I had not connected how the Art of War related to development until reading this article. Having read the book, I believe it’s more relevant to all professional developers in an office setting rather than only self-taught developers.

You are also missing in the article the biggest lesson from the Art of War: deception. “When you are strong, make the opponent think you’re weak. When you are weak, make the opponent think you’re strong.” Within the context of office politics, this means that if you’re a highly skilled developer, be humble. Some people will mistake your humility for weakness and try to wage political battles against you. That’s when you strike.

On the other hand, if you’re still a growing developer and you know you can grow into the role you’ve been hired for (given a bit more time), pick strong allies and co-workers, learn from them, and project your association with them. Even better if you can be put on projects that are relatively easy but with high visibility.