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The non-coding aspect of being a successful software engineer is critical, but it is also under-discussed. This is a course about landing great coding jobs and excelling at them. There's a lot here, especially if you're early in your career, that would otherwise take years to learn and that your manager will never tell you.
This is NOT going to be a typical career counselling course. A linear discussion of Career Guides is followed by a nonlinear collection of Principles, Strategies, and Tactics - independent essays of ideas that you may or may not agree with but are worth considering nonetheless.
Syllabus :
1. Code Newbies
- Introduction: Code Newbies
- Explore Podcasts and Content
- Build Community
- Gain Team Experience
2. The (First) Job Hunt
- Introduction: The (First) Job Hunt
- Do the Math
- Do the Work
- Staying Motivated While You Search
- Getting the Interview
- Types of Interviews
- Outside the Interview
- Quiz Yourself on the (First) Job Hunt
3. Junior Developer
- Introduction: Junior Developer
- Finding Your Groove
- Making Mistakes
- Adding Value
- Growing Your Knowledge
- Quiz Yourself on Junior Developer
4. From Junior to Senior
- Introduction: From Junior to Senior
- Acting for the Job You Want
- Marketing Yourself as a Senior Engineer
- Junior Engineer, Senior Engineer
- To Stay or to Go
- Quiz Yourself on From Junior to Senior
5. Senior Developer
- Introduction: Senior Developer
- Solutions vs. Patterns
- Velocity vs. Maintainability
- Technical Debt
- Prudent Debt
- Reckless Debt
- Mentorship, Allyship, and Sponsorship
- Business Impact
- Quiz Yourself on Senior Developer
6. Beyond your Coding Career
- Introduction: Beyond your Coding Career
- Engineering Management
- Product Management
- Developer Relations
- Developer Educator
- Entrepreneurship
- Quiz Yourself on Beyond your Coding Career
7. Learn in Public
- Private vs. Public
- Getting Started
- But I’m Scared
- Teach to Learn
- Mentors, Mentees, and Becoming an Expert
- Why it Works
- Quiz Yourself on Learn in Public
8. Clone Open Source Apps
- Why Clone Open-Source Apps?
- Make it Better
9. Know your Tools
- Introduction: Know your Tools
- Avoid Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
- Beyond the Tool
- Quiz Yourself on Know your Tools
10. Specialize in the New
- Introduction: Specialize in the New
- Technology Complements
- Lindy Compounding
- Quiz Yourself on Specialize in the New
11. Open Source Your Knowledge
- Introduction: Open Source your Knowledge
- Open Knowledge
- Open-Source Knowledge
- Personal Anecdote
- Why Open Source YOUR Knowledge
- Tips
- Quiz Yourself on Open Source your Knowledge
12. Spark Joy
- Introduction: Spark Joy
- Why it Works
- Sparking Joy in Code
- Sparking Joy in PRs and Issues
- Sparking Joy in Docs
- Sparking Joy in Demos and Products
- The Extra Mile
- Quiz Yourself on Spark Joy
13. The Platinum and Silver Rules
- The Platinum Rule
- The Silver Rule
- Quiz Yourself on the Platinum and Silver Rule
14. Good Enough is Better than Best
- Introduction: Good Enough is Better than Best
- The Problem with Seeking “The Best”
- The Dangers of False Confidence
- Quiz Yourself on Good Enough is Better than Best
15. First Principles Thinking
- Introduction: First Principles Thinking
- Logic
- Epistemology
- Applications
- Quiz Yourself on First Principles Thinking
16. Write, A Lot
- Introduction: Write, A Lot
- Why Developers Write
- Documentation
- Career Capital
- What Writing Does for You
- How to Become a Good Public Writer
- Going Public
- The DIY Ph.D
- Committing to Writing
- Quiz Yourself on Write, A Lot
17. Pick Up What They Put Down
- Introduction: Pick Up What They Put Down
- What happens when you do this?
- Why does this work on them?
- Why does this work on you?
- Quiz Yourself on Pick Up What They Put Down
18. Intro to Strategy
- Strategy in Your Coding Career
- What is Strategy?
- How Do I Use Strategy?
- Quiz Yourself on Intro to Strategy
19. Learning Gears
- Explorer
- Settler
- Connector
- Miner
- Why Gears
- Quiz Yourself on Learning Gears
20. Specialist vs. Generalist
- Introduction: Specialist vs. Generalist
- Leverage vs. Self Sufficiency
- The “Full-Stack” Developer
- “T Shaped” and “Pi Shaped”
- Look Inside, Not Out
- When in Doubt, Specialize
- Quiz Yourself on Specialist vs. Generalist
21. Betting on Technologies
- Introduction: Betting on Technologies
- Data-Driven Investing
- How to be Early
- The Value of Values
- Quiz Yourself on Betting on Technologies
22. Profit Center vs Cost Center
- Introduction: Profit Center vs Cost Center
- Definitions: Profit, Cost, and Investment Center
- “Close to the money”
- Profit Center, Cost Center
- The Developer’s Choice
- Quiz Yourself on Profit Center vs. Cost Center
23. Engineering Career Ladders
- Introduction: Engineering Career Ladders
- When and Why to Ladder
- What Companies Want
- Individual Company Ladders
- Quiz Yourself on Engineering Career Ladders
24. Intro to Tech Strategy
- Introduction: Intro to Tech Strategy
- Software is Eating the World
- Horizontal vs. Vertical
- Business Models
- Platforms and Aggregators
- Other Strategic Perspectives
- Quiz Yourself on Intro to Tech Strategy
25. Strategic Awareness
- Introduction: Strategic Awareness
- Concern vs. Influence
- Levels of Concern
- Bias to Action
- Understanding Technology Adoption
- Technology Value Chain
- Systems Thinking
- Other Strategies for Strategic Awareness
- Quiz Yourself on Strategic Awareness
26. Megatrends
- Introduction: Megatrends
- Definitions
- Examples of Megatrends
- Building Your List of Megatrends
- Quiz Yourself on Megatrends
27. Negotiating
- Introduction: Negotiating
- General Advice
- Patrick McKenzie on Salary Negotiation
- Haseeb Qureshi on Ten Rules for Negotiating
- Josh Doody on Fearless Salary Negotiation
28. How to Learn in Private
- Introduction: How to Learn in Private
- Improving What You Consume
- Getting More Out of What You Consume
- Go Meta
- Quiz Yourself on How to Learn in Private
29. Design for Developers in a Hurry
- Design for Developers in a Hurry
- Spark Joy Repo
- Layout
- Typography
- Color Palette and Backgrounds
- Icons and Illustrations
- Easter Eggs
30. Lampshading
- Introduction: Lampshading
- When You’re Very Senior
- When You’re New
- Storytime!
- Lampshading
- The Stupid Question Safe Harbor
31. Conference CFPs
- Introduction: Conference CFPs
- Watch a lot of Talks
- Pick a Conference
- Pick a Topic
- Pick a Genre
- Pick a Title
- Write an Abstract
- Building a CFP Process
- Example CFPs and Peer Review
32. Mise en Place Writing
- Mise en Place Writing
- Writing isn’t Just Writing
- Components of Pre-Writing
- The Pre-Writing Workflow
- The Infinite Kitchen
- Improvisation is Okay
- Quiz Yourself on Mise en Place Writing
33. Side Projects
- Introduction: Side Projects
- Code-Life Balance
- Project Ideas
- Project Advice
- Further Inspiration
34. Developer’s Guide to Twitter
- Introduction: Developer’s Guide to Twitter
- Getting Started
- What Do YOU Want?
- What I Want from Twitter
- Your Twitter Feed
- Join the Conversation
- Being Helpful on the Internet
- Twitter as a Second Brain
- Dealing with Haters
- Definitely Bad Ideas
- Final Thoughts
35. Marketing Yourself (without Being a Celebrity)
- Introduction: Marketing Yourself
- You Already Know What Good Personal Marketing Is
- Personal Branding
- Personal Anecdote Time!
- Brand Templates
- Consistency
- You Need a Domain
- Picking a Domain
- Blogging
- Marketing Your Business Value vs. Your Coding Skills
- Marketing Yourself in Public
- Marketing Yourself at Work
- Things That Do Not Matter
- Appendix: Marketing Hacks
36. The Operating System of You
- Introduction: The Operating System of You
- Coding Career Habits
- Your “Hardware”
- Your “External Devices”
- Your "Scheduler"
- Your “Kernel”
