Author: Sam Lightstone
Publisher: Prentice Hall Pearson Education (www.informit.com/ph)
Published: March 2010
ISBN-10: 0-13-705967-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-705967-6
Format: Soft cover, 456 pages (plus companion Web site www.makingitbigcareers.com)
Prices:
Book + eBook Bundle  $29.49 (Formats: PDF and EPUB)
Book Price $22.49
eBook Price $7.00

How to Succeed in Your IT Career

When we first embark on our respective IT careers, all of us hope to somehow "make a difference.” But in practical terms, what are those special qualities that are required to do so? Obviously you have to be technically competent in your chosen area of IT, but even being a brilliant technician won't necessarily bring you the rewards you so desire. To advance your career, you have to bring other factors to bear and that exactly is the type of subject matter tackled in the book "Making It Big in Software", subtitled "Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great." The book's author, Sam Lightstone, has diverse professional experience including that of Program Director and Senior Technical Staff member with IBM's Software Group. As detailed in the book's opening pages, "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." And while he "spends a good part of his professional time recruiting and mentoring software engineers", he has also found the time and creativity to be the "inventor and co-inventor of more than 30 patents and patents pending and author of several books and scientific papers." His formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Computer Science and Software Engineering.

When writing his book, Lightstone's objective was to produce "a book for software professionals of all ages and levels, whether they're just trying to break into the field or have decades of experience." He readily acknowledges that "writing a book with that range isn't easy; every age group and community has a different set of concerns that affect what's interesting to them. After nearly two decades of recruiting, managing, and mentoring software professionals, there are some common themes," says Lightstone, "that cross most boundaries of age and experience." His goal has been to "make those themes central to the book."

Lightstone has divided the content of" Making It Big in Software" into three major sections. In the first section, he focuses on what he refers to as the fundamentals. It's here that he discusses how to get a job in software development, and then the strategies that you should adopt "in the early years as a software developer.” For instance, essential skills to possess are not always technical in nature. Softer sorts of skills that are vital to ongoing success include:

• Being socially aware, or, in other words, knowing the right thing to say at the right time, as well as knowing when to remain silent.
• Becoming a skilled communicator in each of the following circumstances: talking one on one; addressing both small and large groups; and with the written word.
• Growing a network of professional contacts.
• Developing a sense of urgency.
• Keeping your cool. Lightstone reminds us that people at the top remain "relatively calm under fire, facing problems as a matter of due course."

Lightstone stresses that "soft skills are always important, but they rise in value in senior positions. Why? Simply because senior positions are usually filled with responsibilities related to managing people (or in the case of senior architects, interacting with people) and resolving problems. Focus on your soft skills, and you'll be building a foundation for future career growth. Exceptions exist to every rule, and it's true that people can rise to the higher echelons of an organization even if they lack one or more of these qualities – but it's harder."

The second section of the book turns the spotlight on various aspects of leadership. Examples of topics presented here include successful software project proposals; career advancement; time management; avoiding software development overruns; insights into software project management; and importantly, getting the right work-life balance for yourself. Lightstone issues the warning that "none of us should be defined entirely by our professional life. If you are defined exclusively by your work, then your role as a parent, spouse, lover, sibling, hobbyist, or community member means nothing."

I am sure that many people who pick up "Making It Big in Software" will be immediately drawn to read the third and final section of the book, which is simply titled "Greatness.” That's because it investigates, in depth, innovation – which, for a lot of IT professionals, represents the "holy grail" of their career. Lightstone himself describes this section of the book as a discussion of "topics around innovation – how to reach the pinnacle of the profession (becoming a software visionary or guru), how to start your own business, a review of compensation rates, and a retrospective on things I wish I had known earlier in my career."

Interspersed between the 22 chapters that comprise the book are interviews with key people within the software industry. Those interviewed include Peter Norvig, Google's Director of Research; Grady Booch, the Sage of Software Architecture; Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Movement; James Gosling, inventor of the Java programming language; Robert Kahn, co-inventor of the Internet; Bjarne Stroustrup, inventor of the C++ programming language; and Steve Wozniak, inventor of the Apple computer and co-founder of Apple Inc. In choosing who to interview, Lightstone, the book's author, makes the point that everyone he interviewed "has reached the heights of the profession. After all, that's what made them such interesting people to speak with." He adds too that "these interviews deliberately include a mix of business executives, researchers, and industry leaders." Apart from each of these interviews being interesting in their own individual way, they also serve another purpose, and that is to provide readers of the book with "perspectives broader" than just those of the book's author. In physically placing the interviews within his book, Lightstone says he made an effort, where possible, to include them "near related chapters (for example, two startup sensations, Marc Benioff CEO and founder of Salesforce.com and Diane Greene past CEO and co-founder of VMware, frame the chapter on software startups)."

To find out more about the book and its author, and to tap into additional useful resources, check out the companion Web site (www.makingitbigcareers.com). Examples of these resources include its blog and podcasts. Here are some of the titles of blog entries published there in recent times:

• "Why to choose a professional career in software"
• "You need to be happy to be successful, not successful to be happy"
• "Recommended for every serious programmer"
• "Avoiding software project overruns: watch the ratio!"
• "Alone in a crowded room (and other email addiction problems)"

And here are the titles of two of the site's podcasts:

1. "Google’s Marissa Mayer on pet peeves and women in technology"
2. "Ray Tomlinson inventor of email discusses the “@” sign"

Regardless of where you currently positioned in your IT career path – just setting out or maybe contemplating using your years of experience to forge a new direction – "Making It Big In Software: Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great." has plenty of timely advice worth considering. And if you think "reaching the top of the pile" in IT will be just too hard or maybe even unachievable, I will leave you with these words of advice from Lightstone himself.” making it big isn't the impossible elusive dream that some people think it is. Making it big requires a moderately consistent effort and the careful and strategic use of time to focus your energy and talents in meaningful ways. Yes, it's true that most successful people in software tend to work longer hours than career journeymen, but you don't need to be a workaholic to get to the top. Working smart is always more important than working hard."

In summing up, if you are keen to further your IT career, or maybe ambitious enough to become a IT high flyer, then I would advise you to make "Making It Big In Software: Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great." your blueprint, foundation, philosophical approach, or whatever you want to call it, on which to base, and then launch your career-building strategies.

Finally, some words of caution from Lightstone before you rush off and start planning your IT future. He wisely advises that "it's important to have your own idea of success and make sure you know what you're going after. Sure, you can chart your road to success using someone else's model, but if you get there and are unhappy with where you are or who you are, what's it worth?" He then adds that "getting to the top, regardless of what our personal top is, requires tenacity, smarts, and planning, … even more so, it requires you to understand yourself and what will really satisfy you professionally. The ancient Greeks understood it. Inscribed in the courtyard of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi was the simple aphorism, 'Know thyself.'"

In other words, let me paraphrase: "Be careful what you wish for because you just might end up getting it!"