The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide: book review and summary

This book caught my attention because of its striking cover, and a quick flick through the table of contents intrigued me - especially the section on what to wear to programming job interviews and at the office.

Months later - mainly because it's too big and heavy to take anywhere - I've finally finished The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide. This hefty volume covers a vast array of topics, and I have very mixed feelings about it. Here's my review and a summary of the key takeaways.

Positive impressions

Comprehensive coverage

I enjoyed the sheer breadth of topics covered in this book. There really is nothing like it that I've come across.

There are also topics I wouldn't have expected, and the author even gives content warnings where he's about to be politically incorrect - very surprising for a software development book! - but I thought it was actually quite sensitively written.

The most controversial topic (considering changing your foreign-sounding name to avoid xenophobia in the workplace) is definitely something you might want to consider doing if you feel it is affecting your career - though John doesn't actually flat-out recommend this and has suffered from this problem himself.

While the advice may be controversial and the chapter unusual, it demonstrates the author's commitment to tackling the challenges developers face.

Writing style

The author adopts a conversational tone throughout the book, making complex topics more digestible and engaging. This chatty style helps to break down barriers between the reader and the material, creating a more enjoyable reading experience.

However, the writing can sometimes become repetitive, with key points being restated frequently. While this repetition may help reinforce essential concepts, some readers might find it unnecessary and potentially tedious.

Humour is woven throughout the book, providing welcome relief from its often dry nature. Surprisingly, the chapter on DevOps stood out to me for its comedic content.

Book design

The book's design is a standout feature, beginning with its eye-catching cover. The combination of orange and white text on a black background creates a visually striking effect.

Internally, the generous use of white space enhances readability and gives the book a premium feel. While the resulting size may be somewhat unwieldy, it also lends the book a sense of authority and comprehensiveness that many readers will appreciate.

Interesting reading list

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the reading list. I've read a few of the titles and wholeheartedly agree with his reviews, so I'm strongly inclined to check out the others. Interestingly, he also recommends some fiction.

Negative impressions

It's unnecessarily huge.

The book is physically massive - 19.05 x 4.57 x 23.5 cm (7.5 x 1.75 x 9.25 inches) and 1.361 kg (3 pounds). And while it is a long text (the audiobook is approximately 20 hours long, much longer than a typical 11 hours), I believe it could have been much smaller, with a more concise writing style and considerably less white space on the page (even though I appreciate this from a purely aesthetic point of view).

This is a minor gripe, though, compared to my next point.

Excessive self-promotion

John is endlessly plugging his other books, courses & products. On practically every page, sometimes multiple times on a single page, there's a link to something or other that comes with an extra charge. At least in print, you can quickly skim past these links, as they're visually distinctive, but this must be highly annoying in the audiobook version, especially if you're trying to listen while driving and can't keep skipping ahead quickly.

He says this self-promotion is the intelligent thing to do, but I can't entirely agree. He might have made a ton of money from his books and courses (he says he's earned several million in the book), but this doesn't warm me to him as a person. In fact, it does quite the opposite. Also, if you brag about how much money you have, don't be surprised if people download your book illegally without feeling guilty.

Ultimately, some self-promotion is a given, but it's better to let your work do the talking for you. And you really need to be transparent and upfront to avoid annoying your customers - there's no warning on the Amazon listing or his own website.

Additionally, there are lots of links peppered throughout the book that need an explanation as to what they contain. If you saw this in print with no explanation, would you bother to type it out?https://simpleprogrammer.com/cg37-frustrateI did it for a few of them and quickly realised it wasn't worth the effort. These links would be more acceptable on a blog (although ideally, they'd be embedded images), but you really need to consider if they're worth including in a printed book.

I found it frustrating to finally put away my laptop and settle down with a book, only to feel that I should be checking a link because it might be helpful or essential, but then get a tenuously relevant meme or photo.

Ultimately, these links are disruptive and annoying and add very little value.

The price isn't justified.

I read an interesting article/thread recently (which I now can't find) by Gayle Laakmann McDowell - author of Cracking the Coding Interview. She was explaining why technical books are so expensive.

Gayle's book is £28.25 on Amazon right now, which, although expensive for a paperback, is fairly cheap compared to a lot of technical books. I'm sure people are always moaning about the price, though, so I wasn't surprised to see her clap back.

Her argument was that the books have a small audience, take a very long time to write, must be tested thoroughly, and are out of date within a year or two. This makes a lot of sense to me.

However, none of this applies to the Career Guide. It's not technical, the content won't date quickly, and there's no code - it's not even a hardback. It's a regular non-fiction book and should be priced as such. Definitely not more than £20.

More things that annoyed me

'Just get up an hour earlier.'

I find the phrase 'just get up an hour earlier' annoying - whether it's for career advice, learning a new skill, or getting fitter.

Firstly, because it's always centred on early risers - when did you ever hear someone say, 'Just stay up an hour later'? Second, because time management doesn't work like that, something has to be sacrificed in order to get an extra hour out of the day, and sacrificing sleep isn't likely to work as intended.

Sure, if you said, 'Reduce your social media use by one hour per day', you'd have a point. But telling people to sleep less in a book that also repeatedly tells you to improve your fitness seems misguided.

Fitness advice in a software development book

I found this odd. Sure, most of us could do with more exercise, but why say that in this kind of book? It's about as relevant as a database management book reminding us to floss our teeth and make sure our car tyres are inflated to the correct pressure.

Bragging about his income

Perhaps it's because I'm British, but I found this aspect incredibly cringe and vulgar.

We love to imagine that becoming successful will make people like us, but very often, the opposite is true, and people will be waiting with contempt for you to trip and fall. Plus, they won't feel bad about stealing your content.

Creating a reputation

It's very annoying when good-looking people say that anyone can be an influencer because it's simply not true. Particularly annoying when the author used to be a model(opens in a new tab).

Sure, anyone could post regular social media content, but pretty people are much more likely to have positive outcomes, making it easier to keep up the commitment.

My key takeaways

Firstly, a word of warning. I'm a full-stack web developer with nearly 1 year of experience, and I skipped quite a few chapters that weren't relevant to me, e.g. the section on management.

I didn't read the chapter on game development because I'm not interested in developing games! Don't get me wrong, I love playing games (Plague Tale Requiem on PS5 being my favourite), but there's a big difference between playing and developing games that I'm not sure many people have grasped. I don't understand this field's draw - especially as the oversupply of applicants means that the jobs typically pay much less than other divisions.

Learning new technology

When learning a new technology, get a broad overview before digging into details. Try watching a 100 Seconds YouTube video and searching for common difficulties using the technology before you get started.

Setting your expectations about how long something will take and how difficult it will be can keep you motivated and help you appreciate the scale of the challenge.

Dress smarter than you need to

The company dress code might be casual but your clothes still say a lot about you, and you probably want to make a good impression. Coming across as a professional can't be wrong, so wear a suit to an interview, even if you might feel overdressed.

In your day job, too, you might want to dress slightly smarter than you need to.

Getting a job

Have a great CV

Your CV has to look good on the screen and when printed. And - I don't agree with this - but John recommends getting a professional CV writer to write your CV. Your CV should stand out - if it appeals to everyone, then it's probably boring.

Having loads of languages and frameworks on your CV isn't impressive - it looks like you're lying or are a jack-of-all-trades. Only list the ones you know best.

Don't use skill percentages. Ever! What does 85% JavaScript mean? And wouldn't you need to have mastered entirely JavaScript to know what percentage you were at? If you choose a high number, you look arrogant. And if you choose a low number, you look unskilled. There's no way to win.

Have a great web development portfolio.

This wasn't in the book, but I recently read another book about creating a great web development portfolio, and it was extremely good and full of surprising advice, so I'm including it here. An effective web development portfolio is very different from a CV! Get Josh W Comeau's wonderful book here(opens in a new tab).

Negotiate Job Offers

Always negotiate your salary, but don't overlook other benefits with more flexibility. Discuss remote work options, a better job title, signing or performance bonuses, professional development budgets, gym memberships, and technology stipends.

These perks can significantly enhance your overall compensation package and job satisfaction while potentially costing the company less than a higher base salary.

Negotiate to remove 'junior' from your job title, as this will help you get a much better job next time.

Compare the actual value of job offers.

When evaluating multiple job offers, looking beyond the base salary and calculating your effective hourly wage for an accurate comparison is crucial.

Factor in the full spectrum of compensation and costs: benefits like health insurance and retirement contributions, potential bonuses and stock options, expected working hours (including overtime), commute time and expenses, and any savings from work-from-home arrangements. Don't overlook the value of paid time off, which can significantly impact your work-life balance.

Working hours especially can distort your idea of which job is better compensated.

Software development recruiters

Be careful when dealing with recruiters who might not have your best interests. Learn about the different types of recruiters in software to avoid getting burned.

Try to have multiple job offers at the same time.

Let each company know if you have alternative offers to consider. This can be hugely advantageous. Don't pit them against each other, though - the main benefit is from having options.

Avoid being in a situation where you feel you simply have to accept a job offer because you're short on cash.

Use your existing experience.

If you have much other non-programming work experience, look for jobs that combine the two. Technology is used everywhere, so even if your previous career is very niche, there will probably be at least some opportunities to match. For example, I used to be a professional string arranger, so I could apply for jobs at sheet music publishing websites, companies that make notation software, etc., where they will appreciate my knowledge of code and music notation.

How maintainable is your code?

John says maintainability is his prime focus when evaluating someone else's code. This is because it directly impacts a software project's long-term success and efficiency.

How do you stay up-to-date?

Be prepared for this interview question: How do you stay up-to-date as a software engineer?

Some ideas for answers include:

1. Devoting time to learning new things every week
2. Reading blogs
3. Newsletter subscriptions
4. YouTube subscriptions

Learn full-stack development

Learn enough to call yourself a full-stack developer, then choose a speciality. Start by gaining broad knowledge across the full stack, from front-end to back-end technologies, databases, and DevOps.

This foundational understanding lets you grasp the big picture and collaborate effectively across teams. Once you've achieved competence as a full-stack developer, focus on deepening your expertise in a specific area that aligns with your interests and market demand.

Creating a blog

A blog is a great way to advertise your skills and passion for programming. It's an advert that works for you 24/7. Make your blog very niche so you become an authority and rank highly in search results. Consistency is critical to growing your blog. It will eventually take off if you write well and add to it.

John recommends using a WordPress template unless you're a web developer, as it's the content of the blog, not the code itself, that will benefit you. However, I would not recommend this approach.

If you don't know how to make a website, Wix is supposedly one of the higher-performing sites (measured with Chrome Lighthouse), while Squarespace does pretty badly.

If you do know web development, something like a Next.js or Gatsby template is a great option. This blog is a Next template customised to include code blocks, images, and excellent SEO.

Choose a specialty

By focusing on a particular area, such as mobile app development, machine learning, or cybersecurity, you can position yourself as an expert in a high-demand niche.

This specialisation allows you to develop deep knowledge and skills that set you apart from generalist developers. Employers often seek specialists to tackle complex, domain-specific challenges, which can lead to better job opportunities and higher salaries.

Final thoughts

I wouldn't recommend buying this book, mainly because of the price and excessive self-promotion, but I think it's worth reading. You could get a cheap second-hand copy or look for free versions online. Or, just have a look at the table of contents, delve into the subjects that interest you, and fill in any knowledge gaps you might have.

You could even just read the author's blog. Definitely avoid the audiobook, though!