This thread just came across my Twitter feed and it's looking like it will turn into a goldmine of resources.
Assuming you've already got the skills to get a job and you can write some code, there are still a ton of things to learn about having a career in software development.
Professional developers benefit from learning things like design patterns, project management strategies, business tactics, and best practices.
If I could only recommend five books for a fledgling developer 👇
For people looking to build a strong technical foundation (in this order):
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
and
For people who want to get better at getting along with other people:
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Share some recommendations with me so I can add them to my reading list. 📚
Top comments (12)
Clean code and code complete are for developers with already a few years of experience.
You do not understand those concepts until you have basics of IDEs, patterns, software, code sharing, working in a team, and so on.
First books should be about learning what sofware is, how a computer works and a programming language with CS basics. I usually add some Logic gamification to prepare the future dev.
Sure. These aren't learn to code books, they are books for devs who are working and looking to level up.
How to Win Friends is a great one.
For people who want to get better at the meta-skill of building habits (like, say, practicing coding every day), James Clear's new book Atomic Habits is a good read.
This one is a little strange, but I recommend it to everyone: Expert C Programming by van der Linden. You don't necessarily learn to be an expert C programmer by reading it, and you don't have to know much about C to pick it up. The book is full of weird and wonderful bits of information about how things work under the hood, mixed with really fun stories and puzzles from the author. :)
One of the best books ever on software development:
The pragmatic programmer: From journeyman to master
I wish I had read it much earlier in my career.
💯
How To Win Friends & Influence People was amazing!!
True that
I read it while I was in my 11 standard
As always, I strongly recommend Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg! Every developer should have to read it, honestly, as it shows what real-world programming is like...and introduces you to just how unpredictable and weird software development actually is.
Learn HTML & CSS and Learn JavaScript & jQuery, both by Jon Duckett, are amazing resources for new and veteran front-end devs alike. They include code samples, interactive exercises that you can work through online, and they are beautifully designed. HIGHLY recommend these to new developers.
Debugging Teams is good as it talks about the culture of the company and working in a team setting.
Thanks for sharing!