This book will teach you, the software student, practitioner and/or manager, how to become competitive in the global resource pool in which we reside. In sometimes humorous, mostly direct conversation, this book discusses understanding the customer, serving the customer, and learning to discern what really matters along the way by exploring some difficult and often unpopular subjects: A * The professional software talent pool is truly global and we are only grains of sand on a world beach A * There is more value in seeing the forest than worshiping the tree A * Know when to solve a problem, when to simplify, and when to be quiet A * Delivering a technical solution is a social problem A * Overpay the right people for the right reasons A * Serve the customer and provide immediate value or someone else will