What one book should every programmer read? A recommendation.

P1xt — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 19:20:44 +0000

It seems like every programming blog out there has A list of 10 books every programmer should read. The funny thing is, the list is invariably the same 10 books that have been listed for the last decade.

The same 10 books.

Are they good books? Yes. They are fantastic. Are they applicable to everybody? Yes, eventually. Do they impart knowledge that will be useful right now no matter where you are in your career? No, not all of them do.

Today, I'm going to buck the trend of regurgitating the same list of books that I'd wager have already been listed dozens if not hundreds of times on this very platform. Instead, I'm going to recommend the one book that, in my opinion, can illuminate your entire journey - whether you're on the first step of that journey, or well along the way.

The Pragmatic Programmer
by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas.

Why this book? Why not some book on a programming language, or algorithms, or how to pass an interview, or software architecture, or design patterns, etc, etc, etc? Because this book, this one book, is approachable and applicable for everyone. It provides insights into practical ways that ANYONE can elevate their craft.

It is readable.

Readable? Yes, by even the juniorest of juniors. But, it's also chock full of wisdom that is valuable to the most senior of seniors. I, personally, have read it multiple times and have learned something new in every reading. It teaches about taking pride in your craftsmanship. It teaches about being responsible and trustworthy. It isn't preachy but, instead, illustrates its points as a series of relatable anecdotes - inviting you to learn from the experiences (and mishaps) of others.

It is interesting.

It won't stick you in one chapter for a month trying to wrap your head around some three page long nigh-undecipherable block of pseudo code wondering how you would actually use the thing, ever, in an actual program you write. Instead, it will inspire you, and leave you thinking "that's the kind of programmer I want to be." It will help you craft a career you're proud of.

It is pertinent.

It will give you a window into practices that can guide you, and your career, towards productive and profitable paths and away from potential pitfalls. It will save your future self, over and over, from thinking "I wish I'd known that years ago." It talks about technical debt. It talks about testing. It talks about design. It talks about ... so much. But, not in a "you should do this" way. In a "let me tell you about a shit festival and how and why doing X can help you avoid festivals of your own" way.

Two notes:

Be sure to get the 20th Anniversary Edition, it is an excellent update to an already excellent book
The audio book version is fantastic, one of the best 'technical' audio books I've ever listened to - adding to, not detracting from, the source material

The Pragmatic Programmer gets my vote for the one book we should all read - because it's a book we all can read. It's a book that has something to say, something we can hear, for every single one of us.

— Peace

Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash

Scam Alert: OnClick Academy

P1xt — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 20:19:48 +0000

Followup: April 2023
Now Victor Bastos is selling his platform and email lists - so even though I unsubscribed from everything on his worthless platform years ago, I'm getting emails from this con artist again. He's telling me "just hit unsubscribe" and I'm telling him "remove every trace of my private info including my email address from your platform and email lists." He is refusing. So, apparently he's gone from selling products he never delivers, to selling the email addresses of everyone he ever scammed. What an absolute loser.

This past week I decided to sign up for OnClick Academy's offer for it's founder's CEO to share some of his client base.

Note: I didn't really need his clients. I have my own. But, I had a bit of free time that I 'could' fit some extra work in if the offer didn't end up a total scam. So, it was an offer to hook me up with some work, which I was

qualified for (vastly overqualified for actually)
willing to do if any actually materialized

So, I signed up for the low low price of fifty bucks.

Note: I would have done the work if there was any (there wasn't, this is a total scam, don't sign up for it) but my main objective was to see if there was any truth to Victor's promise (with just HTML and CSS knowledge, he could hook a junior dev up with $5k to $10k worth of work a month) because if it was true, I know a number of junior devs that this would be a really good deal for. (It's not true, don't do it.)

Here's the actual offer I signed up for

Here is what I actually received for my fifty bucks

imagine an entire field of crickets chirping

After signing up

I received an email asking me to fill out a skills inventory. I provided all the requested information. (Note: I am vastly overqualified for the 'you just need to know basic HTML and CSS' offer. I know HTML and CSS, well beyond basic, plus JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Python, Angular, React, etc, etc and have been a successful freelancer for over a decade.)

A couple days later after receiving zero response from Victor, I sent a follow up email asking if there was anything more he needed from me.

crickets

On Friday, I asked for a refund.

On Monday, he sent out a mass email about how he was getting a bunch of complaints so he was going to have to work out a system to ensure that work was distributed evenly. He managed to work in a plug about that 'one guy' who's made $4k so far.

I responded that I'd really just like my refund and that I would sign up again later once he'd ironed out the logistics.

He responded that he'd be happy to refund my money 'until Friday'.

We spent several hours arguing back and forth about the difference between the meaning, in English, of 'I will refund your money until Friday' and 'I will refund your money ON Friday'.

Eventually, I was done arguing and told him I'd just open a PayPal dispute then he could refund it through that. I was really starting to feel like he'd taken my money last week, spent it, done nothing to provide the service he promised, and was trying to kick the can over to next week in a never-ending brush-off intended to jerk me around until the PayPal dispute option deadline passed.

He came back with the most ridiculous responses imaginable. Apparently:

if I open a dispute, it will take me far longer to get my refund (I took this as a threat that if I open a dispute, he'll drag the process out as long as he possibly can to 'get me back'. He says the dispute process naturally just takes longer. I responded that he could just pay the refund and the dispute goes away the second he does so.)
he has a contact at PayPal he'll call up (to presumably wreak vengeance upon me for disputing a charge he has already agreed to refund.)

And then - I get another mass email from him (presumably sent to his entire mailing list) trying to get even more people to sign up (this time for the low low cost of three monthly payments of $19 each.)

The takeaway

If you are a Junior Developer getting Victor Bastos' emails promising you access to his client network, and you're thinking 'this just might be my chance':

DON'T DO IT

It is a scam.

The emails say you'll be included in his private facebook and linkedin networks. The emails say you'll get client work. The emails lie.

There might be one dude who signed up who's actually made $4k - I don't know, personally I'm dubious. What I do know is that as a highly qualified senior engineer, I got no invite to either a Facebook or Linkedin network, and I made exactly $0 and am disputing via PayPal to get my (wasted) money back.

DEV Community: P1xt