Book Image

Developer Career Masterplan

By : Heather VanCura, Bruno Souza
5 (1)
Book Image

Developer Career Masterplan

5 (1)
By: Heather VanCura, Bruno Souza

Overview of this book

Written by industry experts that have spent the last 20+ years helping developers grow their careers, this book offers invaluable insights and guidance tailored to the specific needs of technical professionals. By discovering the secret of continuous learning and adapting in the ever-evolving field of software development, you’ll explore various learning paths with formal and informal methods, as well as gain an understanding of the value of certifications to validate your skills. This book will teach you the significance of building a strong support network, holding crucial conversations, and taking ownership of your career growth. You'll delve into acquiring both soft and hard skills, becoming a well-rounded and sought-after developer. Packed with practical examples, stories of successful developers, and real-world applications, the chapters will equip you with actionable advice on how to push beyond your comfort zone and embracing communities to enhance your teamwork abilities. Additionally, you’ll uncover the benefits of joining open-source projects, speaking at conferences, and building a personal brand to amplify your visibility and reputation. By the end of this book, you'll have a well-laid-out long-term and short-term plan for your career progression, equipping you with advanced technical skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to effectively manage relationships within your organization.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1 The Basics: Learn and Practice the Technical Skills
7
Part 2 Get Involved: Participate in the Community
13
Part 3 Create Impact: Share and Lead

Building trust and getting accepted

One of the biggest mistakes developers make in trying to participate in open source projects is thinking that an open source project is just there for the taking. Developers may think that just because the source code is available, anyone can just come in and do whatever they want with it. That could not be further from the truth.

An active open source project is developed by a community of people that are very passionate about their code. You could imagine that their project is their little baby. They take care of and protect it. Although open source developers are particularly open and accepting, they need to trust you before you can actually contribute anything.

Imagine if it was one of your projects and a random person that you have never seen before just comes in, makes decisions, changes your project direction, or tells you what you should be doing next. You would probably not be very happy. You would need them to start slowly, make a...