I was never really a big fan of reading. Sure I have got a stack of books just right beside me, with mostly reference technical books, I have to admit I never finished reading any of them. When the opportunity of grabbing a paperback copy of “Apprenticeship Patterns” presented itself, I quickly opted for one. This one book got me curious while browsing for a Christmas book shopping list. The line “Are you doing all you can to further your career as a software developer?”, I quickly answered “Sure I am!” while deep inside I was really asking “Am I?”.

Although the subject matter is new to me, the first few pages provided a quick grasp of what the book is all about. As a freelance web developer I would constantly look for ways to improve my craft, alone or with a virtual community of mailing lists and forums. After reading in its entirety I was already reevaluating on a different way to improve my skills. The book provides proven and tested patterns on how to constantly rise up as a software developer. These patterns, like its “software development patterns” counterpart, only applied to real world career mode, is meant to provide indispensable knowledge on how to gain an edge on our ever changing industry.

If you come to me with a cup that is already full, how can you expect me to give you something to drink?

A very encouraging one line to always remind us that what knowledge we know now is not enough, empty our cups to fill them something new.