The book The Passionate Programmer: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development, by Chad Fowler, is one of those career improvement books that people either love or hate. Personally, I loved it. :)
Among other things, this book will teach you:
- To always invest in yourself
- How to market yourself
- How to change your habits to become a better professional
- How to behave at work and improve your relations
- How to become a successful (or not so unsuccessful) entrepeneur
Besides that, the text is filled with good touches of humor, which makes the reading very enjoyable.
If you are an experienced professional, you’d better not buy this book, as it will show things you already know. But if you’re still on college (or have just left it), it can be a source of great advices.
Book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934356344
A curious note: Chad Fowler started as an artist and then became a programmer; Paul Graham (writer of Hackers & Painters) started as a programmer and then became and artist. I guess I should pratice more the harmonica. ;)