"In over 15 years of writing software for a variety of organizations, Alex has learned a lot about not only this industry, but about what it takes to succeed within it. Whether it be at a large enterprise or one of the startups he's worked at (two of which were part of successful acquisitions), he has first-hand experience with how to build applications and just as importantly, how not to. One thing that hasn't changed over the years is that Alex is quick to empathize with those starting their journeys in software. In fact, this affinity for mentorship and knowledge sharing is a big motivation for this book. Alex is quick to point out that his success as a software developer is rooted not in a natural coding ability but rather in his thoughtful and strategic approach-one he's excited to share with his readers.In the big picture, Alex is a passionate proponent of work/life balance as a tactical advantage, a believer that soft skills in software are just as important as the hard skills, and a champion of the idea that software can be mastered by anyone with the right mindset.Outside of work, Alex enjoys finding the right meme for every situation, having a dad joke at the ready at all times, and telling anyone who will listen about the time he was awarded ""Evaluator of the Year"" in his local Toastmasters group. When he's not thinking about code, chances are he's planning his next run in Slay the Spire.Alex continues to work in the software industry and lives in Texas with his family."
"""Vulnerable, forgiving, and encouraging. Lau's experience and wisdom shine through in the clear tone of a technical leader dedicated to helping engineers of all levels level-up further, faster. I will be recommending this book to all of my mentees!"" -Chris Bloom, Senior Software Engineer at GitHub ""In my first-hand experience seeing Alex apply these software development principles in their work, and how it set the cultural tone for the team, it's great to see them detailed and catalogued here, for current and future generations of engineers."" -Allen Cheung, VP Engineering at Kiddom ""Alex has uncovered what makes great developers great and has kindly written down not only what these superpowers are, but how we can all attain them. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to better understand software craft, their own behavior, and their teams."" -Keith McHugh, Engineer at Figma ""Early in one's career, it's all-too-easy to focus on coding concepts, principles, and techniques. Later on, you come to realize that being a developer is just as much about working with people as it is about working with code. Keep Calm and Code On is an amazing field guide for those equally-important human aspects of the job that make the difference between a fulfilling career and total burnout. It's also a great refresher for those of us who have discovered these pitfalls the hard way."" -John Ellis, Senior Software Developer at Shopify"