Making it Big in Software Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great.

by Lightstone, Sam

• ISBN13: 9780137059676
• ISBN10: 0137059671
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-03-10
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

The Software Insiderrs"s Guide to Getting Hired and Getting to the Top! Herers"s all the information you need to jumpstart your software career: the best ways to get hired, move up, and blaze your way to the top! The software business has radically changed, and this book reveals todayrs"s realitieseverything your professors and corporate managers never told you. In his 20 years at IBM as a software architect, senior manager, and lead programmer, Sam Lightstone has briefed dozens of leading companies and universities on careers, new technology, and emerging areas of research. He currently works on one of the worldrs"s largest software development teams and spends a good part of his time recruiting and mentoring software engineers. This book shares all the lessons for success Sam has learnedhellip;plus powerful insights from 17 of the industryrs"s biggest stars. Want to make it big in software? Start right here! Discover how to bull; Get your next job in software development bull; Master the nontechnical skills crucial to your success bull; "Work the org" to move up rapidly bull; Successfully manage your time, projects, and life bull; Avoid "killer" mistakes that could destroy your career bull; Move up to "medium-shot," "big-shot," and finally, "visionary" bull; Launch your own winning software company Exclusive interviews with Steve Wozniak, Inventor, Apple computer John Schwarz, CEO, Business Objects James Gosling, Inventor, Java programming language Marissa Mayer, Google VP, Search Products and User Experience Jon Bentley, Author,Programming Pearls Marc Benioff, CEO and founder, Salesforce.com Grady Booch, IBM Fellow and co-founder Rational Software Bjarne Stroustrup, Inventor, C++ programming language David Vaskevitch, Microsoft CTO Linus Torvalds, Creator, Linux operating system kernel Richard Stallman, Founder, Free software movement Peter Norvig, Googlers"s Director of Research Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Fellow and Windows Architect Tom Malloy, Adobe Chief Software Architect Diane Greene, Co-founder and past CEO of VMware Robert Kahn, Co-inventor, the Internet Ray Tomlinson, Inventor, email

Author Biography

Sam Lightstone is the creator of MakingItBigCareers.com as well as Program Director and Senior Technical Staff Member with IBM’s Software Group, where he works for one of the world’s largest software engineering teams on product strategy and R&D. Sam is a sought-after public speaker, author, inventor, recruiter, and mentor. He has presented to dozens of Fortune 500 companies, industrial and scientific conferences, and major universities on topics related to careers, new technology, and emerging research needs. Sam has been quoted in eWeek, InformationWeek, InfoWorld, and the MIT Technology Review. His management career has spanned from small high-performance applied research teams up to large-scale projects with more than 200 staff across multiple geographies.

 

Sam is the founder of the IEEE Data Engineering Workgroup on Self Managing Database Systems and a member of the International Advisory Committee of the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Autonomous and Autonomic Computing Systems. Sam is inventor and co-inventor of more than 30 patents and patents pending and author of several books and scientific papers. In 2003 he was awarded the title of IBM Master Inventor for his contributions to IBM’s patent portfolio and his sustained work mentoring software engineers about the process of invention. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University and a Master of Computer Science & Software Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

 

Table of Contents

Preface     xi

Part I: Fundamentals

Chapter 1: Makin’ it Big     2

Chapter 2: What Good Software Is Really About     10

    Interview with Marissa Mayer: Google VP and First Lady of Software     23

Chapter 3: School Versus Job     31

    Interview with Jon Bentley: Author, Programming Pearls     37

Chapter 4: Mission Impossible? Getting a Job in Software Development     43

    Interview with Bjarne Stroustrup: Inventor of the C++ Programming Language     62

Chapter 5: Making the Most of the Early Years as a Software Developer     68

    Interview with Richard Stallman: Founder of the Free Software Movement     79

Chapter 6: Essential Skills. Some are Even Technical     84

    Interview with Ray Tomlinson: Inventor of Email     100

Chapter 7: The Sweet Science of Software R&D Organizations     110

    Interview with Peter Norvig: Google’s Director of Research     122

Chapter 8: Career Killers     127

 

Part II: Leadership

Chapter 9: Working the Org     139

    Interview with John Schwarz: CEO, Business Objects     154

Chapter 10: Successful Software Project Proposals     161

    Interview with Linus Torvalds: Mr. Linux     170

Chapter 11: Career Advancement     176

    Interview with Mark Russinovich: Windows Guru, Microsoft Technical Fellow     192

Chapter 12: Time Management     201

    Interview with David Vaskevitch: Microsoft CTO     214

Chapter 13: Avoiding Software Development Overruns     219

    Interview with Grady Booch: The Sage of Software Architecture     236

Chapter 14:  Zen and the Critical Art of Balance     244

    Interview with Tom Malloy: Adobe Chief Software Architect     251

Chapter 15: Secret Insights on Software Project Management     260

    Interview with James Gosling: Inventor of the Java Programming Language     281

Chapter 16: The Big Leagues: From Medium-Shot to Big-Shot     288

 

Part III: Greatness

Chapter 17: Leadership in Software Innovation     306

    Interview with Robert Kahn: Co-inventor of the Internet     323

Chapter 18: The Big Leagues: From Big-Shot to Visionary     333

    Interview with Steve Wozniak: Inventor of the Apple computer, Co-founder of Apple Inc., Pop icon     352

Chapter 19: If Knew Then What I Know Now     360

    Interview with Marc Benioff: CEO, Salesforce.com     369

Chapter 20: Going out on Your Own: The “Software Startup”     379

    Interview with Diane Greene: Co-founder and Past CEO of VMware     396

Chapter 21: Compensation: Kuh-ching!     404

Chapter 22: Making It Big?     413

 

Index     418