Advancing your skills, knowledge, and mentality can come in many forms. For countless years across dozens of decades, books have not only been a main source of entertainment heavily engrained in culture, but have also played a key role in giving insight to those eager to learn. Today, we have many more options available to us when seeking knowledge compared to decades ago. But through it all, books and authors still find ways to prove their value and show us time and time again why they have stood the test of time.
Even if being a programmer is so closely aligned to the digital age, you could still fill an entire library full of books talking about coding, how to be a better developer, and technology in general. With so many options at your fingertips, we figured it would be a good time to point you in the right direction. Our team of coding and data analysis instructors came together to determine the top ten books that every (current and future) developer must read. This list was curated to touch on a wide range of focus points. But they all offer unique benefits you are able to take with you and implement into your daily life of code.
The Top 10 Books Developers Should Read in Their Lifetime
1. Atomic Design
If you are searching for a deeper understanding behind UI and want to change your entire perspective on how you approach the design process, Atomic Design by Brad Frost is a must-read for you. Frost breaks down every detail leading up to the UI release and takes readers step-by-step on how to reinvent the wheel behind your processes to produce higher quality end products quicker.
2. The Design of Everyday Things
Don Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things does an expert job at explaining the importance of design by challenging the items around us – such as a simple light switch. Overcomplicated design is a flaw within itself. This book tastefully takes readers to the basics behind design to help them better understand the value in simplicity.
3. Don’t Make Me Think
Often defined as an essential book for web developers, Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug is a must-read to have a stronger understanding of the concepts that help define great web and mobile experiences. Krug drives his points by using wit, graphics, and knowledge to help you not only improve what you know now, but change how to approach web developing in every project to come.
4. The Tipping Point
Acclaimed author and reporter Malcolm Gladwell deep dives into the tipping point phenomenon in his national bestseller, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. The general idea behind the main subject is best described as that very spark that causes a wildfire, figuratively speaking. Gladwell expertly inspects the science of trends using real world examples in culture, business, and marketing. This book has the possibility to change your outlook on how you view the surroundings in your everyday life and play a part in how you view the very products you create as a developer.
5. Clean Code
In Robert C. “Uncle Bob” Martin’s Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship, the main takeaway is intended to make you a stronger developer and team member by introducing ways to maintain your developer craftsmanship. Martin explores the rules behind the crucial building blocks of being a great developer by establishing the importance of writing code in a clean and readable manner. This book is highly recognized as one of the most essential guides in the industry.
6. Building a Second Brain
One of the largest perks you gain when learning how to code is developing an analytical mindset. This mindset plays a massive role in every project you tackle regardless of your skill level. In Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte, you will be guided with this valuable method to evolving your brain into a memory factory. Unlocking your true knowledge, creativity, and productivity potential.
7. Deep Work
By the time you’ve reached this point of our blog post, how many times has your phone lit up beside you from an email notification or text message? The chances are high that it’s happened at least once. Professor Cal Newport’s Deep Work explores not only how challenging it is to eliminate everyday distractions while working in today’s modern world, but breaks down the steps it takes to shift your focus fully into what matters most while blocking out the distractions keeping you from success.
8. Cracking the Coding Interview
There are a few hurdles most developers face while traveling on their journey to launching (or growing) a career in code. One of the largest is getting the lengthy list of skills it takes to become a valuable candidate. Another is tackling potentially tough interview processes where you are tasked with showing off how well rounded of a developer you truly are. Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle McDowell has been a shining beacon of hope for developers wanting to become champions of the interview process. This must-read gives you the keys of uncovering the details in a question and overcoming tough tasks with ease to confidentially navigate to the next steps of your career. The book also includes 189 common programming interview questions to really put your knowledge to the test. Up for the challenge?
9. Program or Be Programmed
Author Douglas Rushkoff recognizes something that is apparent in all of our daily lives – the digital world is changing quickly. In his book, Program or Be Programmed, he lays out a clear and concise template of how to properly navigate the ever-changing digital landscape we all take part in.
10. Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
If you have a role in the technology industry, then it’s likely you’ve heard the term “Scrum” a few times. In recent years, it has become an industry standard across the board for project management. With the obvious rewarding perks surrounding Scrum, the methodology has started to show up in other industries outside of its main technology origins.
In Jeff Sutherlands’, the CEO of Scrum Inc., and J.J. Sutherlands’ Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time, readers are able to dive deep into this groundbreaking process that has defined team interaction and success in the last decades of work. This is an obvious must-read for anyone interested in the first-hand accounts of the Scrum origins directly told by those who lived it or if you are wanting a better understanding into how to become more agile in the work you do.
At devCodeCamp, we take hopeful adults with all backgrounds and give them the skills they need to launch a career in code and data. Through our live immersive classroom settings or flexible on-demand course options, we have designed our lesson plans from the ground up for you to learn coding and data with confidence regardless of experience level. If you are ready to start your journey to success, reach out today.