Book Review: My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job By Chad Fowler

This book is a treasure chest, containing pearls of wisdom for Software Engineers looking to take themselves to the next level. Each of the 52 pearls contains is not just general advice, but specific actions that can be taken. These vary from habits like “reserve 2 hours a week for exploring new technologies”, to scheduled actions like an annual self appraisal. These practical steps make the book especially useful.

Chad writes as a recruiter, sent on a mission to India to setup a new offshoring team. He describes his search for engineers for this team, the differences in culture of East and West, and how Software Engineers can become more valuable in the workplace rather than fight or fear jobs moving abroad.

One of the most striking things Chad brings out is the different context in which Western and Eastern engineers operate. In the West we are blessed by being close the money, close to the stakeholders, close to the technology, close to the experts and highly educated. But we often become lazy, complacent and take these things for granted. In the East they are hungry to grow, hungry to be better engineers, hungry to provide a better life for their family and put poverty behind them. This is what drives them, and leads to competition for jobs and offshoring of work from the West. Chad encourages us Westerners to have the same hunger; to use the tools at our disposal to grow ourselves. To not to fear change from the East, but to work with it to our advantage.

This book is aimed at intermediate to advanced engineers, looking to progress. Beginners may not have the experience or knowledge to fully appreciate Chad’s wisdom and may be better served by other resources; but I would urge them to return to the book later in their careers.

Its also not aimed at the lazy or complacent engineer. With advice like “You’ve Already Lost Your Job”, there are no easy fixes for the procrastinator to rely on. However, it should serve as a motivator and guide for those who want to progress in their careers. Its a call to action, so be prepared to put in hard work and dedication in order to see results.

The wisdom in the book will apply to Software Engineers of all stripes, and is not limited to any particular domain or programming language. For example it will not tell you how to become a better C++ programmer, but rather what habits you should get into and attitudes you should have in order to be successful engineer.

I highly recommend this book if you want to get ahead as a Software Engineer. Grab a copy of 52 ways to save your career, learn from Chad’s experience, and have a go at some of his recommended actions.