# The missing manual for ambitious software engineers. ## A practical guide to self-confidence, personal growth, teamwork, learning, communication, and delivering results—the soft skills that every programmer needs to succeed in their job. - **260-page online book** - Lifetime digital access - Shareable access links when you purchase for others - Access to advanced search, bookmarking, and other features in the Holloway Reader **Length:** 260 pages **Edition:** e1.0.1 **Language:** English **ISBN (Holloway.com):** 978-1-952120-39-8 $32 [Buy ►](https://www.holloway.com/checkout/index.html?product=junior-to-senior) [Read Preview ►](https://www.holloway.com/g/junior-to-senior/preview) [Why read on Holloway?](https://www.holloway.com/s/read-on-holloway) # Junior to Senior ## Career Advice for the Ambitious Programmer by David Glassanos As a programmer, you’ve spent plenty of time learning technical and programming skills. Junior engineers—and even some who have been in it a long time—must constantly focus on improving their “hard” technical skills. But writing code is only part of our job as software developers. It’s equally essential for developers to cultivate the _soft skills_ critical for adding value for their team, their company, their customers, and their career—and it’s often neglected. _Junior to Senior_ is one of only a few books that gives practical advice on the soft skills needed to thrive as an engineer: - Dealing with lack of confidence - Learning from others and by reading unfamiliar code - Managing your time - Working effectively with your manager - Communicating clearly with business stakeholders and writing clear documentation - Understanding different ways to add value for a company and its customers - Managing risks and recovering from mistakes - Dealing with conflict - Balancing the demands of work and personal life … and much more. Improvements in these areas are important milestones on the journey from junior to senior software developer. _Junior to Senior_ is filled with insights, from one engineer to another, to guide you along that path. Whether you studied Computer Science, graduated from a coding bootcamp, or are a self-taught programmer, this book will help you manage yourself, build value, and earn the confidence of your team to take on roles with greater responsibility and impact. Wes Cowley — Editor # Table of Contents Introduction [Why I Wrote This Book Read Preview](https://www.holloway.com/g/junior-to-senior/sections/why-i-wrote-this-book) Who This Book Is For What Is Covered Getting More Out of This Guide Acknowledgments Growing Your Career [Your Engineering Path Read Preview](https://www.holloway.com/g/junior-to-senior/sections/your-engineering-path) Generalist vs. Specialist Your Leadership Path It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint Go at Your Own Pace What Makes You a Senior Engineer? [Different Meanings Read Preview](https://www.holloway.com/g/junior-to-senior/sections/different-meanings) Dealing with Ambiguity Dealing with Accountability Time Management Attention to Detail Engineering Excellence Team-First Approach Job Level Matrix You’re Not an Impostor [It’s a Feeling, Not a Syndrome Read Preview](https://www.holloway.com/g/junior-to-senior/sections/its-a-feeling-not-a-syndrome) Knowledge Gaps Dealing with Criticism Track Your Accomplishments Working with Your Manager Build Trust Adapt to Their Management Style Learn to Manage Up Dealing with Conflict One-on-Ones How to Recover from Mistakes Why Code Breaks Murphy’s Law What to Do during an Incident How to Ask Better Questions Asking for Help Asking for Clarification Asking to Learn How to Read Unfamiliar Code Find the Entry Points Leverage Your IDE Dig Deeper The Blame Game Read the History Log Some Data Fire Up Your Debugger Tests Contain Context Don’t Try to Understand It All How to Add Value Improve Productivity Solve Pain Points for Your Customers Ship Code That Increases Revenue Ship Code That Reduces Cost Add, Improve, or Automate Processes Add Value without Writing Code Wrapping Up How to Manage Risk Types of Risk Contributors to Technical Risk Mitigations for Technical Risk Postmortems Retrospectives How to Deliver Better Results Perfect Software Doesn’t Exist Find Tools That Work for You Find a Process That Works for You Solve the Problem First Take Ownership How to Communicate More Effectively The Golden Rule Know Your Audience Writing Skills Speaking Skills Listening Skills Prepare for Meetings Don’t Communicate through Other People Communication Isn’t Just “Saying Something” Dealing with Conflicts Wrapping Up Work-Life Balance Time Is Your Most Valuable Resource More Hours != More Work The Work Will Always Be There Side Projects Friends and Family Take Care of Your Body Reading Traveling Wrapping Up Asking for the Promotion Preparing Assess Yourself What to Prepare Build Relationships Asking the Question Put in the Work Conclusion About the Author David Glassanos David Glassanos is a seasoned software developer with over a decade of experience building successful consumer and enterprise products for international brands. David started his career in Silicon Valley at Mertado, an e-commerce startup acquired by Groupon in 2012. While at Groupon, he built systems to personalize emails delivered to 100 million inboxes each day. From there he joined NatureBox as an early employee, and helped grow revenues to $50 million annually. Since then he has helped build products and engineering teams in the e-signature, co-working, and transportation telematics industries. As a way to give back to the developer communities that have helped him succeed, he advises junior software developers on career growth, effective communication, soft-skills, and work-life balance.