At some point in your career, you'll realize there's more to being a software engineer than dealing with code. Is it time to become a manager? Or join a startup? In this insightful and entertaining book, Michael Lopp recalls his own make-or-break moments with Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Slack, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, and Symantec to help you make better, more mindful career decisions.

With more than 40 stand-alone stories, Lopp walks through a complete job lifecycle, starting with the interview and ending with the realization that it might be time to move on. You'll learn how to handle baffling circumstances in your job, understand what you want from your career, and discover how to thrive in your workplace.

• Learn how to navigate areas of your job that don't involve writing code
• Identify how the aspects you enjoy will affect your next career steps
• Build and maintain key relationships and interactions within your community
• Make choices that will help you have a deliberate career
• Recognize what's important to your manager and work on things that matter

Michael Lopp is a veteran Silicon Valley-based engineering leader who builds both people and product at historic companies such as Borland, Netscape, Palantir, Pinterest, Slack, and Apple. While he's not deeply worrying about staying relevant, he writes about backpacks, bridges, people, leadership, and werewolves at the popular weblog, Rands in Repose. He currently works at Apple on things.

Michael has three books. His first book Managing Humans, 3rd Edition is a popular guide to the art of engineering leadership and clearly explains that while you will be rewarded for what you build, you will only be successful because of your people. His second book Being Geek is a career guide for geeks and nerds alike. Michael's third book, The Art of Leadership: Small Things, Done Well published in May of 2020.

Michael rides bikes in the mountains, splits wood, and drinks red wine amongst the redwoods of Northern California because staying sane is more important than staying busy.