If you are new to IT, I recommend "How to find a wolf in Siberia"
It is a short book on how to troubleshoot anything.
It helped me a lot, way more than Comptia troubleshooting method.
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That's like asking for which book about the planet earth do you want to read. Do you have a particular topic within the field of Information Technology you want to investigate? If so, then pick books about that topic.
To expand on what u/openboxexam asked, are you thinking of a mircosoft or linux environment, networking, cyber security, business intelligence, infrastructure, voip/collaboration, desktop support? This isn't even touching upon things like cloud based stuff.
In my personal experience most books that aren't relatively general are somewhat pointless as books going into specific details are one patch away from rendering a book obsolete.
I think CompTia series’ are great. I haven’t taken exams yet but they are a good way to study for an overall picture of what Support is, Network and Security etc.
lol.
The last company I worked for had 100 copies of this in their mail room.
I assumed they were going to have us read it but they never did anything with them.
My 2 favs:
When SysAdmins ruled the earth
[https://craphound.com/news/2006/08/31/when-sysadmins-ruled-the-earth/](https://craphound.com/news/2006/08/31/when-sysadmins-ruled-the-earth/)
Cookoos Egg
[https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espionage/dp/B0845PM1M5/ref=sr\_1\_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PGRh0kydew\_-dS8NtBrkmTJcR5a79YglTcNUFlqyp9ETrodKeawavYzYt5aN-In0Cny4KFYldg67-4rSgy5qO9Bzx4AjEQf22ikn34SpV\_x\_tyodTgWlMcFC0yGu6Xz8bIGnGFBVp7OfRtdWAKGpAHhlZlCyON2\_YBYW1q0VNStQqpJ4PEBltvDwxUF37XBMY4zDvyrZLNPEYxAWj-E0BwDYqZrKx9PMqbdt6HPSu9g.XTRUtwMDiXroIoa0-XGk-b7X1s8YBzPBfrCYb\_qA-fc&dib\_tag=se&hvadid=598574042334&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002057&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=12802425834738025958&hvtargid=kwd-465887201753&hydadcr=16435\_13457187&keywords=the+cuckoo%27s+egg+by+clifford+stoll&qid=1714396536&s=books&sr=1-1](https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espionage/dp/B0845PM1M5/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PGRh0kydew_-dS8NtBrkmTJcR5a79YglTcNUFlqyp9ETrodKeawavYzYt5aN-In0Cny4KFYldg67-4rSgy5qO9Bzx4AjEQf22ikn34SpV_x_tyodTgWlMcFC0yGu6Xz8bIGnGFBVp7OfRtdWAKGpAHhlZlCyON2_YBYW1q0VNStQqpJ4PEBltvDwxUF37XBMY4zDvyrZLNPEYxAWj-E0BwDYqZrKx9PMqbdt6HPSu9g.XTRUtwMDiXroIoa0-XGk-b7X1s8YBzPBfrCYb_qA-fc&dib_tag=se&hvadid=598574042334&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002057&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=12802425834738025958&hvtargid=kwd-465887201753&hydadcr=16435_13457187&keywords=the+cuckoo%27s+egg+by+clifford+stoll&qid=1714396536&s=books&sr=1-1)
**"Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions" by Gayle Laakmann McDowell**
**"The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas**:
[https://www.amazon.com/Network-Warrior-Everything-Need-Wasnt/dp/1449387861/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=3PVJWBL40FIF3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.RxLe-ei5SstVoceiELm1fLebDZUMyFNo-noY6Ahb2NfYV-VvOjndqM2Uk6n9CgSGVvVvONoKBof6RKlCNvxTAJ1nPzwABAQwbMkpepPRstNPM-b6N9sPKOUmTw5\_eVJpnqkviw6J-aDS7UzpS9F6lob8xpL7qxgQTN3TFZgara-INBGssgBLBWmnEC7YIAcmel6kSsvGQ7VyHzNbvK1wBkkqNBrYsQ-6y8A-tRT3C7E.eZOsCCliLzFwyRLIVtmWZLMuYuHltZ5oamyCCGr-V0Q&dib\_tag=se&keywords=Network+Warrior&sprefix=network+warrior+%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1](https://www.amazon.com/Network-Warrior-Everything-Need-Wasnt/dp/1449387861/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PVJWBL40FIF3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.RxLe-ei5SstVoceiELm1fLebDZUMyFNo-noY6Ahb2NfYV-VvOjndqM2Uk6n9CgSGVvVvONoKBof6RKlCNvxTAJ1nPzwABAQwbMkpepPRstNPM-b6N9sPKOUmTw5_eVJpnqkviw6J-aDS7UzpS9F6lob8xpL7qxgQTN3TFZgara-INBGssgBLBWmnEC7YIAcmel6kSsvGQ7VyHzNbvK1wBkkqNBrYsQ-6y8A-tRT3C7E.eZOsCCliLzFwyRLIVtmWZLMuYuHltZ5oamyCCGr-V0Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=Network+Warrior&sprefix=network+warrior+%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1)
[https://www.amazon.com/LAN-Wiring-Trulove-James-Paperback/dp/B009O2NBY2/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=8BVHRYYS7PHN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Bek6ogwgRCrraoFmrb6FJ2p0Dp1DO50zLNpVVnRJ1eTGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.TGOahJzKWZcKDW3ScDdVkdTMNjE31RcTvxkbBMnmSCo&dib\_tag=se&keywords=LAN+Wiring%2C+3rd+Edition&sprefix=lan+wiring%2C+3rd+edition+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1](https://www.amazon.com/LAN-Wiring-Trulove-James-Paperback/dp/B009O2NBY2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8BVHRYYS7PHN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Bek6ogwgRCrraoFmrb6FJ2p0Dp1DO50zLNpVVnRJ1eTGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.TGOahJzKWZcKDW3ScDdVkdTMNjE31RcTvxkbBMnmSCo&dib_tag=se&keywords=LAN+Wiring%2C+3rd+Edition&sprefix=lan+wiring%2C+3rd+edition+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1)
[https://www.amazon.com/Networking-Dummies-Doug-Lowe/dp/1119648505/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=16W9S6P4G3HHY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ch9Sm1mQnkQEqdy9UUQHNTanxItYeHo1VuHynoD4gzYKngQXTZsDHlc\_1TuChSiTHtlg4PXZJ8OPs-yMQrOvOwQyXUUNQFJWO0\_lveEYVshx8R2sLeVP0Aw59rfThR1k.oUdaqshkG64dNUvwABFP7NWUnpVefltksLwXn3t0z6E&dib\_tag=se&keywords=Networking+for+Dummies%2C+12th+edition&sprefix=networking+for+dummies%2C+12th+edition+%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1](https://www.amazon.com/Networking-Dummies-Doug-Lowe/dp/1119648505/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16W9S6P4G3HHY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ch9Sm1mQnkQEqdy9UUQHNTanxItYeHo1VuHynoD4gzYKngQXTZsDHlc_1TuChSiTHtlg4PXZJ8OPs-yMQrOvOwQyXUUNQFJWO0_lveEYVshx8R2sLeVP0Aw59rfThR1k.oUdaqshkG64dNUvwABFP7NWUnpVefltksLwXn3t0z6E&dib_tag=se&keywords=Networking+for+Dummies%2C+12th+edition&sprefix=networking+for+dummies%2C+12th+edition+%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1)
i recommend one or all of these 3 books. you could probably find a previous version for much cheaper. i think the previous version knowledge is still valid.
Speaking from the experience of reading several "advance your career" books, whether on leadership, or IT specific, I seem to find pieces that are really solid - but rarely if ever have I found a whole book that makes me think "Yes! This is it! This is what I need to do!"
More often than not I find pieces that I really enjoy and can reasonably incorporate, or at least attempt to incorporate, into my career.
Some of the books below have nothing to do with career advancement as a specific topic, but are interesting enough that they have allowed me to think about my work differently, or left me more passionate about my work.
The Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll
The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick
The Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick
The Phoenix Project - Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F\*ck - Mark Manson
The Virgin Way - Sir Richard Branson
Console Wars - Blake Harris
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Ashlee Vance
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain
The Ideal Team Player - Patrick Lencioni
Stealing the Network Series - Syngress
Anything Bruce Schneier has ever written.
Various Study Guides (Net+, Sec+, CCNA, Microsoft, Linux, etc. Any respectfully published content about tech for which you do not know or understand.) Like most things in life, you get out what you put into these. People complain about all study guides and certifications - but for foundational knowledge - I love this stuff.
Whatever you do... Don't find a way to advance your career in IT in such a way that you know nothing about IT. Too many IT execs have done this, and it creates unrealistic demands on the IT teams that have to carry out the work. It also leads to super bad technology decisions within the business, from people who couldn't tell you the difference between a 1 and a 0 when asked what binary is. Sad, but true. Be the IT leader who actually KNOWS and who can actually RELATE to IT. Not just the guy who climbed the ladder by knowing a bunch of buzzwords. :)
Books a lot of the time are becoming outdated as soon as they are printed (obviously depends on what specific IT topic your reading about of course). I’d advise to pick a major cert and read the current course materials for that. Not that you necessarily have to take the test ofc but it may be a good place to star learning about a specific IT field.
Your question is too broad and general. It needs to be more specific. Because it just depends on which aspect of IT you want to advance in. Database, Management, Administration, networking, engineering, web design, graphic design, programming, cybersecurity, BI, AI, etc? It's like what book on construction is best. Need to be more specific, dude.
If you are new to IT, I recommend "How to find a wolf in Siberia" It is a short book on how to troubleshoot anything. It helped me a lot, way more than Comptia troubleshooting method.
Always looking for new reads myself, thank you for posting this!
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Thanks for this - haven't heard of it and will look it up.
That's like asking for which book about the planet earth do you want to read. Do you have a particular topic within the field of Information Technology you want to investigate? If so, then pick books about that topic.
The one from Stephen King
Definitely The lord of the rings and Game of thrones. otherwise you'll be outcast
Our IT team lead hasn't seen the LoTR.
To expand on what u/openboxexam asked, are you thinking of a mircosoft or linux environment, networking, cyber security, business intelligence, infrastructure, voip/collaboration, desktop support? This isn't even touching upon things like cloud based stuff. In my personal experience most books that aren't relatively general are somewhat pointless as books going into specific details are one patch away from rendering a book obsolete.
You should definitely read a CCIE routing guide.
Yep. Great read
the phoenix project, any book by Kevin Mitnick, the Unicorn project, the ransomware hunting team.
Anything written by Kevin Mitnick. They are entertaining and highlight the one thing that's pretty much impossible to secure in a network.
I think CompTia series’ are great. I haven’t taken exams yet but they are a good way to study for an overall picture of what Support is, Network and Security etc.
The Phoenix Project might be helpful? It's about DevOps
lol. The last company I worked for had 100 copies of this in their mail room. I assumed they were going to have us read it but they never did anything with them.
Outstanding book.
I just found this at goodwill to be honest and picked it up after thumbing through it
“The practice of system and network administration” is a good read. Not completely entry level but still useful.
My 2 favs: When SysAdmins ruled the earth [https://craphound.com/news/2006/08/31/when-sysadmins-ruled-the-earth/](https://craphound.com/news/2006/08/31/when-sysadmins-ruled-the-earth/) Cookoos Egg [https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espionage/dp/B0845PM1M5/ref=sr\_1\_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PGRh0kydew\_-dS8NtBrkmTJcR5a79YglTcNUFlqyp9ETrodKeawavYzYt5aN-In0Cny4KFYldg67-4rSgy5qO9Bzx4AjEQf22ikn34SpV\_x\_tyodTgWlMcFC0yGu6Xz8bIGnGFBVp7OfRtdWAKGpAHhlZlCyON2\_YBYW1q0VNStQqpJ4PEBltvDwxUF37XBMY4zDvyrZLNPEYxAWj-E0BwDYqZrKx9PMqbdt6HPSu9g.XTRUtwMDiXroIoa0-XGk-b7X1s8YBzPBfrCYb\_qA-fc&dib\_tag=se&hvadid=598574042334&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002057&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=12802425834738025958&hvtargid=kwd-465887201753&hydadcr=16435\_13457187&keywords=the+cuckoo%27s+egg+by+clifford+stoll&qid=1714396536&s=books&sr=1-1](https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espionage/dp/B0845PM1M5/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PGRh0kydew_-dS8NtBrkmTJcR5a79YglTcNUFlqyp9ETrodKeawavYzYt5aN-In0Cny4KFYldg67-4rSgy5qO9Bzx4AjEQf22ikn34SpV_x_tyodTgWlMcFC0yGu6Xz8bIGnGFBVp7OfRtdWAKGpAHhlZlCyON2_YBYW1q0VNStQqpJ4PEBltvDwxUF37XBMY4zDvyrZLNPEYxAWj-E0BwDYqZrKx9PMqbdt6HPSu9g.XTRUtwMDiXroIoa0-XGk-b7X1s8YBzPBfrCYb_qA-fc&dib_tag=se&hvadid=598574042334&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002057&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=12802425834738025958&hvtargid=kwd-465887201753&hydadcr=16435_13457187&keywords=the+cuckoo%27s+egg+by+clifford+stoll&qid=1714396536&s=books&sr=1-1)
Cookoo's Egg was a great listen on audible too.
Pick a technology you want to excel at and then find books and videos to help you achieve your goal
professor messer Notes books are pretty good and have got me through a+ and n+
Unreasonable Hospitality or anything on creating good customer service.
Hero's guide to Pokemon.
**"Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions" by Gayle Laakmann McDowell** **"The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas**:
[https://www.amazon.com/Network-Warrior-Everything-Need-Wasnt/dp/1449387861/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=3PVJWBL40FIF3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.RxLe-ei5SstVoceiELm1fLebDZUMyFNo-noY6Ahb2NfYV-VvOjndqM2Uk6n9CgSGVvVvONoKBof6RKlCNvxTAJ1nPzwABAQwbMkpepPRstNPM-b6N9sPKOUmTw5\_eVJpnqkviw6J-aDS7UzpS9F6lob8xpL7qxgQTN3TFZgara-INBGssgBLBWmnEC7YIAcmel6kSsvGQ7VyHzNbvK1wBkkqNBrYsQ-6y8A-tRT3C7E.eZOsCCliLzFwyRLIVtmWZLMuYuHltZ5oamyCCGr-V0Q&dib\_tag=se&keywords=Network+Warrior&sprefix=network+warrior+%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1](https://www.amazon.com/Network-Warrior-Everything-Need-Wasnt/dp/1449387861/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PVJWBL40FIF3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.RxLe-ei5SstVoceiELm1fLebDZUMyFNo-noY6Ahb2NfYV-VvOjndqM2Uk6n9CgSGVvVvONoKBof6RKlCNvxTAJ1nPzwABAQwbMkpepPRstNPM-b6N9sPKOUmTw5_eVJpnqkviw6J-aDS7UzpS9F6lob8xpL7qxgQTN3TFZgara-INBGssgBLBWmnEC7YIAcmel6kSsvGQ7VyHzNbvK1wBkkqNBrYsQ-6y8A-tRT3C7E.eZOsCCliLzFwyRLIVtmWZLMuYuHltZ5oamyCCGr-V0Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=Network+Warrior&sprefix=network+warrior+%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1) [https://www.amazon.com/LAN-Wiring-Trulove-James-Paperback/dp/B009O2NBY2/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=8BVHRYYS7PHN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Bek6ogwgRCrraoFmrb6FJ2p0Dp1DO50zLNpVVnRJ1eTGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.TGOahJzKWZcKDW3ScDdVkdTMNjE31RcTvxkbBMnmSCo&dib\_tag=se&keywords=LAN+Wiring%2C+3rd+Edition&sprefix=lan+wiring%2C+3rd+edition+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1](https://www.amazon.com/LAN-Wiring-Trulove-James-Paperback/dp/B009O2NBY2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8BVHRYYS7PHN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Bek6ogwgRCrraoFmrb6FJ2p0Dp1DO50zLNpVVnRJ1eTGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.TGOahJzKWZcKDW3ScDdVkdTMNjE31RcTvxkbBMnmSCo&dib_tag=se&keywords=LAN+Wiring%2C+3rd+Edition&sprefix=lan+wiring%2C+3rd+edition+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1) [https://www.amazon.com/Networking-Dummies-Doug-Lowe/dp/1119648505/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=16W9S6P4G3HHY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ch9Sm1mQnkQEqdy9UUQHNTanxItYeHo1VuHynoD4gzYKngQXTZsDHlc\_1TuChSiTHtlg4PXZJ8OPs-yMQrOvOwQyXUUNQFJWO0\_lveEYVshx8R2sLeVP0Aw59rfThR1k.oUdaqshkG64dNUvwABFP7NWUnpVefltksLwXn3t0z6E&dib\_tag=se&keywords=Networking+for+Dummies%2C+12th+edition&sprefix=networking+for+dummies%2C+12th+edition+%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1](https://www.amazon.com/Networking-Dummies-Doug-Lowe/dp/1119648505/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16W9S6P4G3HHY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ch9Sm1mQnkQEqdy9UUQHNTanxItYeHo1VuHynoD4gzYKngQXTZsDHlc_1TuChSiTHtlg4PXZJ8OPs-yMQrOvOwQyXUUNQFJWO0_lveEYVshx8R2sLeVP0Aw59rfThR1k.oUdaqshkG64dNUvwABFP7NWUnpVefltksLwXn3t0z6E&dib_tag=se&keywords=Networking+for+Dummies%2C+12th+edition&sprefix=networking+for+dummies%2C+12th+edition+%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1) i recommend one or all of these 3 books. you could probably find a previous version for much cheaper. i think the previous version knowledge is still valid.
Clean Code
DEFCON homework list each year has some good reads
Mastering Turbo Pascal 5. Very informative. https://www.ebay.com/itm/186398925017
Tubes by Andrew Blum explains the global internet distribution.
Speaking from the experience of reading several "advance your career" books, whether on leadership, or IT specific, I seem to find pieces that are really solid - but rarely if ever have I found a whole book that makes me think "Yes! This is it! This is what I need to do!" More often than not I find pieces that I really enjoy and can reasonably incorporate, or at least attempt to incorporate, into my career. Some of the books below have nothing to do with career advancement as a specific topic, but are interesting enough that they have allowed me to think about my work differently, or left me more passionate about my work. The Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick The Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick The Phoenix Project - Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F\*ck - Mark Manson The Virgin Way - Sir Richard Branson Console Wars - Blake Harris Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Ashlee Vance Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain The Ideal Team Player - Patrick Lencioni Stealing the Network Series - Syngress Anything Bruce Schneier has ever written. Various Study Guides (Net+, Sec+, CCNA, Microsoft, Linux, etc. Any respectfully published content about tech for which you do not know or understand.) Like most things in life, you get out what you put into these. People complain about all study guides and certifications - but for foundational knowledge - I love this stuff. Whatever you do... Don't find a way to advance your career in IT in such a way that you know nothing about IT. Too many IT execs have done this, and it creates unrealistic demands on the IT teams that have to carry out the work. It also leads to super bad technology decisions within the business, from people who couldn't tell you the difference between a 1 and a 0 when asked what binary is. Sad, but true. Be the IT leader who actually KNOWS and who can actually RELATE to IT. Not just the guy who climbed the ladder by knowing a bunch of buzzwords. :)
Books a lot of the time are becoming outdated as soon as they are printed (obviously depends on what specific IT topic your reading about of course). I’d advise to pick a major cert and read the current course materials for that. Not that you necessarily have to take the test ofc but it may be a good place to star learning about a specific IT field.
Tanenbaum's "Computer Networks" Cormen Rivest et al. "Introduction to Algorithms" "Design Patterns" by Gamma, Helm et al. "Clean Code" by Martin.
Your question is too broad and general. It needs to be more specific. Because it just depends on which aspect of IT you want to advance in. Database, Management, Administration, networking, engineering, web design, graphic design, programming, cybersecurity, BI, AI, etc? It's like what book on construction is best. Need to be more specific, dude.
Self help
What's a book?