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The Pragmatic Programmer

This book contains guidance on how to become a better software developer, though the most useful advice is not about writing code. The advice I found most useful as a developer relates to keeping end users in mind and about being adaptable.

Certain sections (eg Concurrency) were less useful for me, though they can be skipped. Overall the advice in this book is definitely pragmatic.

Takeaways​

Take Responsibility For ...​

What You Do​

This item is not specific to being a programmer, but it is an important one. This means being being held accountable for any outcomes and generating solutions when things don't work out:

Provide Options, Don’t Make Lame Excuses.

Developing Your Knowledge​

You should keep learning new things (the authors even recommend you learn a new programming language every year), even if you don't intend to use what you learn.

The process of learning will expand your thinking, opening you to new possibilities and new ways of doing things.

GitHub Start Aren't Everything​

Just because a technology is popular doesn't mean you should learn or use it. Think critically about what you work on, and in real projects use whatever works.

Project Requirements Aren't Fixed​

This means the code you write needs to be adaptable. If a new request requires a rewrite of your codebase, you likely did something wrong.

Requirements can change for many reasons. The most useful one the authors touch on is below:

Users don't know what they want​

Part of a programmer's job is to help users figure out what they want. When presented with a heavy set of requirements it's a bad idea to deliver them without user feedback on the way.

The authors recommend implementing features incrementally. Produce good enough software and get feedback on it ASAP. Then base your next iteration on that feedback. This helps users figure out what they want, producing a better outcome.

Writing Code​

Some miscellaneous tips on writing code:

  • Think about a program as a sequence of steps to gather and transform data. You will write better code than if you are thinking about which design pattern to use
  • Don't repeat yourself. Repetition is a sign of hard to change code
  • Learn your IDE's shortcuts. It will pay off immediately
  • Use unambiguous variable names