The first tentative career step into a leadership role is the hardest.  It’s full of pitfalls, doubts, and risk.  For software developers, the difficulty is compounded: you are not sure you will like leadership, you don’t know if you will succeed, and any chance of retreat is blocked by changing job skills and globalization.

You.next() will change your point of view.  For example, it can help you know whether a leadership role is right for you, and whether now is the right time to take on that challenge.  Learn how to go about getting your first leadership role and successfully support your new team when you do it.  Example after example of real-world 'management use cases' illustrate what the role is all about from an insisder's perspective.

People who make great software can be great leaders, with fantastic career progress just beyond that first difficult step.  You.next() educates, entertains and prepares you for what’s ahead.  Only you can determine whether to choose the leadership track, or not.  You.next() is your tool to help make that decision with confidence and determination.

You.next() is authors Michael Finley and Honza Fedák’s response to the many barriers that stop great software developers from becoming great leaders.  Written by and for software developers, the book builds a convincing argument that such leadership is needed, and entices readers to explore their own potential for the role.  By examining the leadership track in a clear and experienced light, the authors have written a persuasive appeal to those software developers, engineers, and quality assurance analysts who might take the challenge.  Career advancement from initial management stages to higher levels is discussed in a concise and logical way.  Personal vignettes are included to humanize many of the obstacles, providing an intimate view of what to expect from a leadership role.

Highly innovative, You.next() answers your questions about management: Is this the right direction for me, at this time? How do I get started?  What will I do if it does not work out?  Where can success in the management realm take me?  Step by step, the authors—one an experienced manager, the other a highly respected technologist—outline the path for those who are ready to take full control of their careers and seriously consider joining the leadership ranks.