managing and developing your career as a programmer --Dave ThomasI actually think reading this book is as important for your career as reading The Pragmatic Programmer is for your skills.
Unfortunately, the title isn't great.
In fact the title is so bad that I've wanted to recommend it for awhile, but I couldn't think of what to write that would convince people to forgive the title and read it anyway.
Then, today, Dave Thomas wrote about the importance of book titles. In his entry he mentions that it was a "Big mistake" to go with the title My Job Went to India.
That's when I knew what to say about the title, my honest opinion.
So, forgive the title and give the book a shot. You'll be glad that you did.
"I actually think reading this book is as important for your career as reading The Pragmatic Programmer is for your skills."
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I've thought as well.
What makes it all the more tragic, is that I remember the discussion about how it was a poor title before that book was published. Unfortunately, they went with the title anyway.
ReplyDeleteI got this book when I attended an Advanced Ruby on Rails Studio conducted by Chad and others (Dave Thomas and Mike Clark). I got Chad to autograph the book for me. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe title is what got me interested. It never offended me but I did joke as if it did. Chad said the book should have been titled "My Job Should Go to India". :-)
Here's the comment I left at Dave's blog... it reflects what I feel about the book:
Hi Dave,
Don't beat yourself up too bad about "My Job Went to India". :-) I bought that book especially for that title, because it piqued my interest as I'm an Indian software professional, and I wanted to know what Chad had to say about Indian IT.
Hmm... do you have any demographics about the buyers of the book? I'd like to see how many of them are Indians.
That said, I must say that Chad's book was a great read. The things he said about Indian IT and even Indian culture in general is so true. He's been able to pinpoint the differences between the mindsets of Indians and our Western counterparts, and the best part is he does that without any sign of bigotry. I think he dealt with the subject beautifully. But yeah, I don't think the book is entirely about US vs India, as many chapters do not necessarily compare the two and are written as general recommendations.
I'm sure the book will do well if marketed in India. Indians, of all people, will benefit the most from the book actually, as it'll help us get out of our "frog in the well" attitude. ;-)
Keep up the good work, you guys!