Episode 008 – Career Advice with John Sonmez

John Sonmez is the author of The Complete Software Developer’s Career Guide and the founder of Simple Programmer.

John started his software development career at 10, hacking C and C++ to create virtual worlds for his favorite MUDs.

In The Complete Software Developer’s Career Guide, John shares the principles and knowledge that took him from teenage hacker to highly paid senior development and consulting positions—and by age 32, early retirement and a second career as an entrepreneur.

John’s journey was no rocket-ship ride to success. He’s candid about the fits and starts he struggled through during much of his career, like getting “laid off” from his first real development job after underwhelming his boss with his C++ skills, and a spectacular implosion during an intense onsite interview with Microsoft.

Eventually though John realized that there’s a huge difference between knowing how to program and how to be a successful, professional software developer—and he set out to develop the technical, leadership and communication skills he lacked.

John went on to become a highly paid consultant in test automation and Agile methodology, and the 55 courses he published with PluralSight makes him one of the most prolific online trainers in the field of software development.

John effectively retired at 32 and moved to San Diego with his wife and daughter.

Today he runs the hugely popular Simple Programmer blog and YouTube channel, where he helps more than 1.4 million developers every year to master the career and life skills that made all the difference in his career.

https://twitter.com/jsonmez
https://simpleprogrammer.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsonmez

“Tempting Time” by Animals As Leaders used with permissions – All Rights Reserved

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