem experiência. Tem um ponto de vista equilibrado que te ajuda a ver a sua carreira de um ponto de vista diferente, mais amplo e ao mesmo tempo objetivo.
A**R
Great information
I ordered this after following the Pragmatic Engineer newsletter for years and I am glad I bought this book! Has great useful advice for multiple stages of your career so you can continuously look towards the next step
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