Dan Moore - Letters to a New Developer: What I Wish I Had Known When Starting My Development Career

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This book is full of lessons Ive learned. I wrote it to help new developers like you. When I started developing software, I had many assumptions. Over the last two decades of working in companies both big and small, alongside tens of thousands of employees and as a startup cofounder, I saw how my assumptions were incorrect.

During that time, I also was introduced to specialties and disciplines that I never imagined were part of software development, and my eyes were opened further.

It was not always easy to learn. I made missteps. I was humbled by teammates, managers, and clients. More than once, I had to sit down at the computer and grind.

I wrote this book to share all this with you.

However, this is not a book about a certain technology or a specialized program you might use. Sure, there is an entire chapter about tools a developer should eventually master, but specific technologies are beside the point. If you are looking for a book to help you understand the latest JavaScript framework, microservices architecture, or DevOps platform (or, for the ambitious, all three!), please buy a different book.

This book is, instead, about principles and practices that never go out of style. These were germane two decades ago and will be relevant far into the future. A lot of what Ill cover are called soft skills , but theyre pretty hard to learn. As far as I know, no college or bootcamp offers How to Make Mistakes 101. It was easier for me to learn how to program a computer than how to collaborate with a team. Computers get faster every year, but people change every day. And they matter. Software exists only because humans shape it, need it, and pay for it.

Among other topics, this book includes practices to help you level up as a developer, tools to learn, the right way to ask questions, and the role of community in software development.

Over many years, I have learned what it takes to be a professional software developer. While I think anybody working in software can benefit from this book, I wrote it for three audiences: new developers, people considering software development as a career, and mentors.

You are new to the software development job market . Perhaps you have completed a bootcamp or college degree. You may refer to yourself as an entry-level or junior engineer.

While everyones background and skills growth happens at different speeds, new developers generally have less than five years of professional experience. Many new developers are worried about their abilities, dont feel welcome, and have a difficult time finding that first job.

But as an industry, we need more new developers. There are so many problems with which software can help. Companies want experienced engineers, but all the senior developers I know started out as new developers. A senior engineer is just a new engineer seasoned with gaffes, education, and time.

For new developers, this book will help you avoid missteps Ive made. It also introduces you to disciplines beyond coding critical to success. While programming is crucial for any software product or service, there is much more required to deliver an application.

If youre not sure if software engineering is right for you, this book offers perspectives on how to succeed.

Ive intentionally kept the barriers to the layperson low with limited technical jargon. Only a few technologies are discussed, and those sections can be skipped. If you are thinking about becoming a developer, Id recommend buying this book and a book about programming.

Giving a computer commands that it can execute is an important skill for any software developer. But software engineering is so much more. You must know what to build, how to work with your team, and how to maintain your systems.

If you are mentoring a new developer, this book can serve as a discussion guide. Because each chapter has letters approaching a theme from different angles, you and your mentee will find it useful for focused mentoring sessions.

As an experienced developer, youll of course bring your own insights and experience to each topic, from your debugging process to the value of an online community for continuous learning.

And, of course, you may have had a different experience than what I share. Such contrasts are a jumping-off point to discuss the diversity available in a software development career.

This book is a conversation.

Each chapter consists of letters around a theme, written from me to you. This format allows me to approach a topic from different perspectives. At the same time, each letter is easy to read in a single sitting. I read before bed and wanted to write a software book that would neither keep you up nor put you to sleep.

To give the reader a broader view, I have invited other engineers and professionals, from recent bootcamp graduates to CTOs, to contribute their viewpoints. Youll see their letters interspersed among mine, signed by the author.