Normally I am an extraordinarily slow reader, plodding along a few pages at a time. I will sometimes jump between different books too, as my interests shift.
But in the past couple of weeks, I finished reading 3 books!
But in the past couple of weeks, I finished reading 3 books!
- The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier. This book expanded my understanding of the role of a manager, from line manager all the way to CTO. By characterizing the manager's path, this book helped me to develop a clear mental picture around how I want my own career to progress, and when management may be a good fit for me. It also helped me realize that, for now and at the company I currently work at, staying on an individual contributor's career path is the best fit for me. 🗺
- Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann. This book is phenomenal! I listened to it on Audible, but decided to purchase a physical copy of the book for long-term reference. By diving deep on storage technologies, architectures, and scaling strategies, this book builds a firm foundation upon which to understand the entire data landscape. I wish I had read this years ago 😅
- Fundamentals of Software Architecture by Mark Richards and Neal Ford. I found this book eye-opening. Many of the architectures in this book were foreign to me, so it highlighted a big gap in my knowledge that I am going to be working to fill over the next few years. I also really appreciated the tour through the authors' expectations of what it takes to be a solid architect. My main key takeaway: architecture is a skill learned primarily by doing. It naturally takes a long time to develop, because system architecture is not something we get the opportunity to practice often. The book recommends architecture katas as a way to practice, which is something I'll be looking into!
Reading technical books has been an excellent way for me to break out of my bubble to learn skills, techniques, and wisdom I would not otherwise have access to in my day-to-day life. I'm grateful to these excellent writers for sharing their knowledge and experiences.
