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Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual Paperback – November 11, 2020

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 301 ratings

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You became a developer for one reason…

…because you love solving tough problems.

Why aren’t you happy?

When you started to code, the beauty of the pure logic captured your heart. Hard work
and thousands of hours sitting at the keyboard have taught you how to develop software.
Still, there’s something missing.

What didn’t they teach you in school?

Success as a Software Developer requires skill and something nobody talks about,
mindset. If you’re not planning for your future, you’ll end up in a dead-end job you hate.
The secret lies away from the computer.

John uses a simple style to teach topics that you never knew you needed. This isn’t
theory, it’s proven through the results that let him retire at 33-years old.
You’ll learn:

  • Ways To Land The Job, Keep The Job And Climb The Corporate Ladder
  • How To Stand Out From Your Competition
  • 10-Step Process To Learn Anything
  • What To Do With Your Paycheck to Maximize Your Earnings
  • Why Healthy Living and Exercise are Crucial
  • Ways to Build Your Brand

You’ll love this unique career guide, because it isn’t about writing a great resume, it’s about
building one that will land you the dream job and all the other things that go with it.

Get it now.

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simple Programmer, LLC (November 11, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 501 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0999081446
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0999081440
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.88 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.13 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 301 ratings

About the author

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John Sonmez
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John Sonmez is a software developer and the author of two best-selling books, The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide and Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual.

He's also the founder of the Simple Programmer blog and YouTube channel, where he reaches 1.4 million software developers yearly with a central message:

Technical skills alone aren't enough for a successful career—or life.

By focusing on "soft skills" like the ability to communicate clearly and lead by example, the mental resilience to bounce back from failure and even an improved level of personal fitness, software developers can break through the "glass ceiling" and enjoy extraordinary success.

John learned these lessons himself the hard way—through trial and error over his 17+ year career as a developer—and he's candid about the fits and starts he struggled through during those early years.

John started his software development career at age 10, hacking C and C++ to create virtual worlds for his favorite MUDs.

When John landed a coveted six-figure Silicon Beach job at age 19, he thought his career was set.

In reality he was only set up for years of frustration and disappointment—from getting "laid off" from that cushy job after underwhelming his boss with his C++ skills, to a spectacular implosion during an intense onsite interview with Microsoft, to finally taking a job outside of programming just to pay the bills.

Eventually though John realized that there's a huge difference between knowing how to program and having all the skills to be a successful, professional software developer—and he set out to develop the technical, leadership and communication skills he lacked.

John went on to become a highly paid consultant in test automation and Agile methodology, and the 55 courses he published with the technical education powerhouse PluralSight makes him one of the most prolific online trainers in the field of software development.

John effectively retired at 32 and moved to San Diego.

Today he focuses his energy on helping other developers achieve the success they desire through the videos, books and courses in his Simple Programmer platform.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
301 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's content helpful and insightful. They consider it a good value for money, especially for software developers at all levels. The writing style is described as approachable and easy to read. The content covers a wide range of topics that customers are interested in learning about.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

48 customers mention "Information quality"48 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content helpful and insightful. They say it goes beyond basic career development suggestions and provides crucial life development concepts like learning, productivity, and personal development. The book serves as a guide for many aspects of life, providing useful strategies for being productive and overall life improvement. Readers appreciate the simple style of explanations and mention that it includes chapters on traditional soft skills.

"...John uses a simple style of eye-opening explanations of various topics which are so important but you don't have a clue about it...." Read more

"...With all that said, it’s a great book and serves as a “how-to” for many aspects of life...." Read more

"...There was also some value in the last chapters on fitness with concrete examples of dieting and fasting methods that the author has used successfully..." Read more

"...I’m glad he has material about spirit/mind/attitude/self-image - I also believe we’re more than sophisticated sentient meat automatons...." Read more

14 customers mention "Value for money"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money. They say it provides valuable advice on productivity, money management, and real estate investing. The learning chapter is a worthwhile addition.

"...I think I've said it enough... I think that this book is definitely worth buying and you will see for yourself." Read more

"...If you're totally green and young, then this is probably a worthwhile read, but if you've been in the industry or lived life for a time, you'd be..." Read more

"...A ripped physique and enough money earned from his endeavors to basically spend his time doing what he wants in his early 30s, the guy knows what it..." Read more

"The learning chapter alone is worth the investment...." Read more

7 customers mention "Software developer"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book useful for software developers at all levels and other professions. They say it's a good investment for budding developers and a must-read for experienced ones.

"While this book is aimed at software developers it could apply to just about anybody...." Read more

"...new version and like before I still think this book is mandatory for all budding developers and a very, very good idea for everyone else...." Read more

"This book helps to build your career as a software developer to the next level. There are so many tips that you can pick up from this book...." Read more

"Apt for others than just software folks..." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing style"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style easy to read and well-organized.

"...The writing style is very approachable, won't take too much time to read a whole chapter. Make sure you complete the challenges at the end...." Read more

"...He's got a very approachable writing style, and keeps it real for his readers, which I appreciate. You won't be dissapointed by this book!..." Read more

"John has made his book easy to read with short and well organized chapters...." Read more

"Excellent book!!! Very unique, informative, easy to read and understand!!! Highly recommend!!!" Read more

4 customers mention "Book content"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book covers a wide range of topics.

"...This book says to cover a lot of topics I really want to learn about so I have high hopes and expectations on the impact it will have on me...." Read more

"Wow, this book covers so much...." Read more

"...Now the new edition brings even more value and content. This is a huge book...." Read more

"...This book covers it all! I highly recommend purchasing this book!" Read more

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5 out of 5 stars
Loved this book
Looks great on Kindle! Wonderful book with a path of success for software developers. You thought it was about coding, but this book takes you into every part of being a great developer, from career, money, and even your maximizing your personal life when you're a technology professional living the life of high tech and high achievement. Very real and I love his experience and his career guidance.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2020
    So I kept getting these third-person viewpoint shifts - not John’s writing but my reading. I don’t DO software development day in day out. I support devs, engineer the systems they develop for, admin their servers. I’ve managed them, worked with them, and yes been one - but me doing development was back when Moore’s Law was merely a strong suggestion.

    Thing is, when I’m reading along and start thinking “whoa- that’s not me” I still get a definite “hmm. But I would tell a young dev that too, yeah.” Bottom line on applicability is you don’t have to be exactly the software developer of the title to benefit.

    A lot of John’s thoughts mesh with F.I.R.E. - well and good, but I’m sixty. The boat for me to “retire early” sailed, hit a rock, and sank. I’ll settle for “retire eventually”. Younger readers: listen to John. Compound interest is your friend, as is passive income. Debt mostly isn’t... until it is. Knowing where you want to go is kinda important, yup.

    His take on multitasking is good: “don’t, unless it’s two things that don’t interfere, then by all means do”. Some of his refrain does seem to be “concentrate; do one thing well at a time” - that’s good. Today’s fractured focuses and 160-character attention spans will get nowhere. He leaves out the same other “multi” that most folks omit though. Multipotentialites (see Emilie Wapnick) aka Scanners (see Barbara Sher) thrive on - nay, *demand* multiple irons in the fire. Not as a task-switching detrimental thing, but more as serial focusers, or how I think of my System Engineering mindset - not so much doing several things at once, but doing each thing several ways at once. The folks who have had multiple disparate careers get some of this naturally - in John’s domain maybe by simultaneously coding, with an eye toward functionality, security, marketability, useability, maintainability (all near-field overlaps), and also by keeping in mind say the legal or medical or fitness or <whatever> distant-domain or subject matter experience you have. That’s a richness of experience thing that we gray & venerable ones might bring to the table. Some outfits synthesize this by ensuring teams are diverse - that works too.

    I was curious what John has to say about standing or treadmill desks. Mmm-hmm. Yes. Unh-huh. Voila- now you too are curious. As for me, I’m satisfied. What, you want spoilers?

    In the fitness section Jon talks a bit about gadgets. Not sure why he didn’t mention you already have a pedometer if you carry an iPhone. In several places in the book he mentions gamification as motivation & method. There’s whole books on the how-to and why of that, so don’t expect Soft Skills to have a comprehensive treatment. That’s true across the board by the way - John freely mentions this other author or that resource left and right rather than trying to distill all the wisdom he’s picked up to a few paragraphs. There’s still plenty of original meat to be worthwhile.

    I’m glad he has material about spirit/mind/attitude/self-image - I also believe we’re more than sophisticated sentient meat automatons. From my background I’m more skeptical than he about lasting positive changes being able to arise wholly from within, but he does point out good stuff. He gives a clear description of the Stoicism he’s embraced. I see why some outside both paths have commented there’s some commonality between that and my Christianity. I guess I’d say his take isn’t grossly at odds with my faith - I don’t feel at all like avoiding his conclusions through the book based on where he’s coming from. Christians can read this and not be put off by “woo” :-).

    For somebody with a pretty assertive personality John mentions in multiple places “this is working for me- it’s not the be-all and end-all.”

    I’m glad I bought it. I’ll read it again soon.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2020
    I bought and gave Sonmez’s Soft Skills a read years ago. That was the first edition. The book goes well beyond basic suggestions for career development and gives you crucial life development concepts that too few ever even consider. I’ve been around long enough to have seen old friends and associates begin in roughly the same place but end up in wildly different places -- financially, romantically, physically, in terms of impact on their respective fields, and in terms of their mindset of what’s possible for the future (note: not all mindsets are created equal).

    Why read this second edition? You don’t acquire a finely built piano, have it tuned professionally, and then never tune it again. You keep tuning it regularly. You don’t take your ride in for maintenance and say “Well, that’s done!” and then never again take your car in for a tune-up. You repeat the process every now and then to make sure everything is as it ought to be. And so it is with this book.

    I’m always learning something new and have a habit of getting into minutia. For me, that’s fun. But it’s also a timesink and time is increasingly scarce. And Sonmez’s tips on learning is a fine reminder of how to acquire knowledge skills rapidly. The section on learning and the 10-step process for learning how to learn is more than worth the price of the book -- literally. I’ve purchased Sonmez’s course based on the same concept and I can tell you (shh... don’t tell John) that the bulk of the content, the important stuff, is right here for a small fraction of the price.

    Does it work? Yes. Also, consider that the techniques taught are quite similar to what you find in Scott Young's book Ultralearning (published long after the first edition of Soft Skills) and that Scott Young, a polymath who knows his stuff, also offers his own course but at many times the price of Sonmez's. Not to get wrapped up in prices and comparison shopping but my point is that there are many options for learning how to learn and this book offers a nice, neat methodology for one of the lowest demands on your wallet.

    How about how well his advice on physical fitness and financial success works? Yes, it’s all sound principles and sources are provided as well. And, frankly, just dive in to Sonmez’s YouTube videos. After you’ve spent some months there you will see for yourself that he writes what he knows and puts it all into practice. A ripped physique and enough money earned from his endeavors to basically spend his time doing what he wants in his early 30s, the guy knows what it takes to succeed.

    Recommended.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2022
    There were some bits of useful information in this book, but overall it was mostly fairly basic, sometimes even common sense, advice. If you're totally green and young, then this is probably a worthwhile read, but if you've been in the industry or lived life for a time, you'd be better off spending your time reading another book that is more in depth.

    Some of the advice and writing did offer value such as some specific tools the author uses for automating tasks and concrete examples of how to dodge questions in a salary negotiation to your advantage. There was also some value in the last chapters on fitness with concrete examples of dieting and fasting methods that the author has used successfully. The last several chapters were the most valuable for me.

    Outside of a few of those tips, the book had mostly generic advice that wasn't very insightful, but good advice to be sure. For example in the Financial related chapter, he says things like - "make the most profitable investments you can." Thanks for the tip? There are more than a few self evident pieces of advice like that throughout the book that kind of leave you feeling a bit disappointed.

    At the end of the day it does what a lot of good self help books do, which is to get the gears in your mind going and inspire you with success stories.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy bueno
    Reviewed in Spain on May 5, 2024
    Me parece un libro estupendo. Te puedes leer los capítulos en el orden que quieras y te inserta en cosas de la vida muy útiles, que te pueden hacer mejor persona.
  • Wally L.
    5.0 out of 5 stars An asset for developers of all skill levels!
    Reviewed in Canada on December 17, 2020
    I've had a long career in software development (20 years) and John's work here clearly covers many areas that I've had to deal with, both as a beginner in the industry and a seasoned professional.

    This book is perfect for the programmer's brain, each chapter has a clear goal and gets straight to the point with actionable steps you can take that will yield results. There's none of the filler and fluff that tends to only add pages to other self-improvement style books. An added bonus is that the topics go far beyond the professional skills and how to navigate a workplace environment and gets deep into things like diet, fitness, motivation and focus which will lead to having a better life overall.
  • Jon Cole
    5.0 out of 5 stars Delivers what other software books don't
    Reviewed in Germany on December 17, 2020
    I have already listened to the first edition of this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. And now I can't wait to read the additional information that I know will be invaluable. If you're looking for a book to learn programming, this isn't it. However, this book offers something that I have not seen any other book do. It not only shows you how to survive as a software developer but how to succeed at it. John is able to motivate the reader to take the extra steps and go the extra mile to be able to stand out from the crowd and grow in their career and life. This book helped me advance from an employee to a freelance developer, however, I think that the information in it is just as useful for someone relatively new in their career.
  • Rohan G.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have in every software developer's arsenal
    Reviewed in India on December 17, 2020
    In the past, I used to believe that the only way to get a promotion is flattering your manager. I read the first edition of the book and also following John's content for the last 4 years. Rather than the raw content, it changed my viewpoint of how I see things now. The book has lots of useful content, which you won't learn at college.

    It discussed money management, how to learn, fitness, and most importantly, how to market yourself as a software developer, which is very important in today's oversaturated market. I was unemployed for 10 months after passing out from college, John's advice helped me to get my first job, and increased my remuneration 3 times in just 1 year as a fresher. That too in this covid-hit year.

    TLDR, his stuff works.
    Customer image
    Rohan G.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have in every software developer's arsenal
    Reviewed in India on December 17, 2020
    In the past, I used to believe that the only way to get a promotion is flattering your manager. I read the first edition of the book and also following John's content for the last 4 years. Rather than the raw content, it changed my viewpoint of how I see things now. The book has lots of useful content, which you won't learn at college.

    It discussed money management, how to learn, fitness, and most importantly, how to market yourself as a software developer, which is very important in today's oversaturated market. I was unemployed for 10 months after passing out from college, John's advice helped me to get my first job, and increased my remuneration 3 times in just 1 year as a fresher. That too in this covid-hit year.

    TLDR, his stuff works.
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  • Roberto Romano
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to help you reach your next career goals.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2020
    John takes a completely different approach to teaching you about software development in that he places the onus of responsibility on the reader to invest in themselves throughout all stages of their career in order to become a better person and ultimately a better programmer. One of John’s basic premises for the idea behind Soft Skills is that even though there is widespread perceived notion that software development is primarily programmers writing code all day and not having to worry about anyone else is actually completely misplaced. Rather developers produce software in order to make people’s lives better and easier so we as software developers have to be fundamentally people person orientated. In order to do this then we need to invest time in ourselves firstly through increasing what value we can offer employers and through better marketing of those particular values we have to offer. John writes clearly and to the point in a concise and informative way. Each chapter is reasonably short with handy actionable points at the end of every chapter again putting the onus on the reader to take action to further themselves along their chosen career path. One of the additional new chapters in this well revised Second Edition include how to set up and manage your own YouTube channel which is timely in light of the increased demand of online self-promoted video content. A excellent and well resourced book that provides a huge amount of inspiration to reach your next career goals.