Recommended finance & economy book/blog for a Software Engineer?
Start at Investopedia. Get basic clarification on all financial terms and in some cases in detail. But get a book. One recommendation would be Hull. It is a basic book, but quite informative. Likewise you can get loads of material targeted at programmers. Wilmott's Forum is a fine place to find coders as well as finance guys. Another good economic comment blog is Naked Capitalism. For economics I recommend mises or these videos to get you started. For daily critical analysis of financial markets, keynesian government policies, and other interesting reading I recommend zerohedge.  I've learned more about financial markets and government regulations by reading the comments section on zerohedge articles than anywhere else on the internet.  The comment section is very raw (i.e. lots of fucking cursing) but there are some jewels of information in there. For daily critical thinking I suggest lewrockwell.
Dude.  50,000 engineers.  If the entire UM ONLY produced engineers, Amazon only wants the top 10% of them to begin with.  So it would take ten years of those engineers staying in town in order to provide an adequate local supply.  Amazon had a hard time staffing to similar levels in Seattle, which everyone and their brother wants to move to, because it's beautiful and clean and well-run in comparison to most American cities. It also had Microsoft, Nintendo, Boeing, and a number of other software and engineering companies in town at the time.   I really WANT this for Detroit or Newark, because those cities are really suffering beyond what they deserve, have a housing SURPLUS, and could become great again.  But I don't feel like it's likely. "I'd hope so.. But...  This says otherwise? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_and_licensure_in_engineering#Canada  Maybe ""software"" engineer specifically isn't protected? But I can't seem to find s list of protected titles ATM...  It would certainly make a lot more sense because some of those postings don't specify engineering degrees" "I'll take a stab at it. If you're not passionate about big ideas, about markets and companies and economies, if you can't read up on finance, companies, economies and markets for hours a day, for most of your free time for the next few years, if you're really just attracted by the ""money"" and notoriety, you should stick to engineering.   There's space for non-financial majors in finance anyway... Focus elsewhere for a while, and if finance still appeals to you in five years, consider it then.   (I have a non-financial background. I realized I liked it when I realized every time I had one question answered, five more came up, and this happened over and over... And still does, after four years. I could still leave finance, however... You never know where your path will take you.)" The obvious answer for savings costs with a car is not to have a car.   Of course that must be balanced against other expenses (bicycle, taxi, public transport) to do things. Generally speaking, if you need a car, ways to contain expense are to buy the least expensive vehicle with the most economical engine that meets your needs, keep it undercover (reduces damage or wear due to exposure), proactively maintain it (maintenance is cheaper in the long run than the costs of dealing with a breakdown and cost of repairs, and lack of maintenance accelerates depreciation), and shop around for a good mechanic who will maintain it at a fair price. If you do a lot of milage, or do a lot of towing, or drive under load, consider a diesel.  A diesel engine often costs more each service, sometimes has a shorter service interval, but it also gets greater milage.   There may be a differential cost of fuel (diesel is often a bit more expensive per volume).   For towing, a diesel is often more economical, due to low end power (greater torque at lower revs) which does result in better fuel economy.   It is no accident that most large transport vehicles consume diesel.   Do the sums based on your usage before you buy. Accelerate as gently as possible to get to speed within traffic conditions (less fuel to get to a speed).   Change up to higher gears as soon as possible as - at a given speed - economy will be better, as long as the engine has enough oomph to handle it (so don't try to start from stationary in a high gear).   Don't drive faster than necessary, as drag increases with speed, and hurts economy.   Similarly, reduce speed gradually, to reduce undue wear on breaks and reduce fuel consumption (sharp breaking with power assisted breaks does affect fuel economy). Drive close to legal limits if conditions permit.   This reduces chances of annoying other drivers (who if they get impatient may throw rocks at your car, or collide, or subject you to road rage - which contribute to damage and insurance costs).   It also reduces chances of being pulled over by police and fined for obstructing other traffic. Don't tailgate.   This both consumes fuel in keeping up, and means needing to slow sharply.   And increases chance of accident. Don't idle more than necessary.  Allow stop/start systems on your car to operate - particularly if you're in stop/start traffic.   However, there is a break-even point where stopping and restarting consumes more fuel than idling, so get to know your vehicle.   That depends on how much the engine needs cranking to restart - which is affected both by engine design and maintenance.   Maintain it yourself if you have the skills, but account for the cost of parts and equipment, to be sure it is cost effective  (modern cars are software driven, so equipment to diagnose and maintain can be expensive). Combine trips (don't get into the car for every little thing - wait until you can do a few things during a single drive) and car pool. If fuel prices vary (e.g some places have regular cycles) try to refuel near the bottom of a pricing cycle. Take unnecessary weight out of the vehicle.   Don't load it up with tools unless you need them frequently. What is the best way to get into knowledge about the financial world? I have been reading some guides on investopedia, discussing the financial world with others, and looking at some tutorial videos. Are there any good books/websites that are for a newcomer to the financial world? Any help would be greatly appreciated Don't be ridiculous. You are competing with the best graduates out of the harvards in the world and you think reading a couple self help financial books will put you on level playing field? Don't waste your time with bcg or McKinsey. "Sun Tzu and Carnegie are fine for thinking about interpersonal exchange. But they aren't business books: What do i measure, why, and what does it mean; what does it mean to run a business. I think those are critical, and list of books should the capabilities you need  Strategy: ""Good to Great"", ""Esential Drucker""   Planning: ""Pocket book MBA PM""   Operations: ""The Goal""   People management:...   Innovation:...   Finance:..." I rather like The Ascent of Money, by Niall Ferguson. This comes in several formats. There's a video version, a written version (ISBN-13: 978-1594201929), and an audio version. This book covers the history of financial instruments. It covers the rise of money, the history of bonds and stocks, insurance and hedge funds, real-estate, and the spread of finance across the world. It is a great introduction to finance, though its focus is very definitely on the history. It does not cover more advanced topics, and will not leave you with any sort of financial plan, but it's a great way to get a broad overview and historical understanding of money and markets. I strongly recommend both the video and the written or audio version.