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Making it Big in Software: Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great.
- By Sam Lightstone
- Published Mar 10, 2010 by Prentice Hall.
- Copyright 2010
- Dimensions: 6 X 9
- Pages: 456
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-13-705967-1
- ISBN-13: 978-0-13-705967-6
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Product Author Bios
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.
The Software Insider’s Guide to Getting Hired and Getting to the Top!
Here’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 today’s realities–everything 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 world’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 learned…plus powerful insights from 17 of the industry’s biggest stars. Want to make it big in software? Start right here!
Discover how to
• Get your next job in software development
• Master the nontechnical skills crucial to your success
• “Work the org” to move up rapidly
• Successfully manage your time, projects, and life
• Avoid “killer” mistakes that could destroy your career
• Move up to “medium-shot,” “big-shot,” and finally, “visionary”
• 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, Google’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
Related Article
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Disappointing,
This review is from: Making it Big in Software: Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great. (Paperback)
When I saw all the five star reviews I thought this book must be really good. When I saw all the people interviewed in the book I thought this book had to be great. Well, after reading I have to say that I was wrong.The book is full of advice but most of it should be quite obvious to the average reader. Things like don't be evil, respect your coworkers, create a plan, consider changing jobs after few years, etc. All are common sense things that can be already found in tons of different books. Apart from that, I found the interviews quite disappointing. I enjoyed the first couple of interviews. Just enough to realize that all the interviews were sharing a good bunch of questions. Seriously, if you have the chance of interviewing such high profile people, why would you want to ask everyone their opinion about graduates or how they keep themselves up to date with technology? Come on! What would you expect them to answer? So, this book offers interviews with great people but... Read more
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Five-star value to junior and mid-level developers, By Reynold Xin (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Making it Big in Software: Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great. (Paperback)
Countless books exist in the market about the software field, covering development techniques, engineering management, to marketing. However, I've yet to find one that gives a systematic overview of career development in the software business, and this is exactly what Sam's new book offers. In large organizations, individuals are often confined to the scope of their positions and this book can fill in the gap between what you do and what software business is all about.For starters, Sam gives a very good overview of different positions and how each fits into the business structure (e.g. functional testing vs development vs marketing vs CTO vs CEO). He comments on the importance of time management (it's how much you spend on the important yet non-urgent tasks that matters). Later in the book, he writes about how to become great, and then visionary, laying out a "path" for those who are ambitious. To complement Sam's own experience, he also included 17 interviews... Read more
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A Business/Technology Read Worth The Time, By non-fiction reader (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Making it Big in Software: Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great. (Paperback)
For those in need of inspiring advice and real-life stories, Making it Big in Software is a great read for these economic times. The gist of the book's message is "follow your passion," but Sam Lightstone's mini-essays at the beginning of each chapter remind readers of some business skills which will aid such a pursuit. This would be a great gift to anyone majoring in computer science or information systems... it's always helpful to hear from veteran's in the same field.
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Online Sample Chapter
Making it Big in Software: Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great.
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
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