Looking for a better job? Or any job? Start by looking at Andy Lester’s new book, Land the Tech Job You Love, the latest release in our new Pragmatic Life series—because life doesn’t stop at the office door. You can listen to Andy Lester talk about modern job hunting on this week’s Pragmatic Podcast.

Also be sure to catch Ed Burnette discussing Android programming live on the MOTODEV Podcast Big in Japan show Wednesday at 9am PDT.

Finally, Practical Programming, an introduction to Computer Science using Python, is now in print and shipping.

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Land the Tech Job You Love

It’s tougher than ever to get that great job. Companies are more demanding and your competition is smart, tech-savvy, and resourceful. You’ve got the right skills for the job—you also need the right skills for job hunting. Cookie-cutter job hunting skills aren’t enough: Land the Tech Job You Love gives you the background and the hard-won wisdom to leapfrog those who play by the old rules.

You’ll learn how to find the job you want that fits you and your employer. You’ll uncover the hidden jobs that never make it into the classifieds or Monster. You’ll start making and maintaining the connections that will drive your future career moves.

Andy Lester started writing this book years before the recession (a.k.a. “econopocalypse”) hit. He looked at the conventional wisdom and the advice available in generic books on job hunting, and found the conventional wisdom just didn’t work for programmers, system administrators, testers, and other related development positions.

He looked at everything from whether you should look for work on online job boards to whether you should lead off your resume with your objectives. Although he has definite answers for these two, he found that the answer to most questions is “it depends”. His book leads you to taking an honest assessment of what you offer and what you want in a job so that you end up in a job that is a good fit for you and your employer.

This is an important book for you to read whether you currently have a job or not. The same tactics you take to make yourself more employable will also make it easier to get promoted in your current company.

We’re releasing a sneak peek of Land the Tech Job You Love early as a beta book. The book is complete, but in this economy we didn’t want you to have to wait while we typeset and print the book. You can buy the electronic version today. The print version will be ready in 4-6 weeks or so.

Land the Tech Job You Love pulls no punches. It’s peppered with real-life stories about what works, and hilarious tales of what doesn’t. It lays out the details for what gets you an interview—and gets
you hired—for a job in the technical world that makes you happy.

Andy Lester on the Pragmatic Podcast

Andy Lester tells Susannah Pfalzer all about job hunting in today’s tech world. He’ll explain why job boards do not work for 90% of job seekers, and what makes a great resume—and how most people blow it. Andy will talk about how to make yourself hirable and promotable, and how to use your resume as a tracking tool.

Even with this economy, and fewer jobs available, the way you look for a job doesn’t change, just the priorities. Join Andy Lester and see how to land the tech job you’ll love on this week’s Pragmatic Podcast.

Practical Programming

Now in print and shipping, Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python is a great tool to teach real-world programming to students and beginning programmers.

Computers are used in every part of science from ecology to particle physics. This introduction to computer science continually reinforces those ties by using real-world science problems as examples. Anyone who has taken a high school science class will be able to follow along as the book introduces the basics of programming, then goes on to show readers how to work with databases, download data from the web automatically, build graphical interfaces, and most importantly, how to think like a professional programmer.

Topics covered include:

• Basic elements of programming from arithmetic to loops and if statements.
• Using functions and modules to organize programs.
• Using lists, sets, and dictionaries to organize data.
• Designing algorithms systematically.
• Debugging things when they go wrong.
• Creating and querying databases.
• Building graphical interfaces to make programs easier to use.
• Object-oriented programming and programming patterns.

Thanks for your continued support,

Dave & Andy
www.PragProg.com