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

Choose Your Best Path for Learning, Training, and Certifications

One of the unique advantages of technical careers is the normalization of continuous learning. Learning new skills actually changes and shapes your brain in positive ways. As we mentioned in the Preface of this book, employers of this era expect their employees to constantly re-skill themselves. This puts developers at an advantage because ongoing learning, training, and certifications are the hallmarks of developers. While we know this to be true, there is always this tension between formal, informal, and self-taught learning processes. In this context, certifications appear as a crucial way to validate those learnings. This chapter will discuss how to merge and benefit from all the learning possibilities that are available for developers. Therefore, we’ve included the following main topics in the agenda of this chapter:

  • Deriving maximum benefit from formal learning
  • Expanding your opportunities through...