I'm a software engineer with only a BS in computer science who worked in a team translating a Matlab prototype of in-house non-linear multilevel optimizer to C++. I had no theoretical background in optimization and, during the time I was working on the project, I did not have (or bother) a chance to sit and study the subject. When I finally did and found this book, all the thick and widespread clouds over my head that persisted for years started clearing up immediately. This book may not cover the state of the art algorithms or theory but is a great place to start. It gives us a solid foundation before moving on to more specialized or theoretical topics on our own (or motivate us enough to go back to school!).