Technical Book Club: Code Complete - Motivation

The first book for our technical book club will be Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction by Steve McConnell. 

Why did I choose Code Complete?

In conversations with recent college grads and college students, there are 2 books that stand out as books they highly recommend Code Complete and The Pragmatic Programmer.  These books reside on recommended reading lists for software gurus across the board from .NET to LAMP.  This is a must read for students who are taking the leap from Mortarboard to Onboard and that’s what the Springboard blog is all about.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Book Lists by other folks:  Joel Spolsky and Scott Hanselman

What motivated Steve McConnell to write Code Complete?

He uses this quote from Fred Brooks:  “The gap between the best software engineering practice and the average practice is very wide – perhaps wider than in any other engineering discipline.  A tool that disseminates good practice would be important.”  His goal was to provide a quicker dissemination of best practices among practitioners and between academia and industry.

Why should students read this book?

“The recent graduate is often rich in theoretical knowledge but poor in the practical know-how that goes into building production programs. … This book pulls together the helpful tips and effective development strategies previously available manly by hunting and gathering from other people’s experience.”