The Software Engineer's Guidebook

By Gergely Orosz

Gergely Orosz, the author behind The Pragmatic Engineer newsletter, draws on his experience at Uber, Skype, and Microsoft to map out what it takes to grow as a software engineer. The book covers the full career arc — from writing clean code and getting through code reviews to navigating promotions, tech lead responsibilities, and staff-level expectations.

What makes this book stand out is its honesty about how the industry actually works. It addresses the unwritten rules of career growth at tech companies and startups alike, covering topics that most engineering books avoid: how decisions really get made, what hiring managers look for, and how to build influence without a management title. A practical companion for engineers at any stage of their career.