I'm writing a book for junior developers!

I’m writing a book: a complete guide to your first year as a developer. And I’m looking for co-authors.

It’s not a technical manual about Python or Kubernetes or Angular. And it’s not a deep-dive about refactoring or craftsmanship. It’s a guide to the other stuff: resume writing, getting that first job, ethics, career progression, what to do when you’re stuck.

The book will be pay-what-you-want (minimum price of free).

Here’s the table of contents so far:

If you follow my posts, you might recognize some of these chapters from posts I’ve written on dev.to and Medium.

The goal of the book is to help all junior developers, no matter how they entered the field, to start their careers a year ahead of where I was when I started. It’s a tall order, and that’s why I need your help.

How can you help?

If you want to be a part of this book in any of the ways below, comment on this post or email me.

^{The book is complete; it was published in 2019. You can get it for free here.}

Be a co-author! You can write a guest chapter on any topic that answers the question, “what do I wish I had known before my first year as a developer?” If I include it in the book, you’ll get your name on the cover as well as a percentage of the profits from the book. Your content will be under a non-exclusive license, which means it still belongs to you and you can publish it elsewhere.

Tell your story! The chapter titled “Do I fit in?” is still unwritten, and I’m not the right person to write it. Instead, I want to know your stories about impostor syndrome, wondering if you fit in, dealing with gatekeeping and harrassment, and finding your worth as a programmer. I’ll compile those stories together in the chapter and provide a space in the Acknowledgments for you to promote yourself, your current project, or your favorite charity.

Be a beta reader! If you’re willing to read at least part of the book before it’s released and give some honest, specific feedback about it, I’d welcome the help. In return, I’ll put your name in the Acknowledgments along with a short message of your choice–feel free to promote whatever you’re working on at the moment.

Sign up on the pre-release page! The book’s landing page on Leanpub has a form for your name, email address, and what you’re willing to pay for the book when it’s released. If you fill it out, you’ll be notified when the book is published.

Build the hype! Share the Leanpub page on social media, send it to your friends, mention it at work. When the book comes out, send it to someone who could use it. Use it to make a difference for the junior developer in your life.

What happens next?

Once it’s finished, I’ll publish the first version of the book and celebrate it on dev.to. With your help, tens of thousands of people will learn about it. And life will get just a little easier for our junior developer friends.

Are you in? I’d love to have as many people as possible be a part of this project. Just comment below or DM me and we’ll make it happen.