Preface

There are many books on technical topics and just as many on careers, but there is no guide or roadmap for moving in a technical career from junior developer to senior developer. As experts working in the software development industry, with over 20 years of experience each, this is one of the most common requests that we receive from developers asking for advice and guidance. This book provides that guide, along with examples and stories from our global careers working with developers from all parts of the world.

When we decided in 2021 that we wanted to author a book together, it was a conversation that developed organically, and started with a discussion on how to create a more engaging online social networking event for developers. We had already been working together in the community for over two decades and we shared many experiences both together and separately, many of them in the Java community ecosystem. We both shared during our conversations that we wanted to author a book. Almost immediately our thoughts went to sharing some of the career stories from developers we have worked with over the course of our careers. We worked together at Sun Microsystems for a brief time, and for most of our careers, we have worked in adjacent roles in the Java User Group (JUG) global communities, in the Java Community Process (JCP) program, and at various software development conferences all over the world. During these activities, what we see is the influence that participation has on the careers of these developers. During this time, we have both had the opportunity to interact and share our learnings with thousands of developers. We both share a passion for developers, communities, and technology and enjoy seeing and sharing the successes of those three passions coming together for greater impact.

In this book, we will share how you can advance your technical career from a junior or mid-level developer to a senior developer. We will share the steps you will take on this journey, based on our experiences working with developers in over 80 countries as they navigated their careers across the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and South and North America. Along the way, we will share some interesting career stories from developers working in some of the largest employers as examples.

We are excited to have this opportunity to guide you on the way to achieving your career goals and enjoying career success. By the end of this book, you will have gained the knowledge you need to clearly develop a plan for your career progression.