What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Coding: A Short Primer for Getting a Job in Software Development
Are you looking to change careers? Ever think of software development? Software Developers are in high demand and can earn a high income. Believe it or not, these jobs also don’t require a college degree. Many people are able to become self-taught software engineers and developers everyday. Learn how to take those steps with this guide. With this short book, you can learn how to take the first steps. It will teach you strategies for how to choose a language to learn, how and where to learn a programming language. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Coding will also help you understand how to gain some experience as a new coder. You can discover strategies for finding and applying to jobs and finally, what to expect when on the job. All of this is brought to you by an author with over 16 years of experience in software engineering. Download your copy today and embark on your journey to an exciting career in programming!
95 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2020
1 person is currently reading
1 person want to read
About the author
Joel Spriggs
12 books41 followersJoel Spriggs (1982-?) was born and raised in Frankfort, IN. He graduated from Franklin College of Indiana in 2004 with a Bachelors of the Fine Arts in Computer Science and Broadcast Journalism.
Joel's first novel, "Over A God's Dead Body" was published on the Kindle platform in June 2018 and is the first in a planned series surrounding the same characters and fantasy world.
Joel has successfully defended his beard from being stolen 1873 times out of 1877 attempts by his elder brother. On the five occasions he failed, Joel immediately set about growing a new beard and refining his defenses.
Joel lives with his wife and three children in scenic Lebanon, IN. He maintains a website and blog at joelspriggs.com. He is also active on Twitter, @joelspriggs.
Joel's first novel, "Over A God's Dead Body" was published on the Kindle platform in June 2018 and is the first in a planned series surrounding the same characters and fantasy world.
Joel has successfully defended his beard from being stolen 1873 times out of 1877 attempts by his elder brother. On the five occasions he failed, Joel immediately set about growing a new beard and refining his defenses.
Joel lives with his wife and three children in scenic Lebanon, IN. He maintains a website and blog at joelspriggs.com. He is also active on Twitter, @joelspriggs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 27, 2020
An Overarching Look at How to Get into Coding
As the author describes this book, it is a “meta-educational” look at how to learn to code and find a job using your new skills. As it is a high-level view, the book is relatively short, clocking in at around 15K words. The author does continue his Hitchhiker’s Guide theme throughout the book by including Douglas Adams’s quotes at the start of each chapter and occasional references within the text itself. The author starts with a brief chapter on learning how to learn in general and includes some useful Googling tips—including ones I didn’t know (thanks!). And then he looks at choosing a language or languages to learn. If you’re looking for specific language recommendations, the author does not provide that but does give you hints about how to figure out what languages might be needed in the area of coding that you want to go into and where you live (or might want to live). He also provides a short guide to some very general computer science terms and concepts like looping. (At other times in the book, though, he seems to throw around coding terms that true beginners may not understand.) He suggests websites to find out more about coding in general or to find some sample code or tutorials. He also has a very short list of recommended books at the back that includes books on coding in general as well as some on specific concepts. Then the book transitions to a discussion about the work aspect for future coders, starting with getting a portfolio going; he does provide several suggestions about how to do that without having a job first. The next chapters look at how to approach interviewing for coding jobs and how to be a good employee and teammate once you are hired. If coding fascinates you as a career choice, this brief overview of the process from learning to working in a company could help you.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
As the author describes this book, it is a “meta-educational” look at how to learn to code and find a job using your new skills. As it is a high-level view, the book is relatively short, clocking in at around 15K words. The author does continue his Hitchhiker’s Guide theme throughout the book by including Douglas Adams’s quotes at the start of each chapter and occasional references within the text itself. The author starts with a brief chapter on learning how to learn in general and includes some useful Googling tips—including ones I didn’t know (thanks!). And then he looks at choosing a language or languages to learn. If you’re looking for specific language recommendations, the author does not provide that but does give you hints about how to figure out what languages might be needed in the area of coding that you want to go into and where you live (or might want to live). He also provides a short guide to some very general computer science terms and concepts like looping. (At other times in the book, though, he seems to throw around coding terms that true beginners may not understand.) He suggests websites to find out more about coding in general or to find some sample code or tutorials. He also has a very short list of recommended books at the back that includes books on coding in general as well as some on specific concepts. Then the book transitions to a discussion about the work aspect for future coders, starting with getting a portfolio going; he does provide several suggestions about how to do that without having a job first. The next chapters look at how to approach interviewing for coding jobs and how to be a good employee and teammate once you are hired. If coding fascinates you as a career choice, this brief overview of the process from learning to working in a company could help you.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
June 30, 2020
I'm writing this as the person the author is exactly targeting: someone who's considering changing careers, with zero knowledge in tech, and not a lot of resources in making such a transition. Whilst I've done my own basic reading of the career, I appreciate that the info I need is all in one place, everything here is neatly tailored to my level of familiarity, and most of all, I'm still learning so many new things from here.
The book says that it is a meta-educational guide; that is, it aims to be the map in which we traverse the universe of coding as a career, and also different ways of getting there. In my opinion, it delivers what it promises in a smooth and easy reading.
It introduces us briefly to some relevant terminologies and areas of discipline for us to dig deeper, and where and how to do the digging. This method of learning how to be a developer will also be the same methods we will employ in our continuing professional development, especially in building our edge in our career. On a related note, I really appreciate the practicality and considerations of how the assignments were designed in clarifying our own purpose and understanding of this field.
It also shows us different options for us to build our experience, the different allures of the careers, and considerations we might've made in exploring these as a new career choice. I appreciate the new perspective it adds to all these considerations so that we can still be rooted in the reality of this decision-making process.
A really nice touch to this book is that it introduces some basics and personal examples of navigating the white-collar world of this career, as some readers might be coming from other backgrounds.
I can definitely see myself going back to this guide, over and over again in this phase of my journey. Thank you so much to the author in preparing this!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The book says that it is a meta-educational guide; that is, it aims to be the map in which we traverse the universe of coding as a career, and also different ways of getting there. In my opinion, it delivers what it promises in a smooth and easy reading.
It introduces us briefly to some relevant terminologies and areas of discipline for us to dig deeper, and where and how to do the digging. This method of learning how to be a developer will also be the same methods we will employ in our continuing professional development, especially in building our edge in our career. On a related note, I really appreciate the practicality and considerations of how the assignments were designed in clarifying our own purpose and understanding of this field.
It also shows us different options for us to build our experience, the different allures of the careers, and considerations we might've made in exploring these as a new career choice. I appreciate the new perspective it adds to all these considerations so that we can still be rooted in the reality of this decision-making process.
A really nice touch to this book is that it introduces some basics and personal examples of navigating the white-collar world of this career, as some readers might be coming from other backgrounds.
I can definitely see myself going back to this guide, over and over again in this phase of my journey. Thank you so much to the author in preparing this!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 29, 2020
Over the last few months of quarantining for Covid-19, you may have wondered about making a career change that would pay well and allow you more opportunity to work from home. If so, and if you’ve ever wondered about learning to code and building a career in software development, then this new book by Joel Spriggs will be a useful guide in figuring out how to do just that. The book is not long, but it is densely packed with helpful information about how to decide which computer languages you need to learn, and how to get your foot in the door for employment.
Spriggs shares valuable information about sites to learn about software development, sites for networking and job hunting, and even some useful pointers about office politics and online etiquette. He demystifies the process of getting started in coding and effectively finding employment in this vital industry. The title is fitting because, like the Hitcherhiker’s Guide, Spriggs is straightforward in telling you how the industry operates but tries to ease your worries as he tells you how to navigate the process of building a new career.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Spriggs shares valuable information about sites to learn about software development, sites for networking and job hunting, and even some useful pointers about office politics and online etiquette. He demystifies the process of getting started in coding and effectively finding employment in this vital industry. The title is fitting because, like the Hitcherhiker’s Guide, Spriggs is straightforward in telling you how the industry operates but tries to ease your worries as he tells you how to navigate the process of building a new career.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 25, 2020
There were some parts, particularly the more technical parts, where I felt that those sections (the github one especially) were more so intermediate oriented. Other than that I definitely gained useful knowledge especially on the importance of knowing how to search and why this skill is relevant in programming. More useful links would have been appreciated for example in the topic of working on open source projects however the guide's objective was to kind of, i'd describe it as, 'showing you around the kitchen' rather than going in-depth into how each component of the kitchen functions.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 5, 2020
I am a fan of the fantasy, sci-fi and dark paranormal fun adventures from Joel Spriggs
I honestly was expecting a philosophical fiction fun read
That said, this guide applies the creative flair of Joel Spriggs to interesting facts and career tips, based on years of coding experience
Very cool!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I honestly was expecting a philosophical fiction fun read
That said, this guide applies the creative flair of Joel Spriggs to interesting facts and career tips, based on years of coding experience
Very cool!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews