Lost my job / my role is changing
Books commenters say helped when they lost a job, changed careers or started over.
Books several people mention
Ranked by how many different people say it helped. Small numbers, so the order is a hint.
A practical guide to job hunting and choosing a career.
Right after reading it - i took the advise of calling companies out of the blue much more seriously, and the difference in conversations was encouraging.
Practical approaches to engineering management, from team sizing to technical debt and succession planning.
i'm debating whether to change into management and this one really helped me understand a bit more what goes into engineering management.
A guide for tech professionals moving from engineer to team lead and senior manager.
I was experiencing growing pains moving to a more senior role on my team (less time for getting things done, more time helping others, etc) and this book helped me realize that it was to be expected.
A guide to writing strong resumes for software engineering jobs.
I used the advice to spruce up my resume a bit and tailor it to specific employers. But more importantly, it helped me know when I was “done”.
An argument that much modern work is pointless and psychologically damaging, with proposed solutions.
it really resonated with me at the time I read it. I think it was the thing that pushed me to find a different job.
Switching to a new field
These readers moved into a different kind of work, such as a new profession, a new role, or industry. (Theme name written by AI.)
A history of the early programmers and tinkerers who built the personal computer revolution.
helped me change career directions to be a programmer in Silicon Valley and eventually get a PhD and teach programming at the university level.
A practical guide to job hunting and choosing a career.
It is what convinced me I could transfer my skills from video game dev into another field and how to come up with a plan to do so.
A guide to finding work you care about and moving from a job to a calling.
The book "From Paycheck to Purpose" helped me quite a bit. I did a pivot from software engineering manager to a sales engineer role.
Explains how childhood-written life scripts shape our relationships and choices, and how to change them.
I read this book in the early 90's and it changed my life. It was the catalyst to make changes to my life to become a psychotherapist.
Applying Zen principles of focus and practice to playing music and approaching life.
I made a major career shift to ML research using the lessons I learnt from this book
A look at how the shift to information-age technology reshapes society, work and daily life.
This book convinced me not to pursue a career in nuclear power after the Navy, which was the standard career path for guys like me, because it was "Second Wave."
How good design makes everyday objects easy to use, and why bad design frustrates people.
“The Design of Everyday Things”. The book that sparked a change in my career (to be honest)
A method for launching new businesses by testing ideas with customers and adjusting quickly.
I was going to go into game development then after reading it I totally changed what I was going to do.
A web and new-media designer's reflections on creative process, inspiration and working practice.
Inspired by Hillman's books, I changed careers and became a web architect
Marketing strategy for getting new technology products from early enthusiasts to mainstream customers.
They opened my eyes to a new way of looking at products and helped me successfully become a PM.
Why successful established companies lose their markets to disruptive new technologies, and how to avoid it.
They opened my eyes to a new way of looking at products and helped me successfully become a PM.
A research-based sales method for large deals, built on asking the right kinds of questions.
A book that helped me get into enterprise selling is SPIN selling by Neil Rackham.
Leaving to work for myself
These readers quit their jobs to freelance, consult, join a startup, or build their own business. (Theme name written by AI.)
Advice for freelancers and consultants on pricing by value instead of by the hour.
I've built my productivized consulting offer based on these tips, and it helped me quit full-time job over 3 years ago.
Jesus' Terrible Financial Advice
1 person says it helped them
The freedom in my thinking helped as I left my job and went out on my own. I earn a lot more now.
Lessons from decades of consulting on working with clients, useful for consultants and those who hire them.
a great book on strategy that helped me personally transition from employee->freelancer->director was Gerald M. Weinberg's "The Secrets of Consulting".
A sales system that puts the salesperson, not the buyer, in control of the process.
A book that helped me with this a great deal was "You can't teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar" by Sandler
A biography linking Leonardo's art and science, showing how curiosity and observation fueled his creativity.
it taught me valuable lessons on how to structure my time and life to work on things I care about. This book was instrumental in my decision to quit my job
Counterintuitive business advice: skip plans, investors and meetings, and focus on getting work done.
A big trigger for my career change was when I read Rework from DHH. I realized that you can start small and build a product fit for a specific market
Career advice for software developers who want to take charge of their working lives.
That was the book that put me on a path 3 years ago from C# enterprise code monkey to being where I am today, as an independent Rails consultant.
A guide to escaping the nine-to-five by automating work, outsourcing tasks and designing a flexible lifestyle.
It's not a programming book but I quit my job 2 weeks after I read it :)
Classic advice on getting along with people, making them like you, and persuading them.
after reading this book I had a good idea of how to approach people, propose ideas, listen to their needs and collaborate on a service that I could provide them
A novel about a utopian island society and an outsider who visits it.
"Island" changed my life! That's the book that made me quit my job in 1992. Haven't had a job since.
The story of John Carmack and John Romero, who created Doom and Quake and changed video games.
This book opened my eyes to the crazy/wonderful/scary world of ‘startups’, the idea that people can bring their passion into writing software and start a business or movement. I joined a startup
Essays on why open-source, collaborative software development works, and how it differs from traditional methods.
It was that book and "Cathedral & The Bazaar" that made me quit a Microsoft-only job and go open-source.
Essays on programmers, creativity, and how computers shape the modern world.
H&P changed my life so completely that less than a year after reading it I was standing in the YC office in Mountain View for a YC interview.
Rethinking what work is for
These readers changed how they saw their job, skills, or direction, and some then moved on. (Theme name written by AI.)
Using design thinking to plan a satisfying career and life through small experiments.
I found that the book "Designing your life" really helped me. It encourages talking to people who are already in different fields / roles that interest you.
A practical guide to job hunting and choosing a career.
What Colour is your Parachute made me realize that it really was the job, it wasn't me at all.
A biography of how Steve Jobs matured from brash founder into a visionary, effective CEO.
for me, Becoming Steve Jobs was the book that saved my life when I was unemployed
A guide to coping with life changes by understanding the emotional stages of endings and new beginnings.
I read this when I was struggling with my own career transition, and it was exactly what I needed at that time in my life.
A guide to identifying your natural talents and building your work and career around them.
That book changed my life forever.
An argument that much modern work is pointless and psychologically damaging, with proposed solutions.
it really resonated with me at the time I read it. I think it was the thing that pushed me to find a different job.
Practical advice for software developers on learning, growing skills and building a craft career.
I was quite far into my career when I read it and I wish I'd done so earlier because it helped me turn my career around.
An argument that building rare skills, not following your passion, leads to work you love.
Picking up this book helps me understand there is not much need for passion but more on the development of my talent and skills.
An argument that much modern work is pointless and psychologically damaging, with proposed solutions.
"Bullshit Jobs" had a profound change on my outlook in the tech industry.
A philosophical look at life as games played to win versus games played to keep playing.
Realizing that we can choose other roles and move in and out of them freely has helped me alot with big changes (career and otherwise) in my life.
A classic on design theory, explaining how to fit solutions to the problems they address.
The most important lesson for my fledgling mind though was that design was a process, and a process that improved with each application. That good software developers arnt “born”, they are self sculpted.
A memoir of the author's life combined with practical advice on the craft of writing.
if I want to be a good ______ I need to show up, every day and _______.
Getting hired: resumes and interviews
These readers used practical advice on applying, interviewing, and making a strong first impression to land a job. (Theme name written by AI.)
A practical guide to job hunting and choosing a career.
Right after reading it - i took the advise of calling companies out of the blue much more seriously, and the difference in conversations was encouraging.
A guide to writing strong resumes for software engineering jobs.
Reading the book I suggested helped me to break out of this belief - and led me to find a new position.
A guide to writing strong resumes for software engineering jobs.
I used the advice to spruce up my resume a bit and tailor it to specific employers. But more importantly, it helped me know when I was “done”.
Job-search advice from a recruiter on getting hired, interviewing and bypassing HR gatekeepers.
A long time ago somebody recommended Nick Corcodilos‘ book, “Ask The Headhunter“, and it changed the way I thought about job hunting.
A guide to building a résumé and preparing for interviews at top tech companies.
It changed the way I apply to jobs, and it made a difference like day and night.
A guide to succeeding in a new leadership role during the critical first three months.
It's contents helped me gear my interviews towards how and when I would add value to a new group.
Stepping into leading others
These readers took on management or lead roles and found the shift easier with guidance. (Theme name written by AI.)
Practical approaches to engineering management, from team sizing to technical debt and succession planning.
This book helped me transition and it's one I push on all of our leads.
Practical approaches to engineering management, from team sizing to technical debt and succession planning.
i'm debating whether to change into management and this one really helped me understand a bit more what goes into engineering management.
A guide for tech professionals moving from engineer to team lead and senior manager.
I was experiencing growing pains moving to a more senior role on my team (less time for getting things done, more time helping others, etc) and this book helped me realize that it was to be expected.
Practical tools and practices for improving your skills as a manager of software teams.
the author also wrote a book called "Leading Snowflakes" which helped me when I first transitioned into a leadership role
A guide for tech professionals moving from engineer to team lead and senior manager.
it's a great book and helped me to come to terms with my new responsibilities as a lead.
How successful executives can fix small behavior flaws that hold back their careers.
This book really helped me make the transition between being valued primarily for my technical abilities and focusing more on interpersonal relationships and how that affects my ability to be part of a successful team.
I was confused initially why being an excellent engineer who could "deliver" didn't make me shine at bigco. The book helped me get on a better path.