Ask HN: How to learn business being a software engineer?

A lot of knowledge falls under the business umbrella. Have you asked the other C levels where they learned, or what you should focus on? I think that would be more helpful then turning to general learning material first.

I would start by reading High Output Management by Andrew Grove – It really gives a great lens to view a business through and helps you focus on the right problems

I took the long road after graduating with a mechanical engineering degree in 2012 and working in industry. I quickly realized that engineering often meant executing and not strategizing, which frustrated me to no end. I learned that being right was secondary to making people above you look intelligent. So much of what drives action at larger orgs revolves around a small group of people with their own special social dynamics, opinions, and egos.

As others have indicated an MBA would give you the language and credibility most orgs require to get into "business" positions. I do not feel the actual coursework is needed to understand the concepts and theories that have meaning for any given org. Businesses largely want growth, diversity, innovation, cost cutting, and future profitability. But I swear you could shortcut all that for just making the primary business stakeholders happy. Whatever they care about, what they perceive, what their goals are, that is what makes or breaks your position.

Being able to present ideas is key. I got a lot out of some of the MIT open course material [1]. I am certain some exploration on that channel for the business topics will yield more excellent content. Soft skills often separate talented and business minded engineers from the business side of the org. I cannot stress how little being "right" actually matters once you get into business. I have to constantly make forecasts as a product manager and often have frighteningly little to work with in terms of data. Capture assumptions, build out strategy, believe your story. You will be wrong sometimes. Being able to check your own ego, guide an org towards what you believe is right, and dealing with a bunch of different people who all think their view is the right view all play into it. I love the challenge and enjoy seeing my contribution play out. Would highly suggest it for those who enjoy those sorts of challenges.

[1] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Unzc731iCUY

Great question. As a founder and CTO, I too have been through this. Couple recommendations:

Books: -The Personal MBA by Kaufman is a great start -Financial Statements: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports

Next advice is to learn investing. I’ve learned a ton by studying public companies, listening to earning calls, reading 10Ks, etc..

Audible books are great for consuming biz books on marketing, mgmt, teamwork, etc..

Founders podcast for just learning entrepreneurship and it being awesome.