The Career Programmer: Guerilla Tactics for an Imperfect World - Softcover

Duncan, Christopher

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1590590082 ISBN 13: 9781590590089

Publisher: Apress, 2002

Synopsis

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• Conquer the problems that all professional programmers routinely face, regardless of language, operating system, or platform
• Improve your ability to deliver solid code, on time and under budget, in even the most uncooperative environments
• Master the self-defense techniques that you need to shield yourself, your project, and your code from corporate politics, arbitrary management decisions, and marketing-driven deadlines

Unrealistic schedules, unstable releases, continual overtime, and skyrocketing stress levels are legendary in the software development industry. Unlike traditional occupations such as accounting or administration, the software business is populated by programmers who are as creative and passionate about their work as musicians or artists. For most, it is a complete surprise when they enter the business world and find that internal politics, inept management, and unrealistic marketing drive the process rather than a structured and orderly approach based on technical issues and quality.

The Career Programmer explains how the individual programmer or project manager can work within the existing system to solve deadline problems and regain control of the development process. Care is taken to offer proven, practical, and hands-on solutions that are designed to work when confronted with the political and chaotic realities of the business environment. Issues are addressed from the points of view of both the programmer and project manager, and steps are shown in all perspectives, from large-scale teams down to projects with a single developer. For the individual programmer or project manager, the end results are less overtime, less stress, higher-quality software, and a more satisfying career.

 

About this title

About the Author

Founder of Practical Strategy Consulting, Christopher Duncan is the bestselling author of Unite the Tribes and The Career Programmer. He's been a frequent guest on radio shows across the country, his monthly columns have been read by hundreds of thousands worldwide, and he is widely acclaimed for his immensely practical approach to success in the real world where self interest and office politics are often more prevalent than common sense.

This keen insight does not come by accident. Christopher has an unusually diverse background which includes a career in sales consulting, life as a professional musician, and experience fighting deadlines as a cubicle-dwelling software developer. He's also performed mind-numbing factory work, labored on construction sites, and built components for guided missiles. Currently, he writes, speaks and mentors professionals on career and business strategies. He understands the problems and goals of your people, from the lowest-paid workers to the executive elite, because he's been there himself and lived to tell the tale.

Whether he's talking about the job-related anxieties of the night watchman's attack chihuahua or explaining the relationship between bunny slippers and corporate productivity, his humor and light-hearted antics will entertain your audience as he shares his vision of success through the pursuit of American excellence.

Lively, expressive, and a consummate professional with three decades of stage experience, Christopher delivers an exciting and practical message to your people, inspiring them to reach for their very best and showing them how to get there in the real world, where things don't always go according to plan. Most importantly, he makes sure that everyone has a little fun in the process.

He can be reached at www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com.

Review

"Pure & Simple, this book is the best one I've read in the past two years. It's simply that brilliant." -- Robert Gelb - VB Rad Home Page

Edition details

• Publisher: Apress
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1590590082
• ISBN 13: 9781590590089
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 211