Review: So you want to be a Wall Street Programmer?
Posted by Gavin Bowman on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 at 12:45 PM
Andrey Butov offers an insider’s perspective on the world of Wall Street Programming in his new book, So you want to be a Wall Street Programmer?
You might think this book is only for people want to work on Wall Street, but that’s not the case. For example, if you’ve been running a Micro ISV for a while, this book can serve as a great reminder of why you got started in the first place...
If you really do want to be a Wall Street programmer, it’s a no-brainer. The book has sections about interview questions, the prior knowledge you might need, and the kind of people you’re going to meet. I don’t know where else you would find this kind of information.
The book is also great for anyone who just wants to be a programmer. If you’re in college, wondering how the real world of software development will be, or if you’re just thinking about getting into the field, this book offers a real insight into what we do all day. The characters, politics, and challenges will have some relevance no matter where you go, especially if you plan on being an in-house corporate programmer.
I really enjoyed the “what do we do all day” section, and the section on trying to fit in and relate to non-developer types. Andrey at one point discusses Developers & Traders as a Geeks and Jocks relationship. While it might seem like a stereotypical concept, it does touch on important issues that many computer programmers will face in the working world.
The tone of the book is slightly cynical and world-weary, but it’s honest and helpfully directed. The jaded bitterness of Andrey’s Wall Street Programmer character has been toned down, so the book feels much more like one person’s point of view than the angry composite used for his infamous blog. It’s not a long book, and some of the content will already be familiar to regular readers of the Wall Street Programmer blog, but those slight criticisms could be positives to many readers.
The book is available in download or printed form, and the format you buy might depend on whether you agree with Seth Godin that "books are the new t-shirts". If yes, this is definitely the t-shirt for the Wall Street Programmer blog, and you'll want to pickup a hard copy and keep it on your shelf. When it catches your eye it will remind you of all those scathing rants, and how we all nodded and laughed along... On the other hand, if you still think that books are books, you'll probably want to save yourself $10 and buy the download version.
Disclosures: Andrey sent me a free download copy for review. I've never worked on Wall Street. I was a “Wall Street Programmer” fan.
