Ask HN: Books about lifelong engineering/technology career

by saas_startup on 2/9/2025, 4:06:55 AM with 4 comments
I am looking for books/blogs that cover a lifelong career in technology (or engineering). Most of the materials typically focus on singular engineering achievement (building Apple I/II (like iWoz) or sending a rocket to the moon (any books about Von Braun) rather than focusing how one builds a life-long career.

The closest I ever found was a post by Will Larson: https://lethain.com/forty-year-career/

  • by mitchbob on 2/9/2025, 6:42:59 AM

    The first part of your request sounds like you're looking for biographies of technologists, while at the end it sounds like you're looking for something more like self-help books. If you're looking for the former, a couple of big, fascinating histories that describe long careers in technology, starting with childhood, are

    - The Dream Machine [1], which chronicles the career of J. C. R. Licklider

    - The Friendly Orange Glow [2], where Donald Bitzer is the main character.

    [1] https://press.stripe.com/the-dream-machine

    [2] http://friendlyorangeglow.com/

  • by meander_water on 2/9/2025, 8:23:47 AM

    This was posted here a few days ago:

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42930528

  • by markus_zhang on 2/10/2025, 11:34:34 PM

    I just read the first 2 chapters of iWoz and I already decided to recommend this book to everyone, especially if you have a kid. The first 2 chapters worth gold.