Engineering Success

Recommended reading from Upflowy Engineers

The motivation from the New Year may be dwindling. Regular gym sessions, strict diets, and brutal cardio have likely been harder without that #newyearnewme feeling in the air. 2021 is coming through.

The first half of the year has almost wrapped up. The Upflowy engineering team has come to your rescue, they’ve all put in some serious hours reading and have come together with a fantastic list of books that’ll help you in all facets of life. You may be surprised to not find many coding-specific resources here. Instead, the benefits of the list of books include:

• Being a better co-worker, parent, and partner.
• Learning more effectively and avoiding procrastination
• Better management of your time
• Setting daily habits without stress
• Being f*cking awesome!

So, if you’re looking for that drive to get back into your New Year’s Resolution, then these books will set you on the right path!

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish by Rashmi Bansal

This book portrays the success stories of 25 entrepreneurs, who graduated from IIM Ahmedabad (one of the top B Schools in India). Instead of picking a high-paying 9 to 5 job, they chose the rough road to success.
Entrepreneurs mentioned in this book are divided into three groups: 

• The Believers 
• The Alternate Vision and
• The Opportunists.

The Believers are a group of highly motivated people, who knew their final calling and wasted no time taking action.

• Recommended by Pardeep Dhingra, our Senior Lead Engineer.

The 5am Club by Robin Sharma

Most know the common expression, “early to bed, early to rise”, Sharma offers a new perspective, in one of the best self-help books ever!

Not only does he offer a framework to assist in waking up at 5am, but also shares insight into how best to use the time. This book highlights the true value of rising early and how to ensure that time is well spent.

• Recommended by Sriraman Panneerselvam, our Senior Software Engineer

The Third Door by Alex Banayan

The Third Door follows the young Alex Banayan on his quest to interview the world’s most famous people. The author strikes the perfect balance between the fun and excitement of fiction and the valuable lessons of non-fiction. 

This book is a great read for anyone interested in why success is like a nightclub.

• Recommended by Matthieu Rossignon, our Software Engineer Intern

How to be F*cking Awesome by Dan Meredith

The key takeaway for anyone who reads this book is emotional detachment from the outcome. By doing this, you will decrease the level of stress in your life, as a result you will feel lighter and life will be far more manageable.

One of the messages that really resonated with me was that it was okay to be selfish and grow one-self. This stands against the commonly held belief that you need to make others one’s priority. 

By becoming someone who likes and enjoys their identity, self-acceptance is far easier. Self-acceptance allows an individual to be a better partner, a better parent, even a better co-worker.
The message of this book came at a truly valuable time. The book offered real solutions to help me balance out the values that my family had taught me throughout my entire life.

• Recommended by Alex Girard, one of our Co-founders

Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Dougals Hofstadter. 

I bought this book about 35 years ago. The book explores the relationships between Mathematics, Music, and Symmetry. 

I was studying an AI post-graduate at the time, and it aligned perfectly. The concepts explored within the book are still very relevant today. Mathematics and other concepts are well illustrated through some entertaining and amusing narratives.

• Recommended by Sarel Lugtenburg, our Senior Software Engineer. 

Mind for Numbers by Barabara Oakley.

Mathematics is all about creativity. There are more than 300 known proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem!  Focusing on the nature of our brain work, Barbara provides techniques for effective learning, sculpting your brain, and dealing with procrastination. 

Written in a vivid and funny way, this book may be useful for anyone who struggles with learning or considers starting a career in tech.

• Recommended by Tania Tkachuk, our Senior Lead Engineer.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry – Neil deGrasse Tyson

A really fun read, it provides a beautiful way to think about perspective and life as we know it. On the cosmic scale, it explores how life came to be and the direction it’s heading.

• Recommended by Adam Bosnjakovic, our Lead Software Engineer.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

One of the most useful books I’ve ever read! The author discusses how habits and excellence are formed from the small steps you take each day, rather than infrequent and more strenuous attempts. 

The advice is straightforward and easy to understand, and habit-setting feels less stressful for me now. 

• Recommended by Kay Pengelly, our Senior Product Manager

If you want more book recommendations, our weekly growth stories series often asks our guests about their best books and what they’re currently reading. You can see the growth stories here for:
Tania & Kay

The team here at Upflowy is centered around growth and development, and we hope to be able to offer your business the same when it comes to your sign up flow.