Advancing your IT skills, especially in the areas of software development and coding skills, are essential if you want to be a more diversified and marketable professional. While there are many ways to receive additional training, books remain one of the best ways to learn new information.

Here are eight best coding books to help you learn more about coding and software development.

1. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship, by Robert C. Martin

If you want to learn how to write clean and easy-to-understand code, this book will help you learn through principles and best practices.

2. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, by Erich Gramma, Richard Helm, et al.

This is an older yet highly relevant book that will help you learn to see design patterns in code that you both maintain and write.

3. Introduction to Algorithms, by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, et al.

If you want to be a software developer, you need to understand algorithms at least at the basic level. This area requires math and is a bit more complicated, but it’s essential.

4. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code, by Martin Fowler

When you want to modify code without interrupting the functionality, refactoring is the method you will use. Reading this book will help you learn to identify refactoring patterns.

5. Soft Skills: The Software Developer’s Life Manual, by John Sonmez

Outside of learning the actual skills involved with being a software developer, you need to know how to market what you’ve learned. This book covers many areas of your life and career.

6. Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns and Practices, by Robert C. Martin

This book teaches the methodology of Agile and how using it will assist you in object-oriented design principles as well as designing patterns.

7. Testing Computer Software, by Cem Kaner

Testing your software is a crucial step, and this classic book teaches you to understand the methodology.

8. Working Effectively with Legacy Code, by Michael Feathers

When dealing with any legacy system, this book will help you identify where to make changes, where to refactor, what to do if it isn’t object-oriented and more.

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