8 ms·

Show HN: My book for programmers called “Junior to Senior” was published today

183 points by dglass 4y ago

After a four year journey, the book I wrote to help junior and mid-level programmers earn their first promotion was published today . The book is titled Junior to Senior: Career Advice for the Ambitious Programmer and is now available on Holloway’s website[0]. I truly believe that soft-skills are what makes the difference between a good programmer and a great one. I also believe that anyone can learn the soft-skills needed to accelerate their programming career. I wish I’d had better resources to learn these things in the early years of my career and I’m hoping this book will become a useful resource for the next generation of programmers to build successful careers. What this book covers: Choosing a career path: generalist vs. specialist What makes you a senior engineer? How to deal with feeling like an impostor How to build trust and work with your manager How to recover when you make a mistake, and what to do during incidents How to ask better questions How to read and understand unfamiliar code How to add value to your team and company How to identify and manage risk How to deliver better results How to communicate more effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences The importance of a healthy work-life balance How to ask for a promotion, and how to prepare for it I wrote this book because these soft-skills are rarely taught in coding bootcamps or computer science degrees, yet they are critical to every programmer’s career trajectory. Almost every programmer I know, including me, had to learn and develop these soft-skills on the job. It took hard work and a lot of trial and error to learn how to communicate my ideas effectively, navigate office politics, manage risk, and so many other things that programmers encounter in their jobs today. Get instant lifetime access at holloway.com. Use this link for a launch discount: [0]: https://www.holloway.com/b/junior-to-senior?vip_code=JTSLAUNCH https://www.holloway.com/b/junior-to-senior?vip_code=JTSLAUN...

luisegr149 4y ago
Any plans for a phisical print in the future?, I do enjoy reading a real book more than a digital one
darrinlallen 4y ago
labarilem 4y ago
Congrats on the book! Glad you're sharing what you learned during your career.
ArcMex 4y ago
Congratulations on the book! I think we need more books like this. Recently on YT, I have been watching more and more videos on the subject. Most of them target beginners (which is fine) but few talk about what comes next. So your book is very welcome.
- dglass 4y ago
  Thank you! I agree, there's plenty of resources out there to learn how to code, but there's a lot that goes into being a professional programmer than just writing code. I'm hoping this will be a good resource for developers working towards their first promotion.
- anaxag0ras 4y ago
  Exactly, it's either targeted for begineer or for advanced. Very few resources on advanced-begineer or intermediate level.
mooreds 4y ago
Congrats! I wrote my own book on a similar topic (link to site in my profile) and I can say without question it was one of my top 5 proudest professional moments. Books are a big deal. And we need more on this topic to help more developers get better at building software faster. (The tech is part of that, but so is the communication.) So, again, congrats!
- dglass 4y ago
  Thanks! And congrats on your book as well. It turned out to be way more work than I imagined, but it was worth it. I ended up learning and growing as an engineer myself during the whole process. Getting the right words down on paper really forces you to organize your thoughts and clarify what points you're trying to make. I'm hoping this helps junior devs focus on the soft skills earlier in their career, rather than putting them off until they're ready for the promotion.
reidjs 4y ago
Is there a kindle version?
- dglass 4y ago
  The kindle version will be release in the future, hopefully soon. We're planning to make some revisions to the book based on some of the feedback (as well as adding/updating the links at the end of each section). So in the short term, the Holloway reader will be the best place to read the book as these revisions are made.
  - kwkelly 4y ago
    If I buy now, will I be able to download for kindle later without having to repurchase?
    - ojoshe 4y ago
      Josh with Holloway here. As David mentioned, this title does not currently include a download to load on to your Kindle. (Most of our readers prefer the online Holloway Reader, and we publish in that format because it's a more powerful reading experience with search, commenting, and easier content updates.) But yes we do add PDF and EPUB formats when there is enough demand. And no downloads do not require repurchase. If you purchase now you are getting online access plus future content updates as well as future download formats that are added. Hope that helps!
gtirloni 4y ago
Holloway seems to support downloads but this book doesn't have that option. Is that intentional?
- dglass 4y ago
  Hmm, I believe you should be able to download it. I've reached out to my contacts at Holloway to see if there's a reason why the download isn't available.
iLoveOncall 4y ago
I've read the free preview on the different meanings of what is a senior engineer, and I have to say I'm not convinced. "Years of experience" VS "Technical ability" is at best reductive, at worst completely wrong. I encourage you to look at large companies and how the levels are defined (https://www.levels.fyi/blog/amazon-leveling-progress.html https://www.levels.fyi/blog/amazon-leveling-progress.html here for example, for Amazon) and the nuance that there is. The different parts you cover are commendable ("How to build trust and work with your manager", "How to ask better questions", etc.), but they are bare minimum requirements for an engineer that has a couple of years of experience, they're not what is needed to reach the senior software engineer level. Junior to not Junior anymore? Sure. Junior to Senior? I don't see it.
- rmbyrro 4y ago
  From his LinkedIn profile, the author doesn't seem to have experience in the likes of Amazon. "Senior" will vary depending on the size of company and the scale of problems it deals with.
  - iLoveOncall 4y ago
    In terms of pure job title I agree, but it's not the way it is presented here. This book claims to give you the keys to unlock the skills you need to reach the "Senior software engineer" level. It doesn't tell you it's not for large companies and it doesn't tell you that the "Senior software engineer" level he is talking about may meet the expectations of one class of company but not the other. The target is specifically "ambitious" software engineers. I'm fairly certain that ambitious software engineers are many to have FAANGs as a target.
    - rmbyrro 4y ago
      That's why I found useful to mention here the type of experience the author had in his career. Prospective readers can judge the likelihood for the book to be useful for them based on this additional data point.
  - metabagel 4y ago
WarChortle 4y ago
I am actually looking for something just like this, I would have bought it right now, if there was a download option. Any chance of getting that enabled, seems like holloway supports it.
- dglass 4y ago
  Pretty sure you should be able to download it, but I don't see the option either. I've reached out to my contacts at Holloway to see if there's a reason why the download isn't available.
oidar 4y ago
How can I read this offline? Doesn't seem to be a way to load it on my kindle or laptop. Is there a PDF?
- dglass 4y ago
  We're planning to make some revisions to the book based on some of the early feedback we've gotten, so for now the Holloway reader is the best place to read the book. We do plan to offer PDF and ePUB versions in the bundle in the future though.
  - amenghra 4y ago
    I would have purchased this today if it were available in PDF or ePUB or Kindle store. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I do understand the appeal of an online reader but you should perhaps consider making your work available in a number of different channels to suit potential buyers' preferences (i.e. you are probably leaving money on the table by only having an online reader option).
Simon_O_Rourke 4y ago
Fantastic, just ordered a copy! I would be interested to know how you found self-publication? What did you use to write it, and where did you market it apart from HN? How many are you hoping to sell?
swyx 4y ago
congrats on shipping, OP. i also wrote a jr to sr book and it was one of the most rewarding things i've ever done. good luck!
redleggedfrog 4y ago
Honestly, that list above has lots of things Seniors probably could brush up on.
thedangler 4y ago
Out of curiosity, how much does holloway.com take from each sale? Are you allowed to sell digital or physical copies yourself?
mattcristal 4y ago
It looks very good! Once the Kindle version will be available I will buy it!
manv1 4y ago
A junior engineer reads an API to do what they need to do. A senior reads an API to figure out what can be done. That there one the major differences between he two.
FromTheSteppe 4y ago
Now this, is a book I'm willing to hoop around US sanctions and then fight Iran's internet filtering to read. Thank you.

183 points by dglass 4y ago

luisegr149 4y ago

Any plans for a phisical print in the future?, I do enjoy reading a real book more than a digital one

darrinlallen 4y ago

labarilem 4y ago

Congrats on the book! Glad you're sharing what you learned during your career.

ArcMex 4y ago

Congratulations on the book! I think we need more books like this. Recently on YT, I have been watching more and more videos on the subject. Most of them target beginners (which is fine) but few talk about what comes next. So your book is very welcome.

dglass 4y ago
Thank you! I agree, there's plenty of resources out there to learn how to code, but there's a lot that goes into being a professional programmer than just writing code. I'm hoping this will be a good resource for developers working towards their first promotion.
anaxag0ras 4y ago
Exactly, it's either targeted for begineer or for advanced. Very few resources on advanced-begineer or intermediate level.

mooreds 4y ago

Congrats! I wrote my own book on a similar topic (link to site in my profile) and I can say without question it was one of my top 5 proudest professional moments. Books are a big deal. And we need more on this topic to help more developers get better at building software faster. (The tech is part of that, but so is the communication.) So, again, congrats!

dglass 4y ago
Thanks! And congrats on your book as well. It turned out to be way more work than I imagined, but it was worth it. I ended up learning and growing as an engineer myself during the whole process. Getting the right words down on paper really forces you to organize your thoughts and clarify what points you're trying to make. I'm hoping this helps junior devs focus on the soft skills earlier in their career, rather than putting them off until they're ready for the promotion.

reidjs 4y ago

Is there a kindle version?

dglass 4y ago
The kindle version will be release in the future, hopefully soon. We're planning to make some revisions to the book based on some of the feedback (as well as adding/updating the links at the end of each section). So in the short term, the Holloway reader will be the best place to read the book as these revisions are made.
- kwkelly 4y ago
  If I buy now, will I be able to download for kindle later without having to repurchase?
  - ojoshe 4y ago
    Josh with Holloway here. As David mentioned, this title does not currently include a download to load on to your Kindle. (Most of our readers prefer the online Holloway Reader, and we publish in that format because it's a more powerful reading experience with search, commenting, and easier content updates.) But yes we do add PDF and EPUB formats when there is enough demand. And no downloads do not require repurchase. If you purchase now you are getting online access plus future content updates as well as future download formats that are added. Hope that helps!

gtirloni 4y ago

Holloway seems to support downloads but this book doesn't have that option. Is that intentional?

dglass 4y ago
Hmm, I believe you should be able to download it. I've reached out to my contacts at Holloway to see if there's a reason why the download isn't available.

iLoveOncall 4y ago

I've read the free preview on the different meanings of what is a senior engineer, and I have to say I'm not convinced. "Years of experience" VS "Technical ability" is at best reductive, at worst completely wrong. I encourage you to look at large companies and how the levels are defined (https://www.levels.fyi/blog/amazon-leveling-progress.html https://www.levels.fyi/blog/amazon-leveling-progress.html here for example, for Amazon) and the nuance that there is. The different parts you cover are commendable ("How to build trust and work with your manager", "How to ask better questions", etc.), but they are bare minimum requirements for an engineer that has a couple of years of experience, they're not what is needed to reach the senior software engineer level. Junior to not Junior anymore? Sure. Junior to Senior? I don't see it.

rmbyrro 4y ago
From his LinkedIn profile, the author doesn't seem to have experience in the likes of Amazon. "Senior" will vary depending on the size of company and the scale of problems it deals with.
- iLoveOncall 4y ago
  In terms of pure job title I agree, but it's not the way it is presented here. This book claims to give you the keys to unlock the skills you need to reach the "Senior software engineer" level. It doesn't tell you it's not for large companies and it doesn't tell you that the "Senior software engineer" level he is talking about may meet the expectations of one class of company but not the other. The target is specifically "ambitious" software engineers. I'm fairly certain that ambitious software engineers are many to have FAANGs as a target.
  - rmbyrro 4y ago
    That's why I found useful to mention here the type of experience the author had in his career. Prospective readers can judge the likelihood for the book to be useful for them based on this additional data point.
- metabagel 4y ago

WarChortle 4y ago

I am actually looking for something just like this, I would have bought it right now, if there was a download option. Any chance of getting that enabled, seems like holloway supports it.

dglass 4y ago
Pretty sure you should be able to download it, but I don't see the option either. I've reached out to my contacts at Holloway to see if there's a reason why the download isn't available.

oidar 4y ago

How can I read this offline? Doesn't seem to be a way to load it on my kindle or laptop. Is there a PDF?

dglass 4y ago
We're planning to make some revisions to the book based on some of the early feedback we've gotten, so for now the Holloway reader is the best place to read the book. We do plan to offer PDF and ePUB versions in the bundle in the future though.
- amenghra 4y ago
  I would have purchased this today if it were available in PDF or ePUB or Kindle store. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I do understand the appeal of an online reader but you should perhaps consider making your work available in a number of different channels to suit potential buyers' preferences (i.e. you are probably leaving money on the table by only having an online reader option).

Simon_O_Rourke 4y ago

Fantastic, just ordered a copy! I would be interested to know how you found self-publication? What did you use to write it, and where did you market it apart from HN? How many are you hoping to sell?

swyx 4y ago

congrats on shipping, OP. i also wrote a jr to sr book and it was one of the most rewarding things i've ever done. good luck!

redleggedfrog 4y ago

Honestly, that list above has lots of things Seniors probably could brush up on.

thedangler 4y ago

Out of curiosity, how much does holloway.com take from each sale? Are you allowed to sell digital or physical copies yourself?

mattcristal 4y ago

It looks very good! Once the Kindle version will be available I will buy it!

manv1 4y ago

A junior engineer reads an API to do what they need to do. A senior reads an API to figure out what can be done. That there one the major differences between he two.

FromTheSteppe 4y ago

Now this, is a book I'm willing to hoop around US sanctions and then fight Iran's internet filtering to read. Thank you.