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

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?

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.

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.

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.