Being Geek: The Software Developer’s Career Handbook

As a software engineer, you recognize at some point that there’s much more to your career than dealing with code. Is it time to become a manager? Tell your boss he’s a jerk? Join that startup? Author Michael Lopp recalls his own make-or-break moments with Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Netscape, and Symantec in Being Geek — an insightful and entertaining book that will help you make better career decisions.

With more than 40 standalone stories, Lopp walks through a complete job life cycle, starting with the job interview and ending with the realization that it might be time to find another gig. Many books teach you how to interview for a job or how to manage a project successfully, but only this book helps you handle the baffling circumstances you may encounter throughout your career.

• Decide what you’re worth with the chapter on “The Business”
• Determine the nature of the miracle your CEO wants with “The Impossible”
• Give effective presentations with “How Not to Throw Up”
• Handle liars and people with devious agendas with “Managing Werewolves”
• Realize when you should be looking for a new gig with “The Itch”

Table of Contents

Section 1: A Career Playbook
Chapter 1: How to Win
Chapter 2: A List of Three
Chapter 3: The Itch
Chapter 4: The Sanity Check
Chapter 5: The Nerves
Chapter 6: The Button
Chapter 7: The Business

Section 2: Deconstructing Management
Chapter 8: The Culture Chart
Chapter 9: Managing Managers
Chapter 10: The Issue with the Doof
Chapter 11: The Leaper
Chapter 12: The Enemy
Chapter 13: The Impossible
Chapter 14: Knee Jerks
Chapter 15: A Deep Breath
Chapter 16: Gaming the System
Chapter 17: Managing Werewolves
Chapter 18: BAB
Chapter 19: Your People
Chapter 20: Wanted
Chapter 21: The Toxic Paradox
Chapter 22: The Pond

Section 3: Your Daily Toolkit
Chapter 23: The Nerd Handbook
Chapter 24: The Taste of the Day
Chapter 25: The Trickle List
Chapter 26: The Crisis and the Creative
Chapter 27:The Foamy Rules for Rabid Tools
Chapter 28: Up to Nothing
Chapter 29: How to Not Throw Up
Chapter 30: Out Loud
Chapter 31: Bits, Features, and Truth
Chapter 32: The Reveal
Chapter 33: The Screw-Me Scenario
Chapter 34: No Surprises
Chapter 35: A Deliberate Career
Chapter 36: The Curse of the Silicon Valley
Chapter 37: A Disclosure
Chapter 38: Mind the Gap
Chapter 39: The Exodus
Chapter 40: Bad News About Your Bright Future

Appendix: The Rules of Back Alley Bridge