We devs are notoriously known for our lack of soft skills and when you say to someone that you're a software engineer, or web developer or whatever... they often picture you like this guy:
You may even fall victim to the office douche bag from marketing who makes sly remarks about you and your fellow devs each and every day, been there, got the t shirt.
But the reality of the matter is this, we are so often caught up in our love for code and building things, that we often neglect one key skill that can contribute to the growth of our career's, whether you are a freelancer, an employee, or maybe you're building a startup, the message is the same, soft skills, whether you like it or not, will be the thing that enables you to succeed, not necessarily your coding ability.
Here's the thing, people buy into people, your ability to work cohesively as a team-mate, pitch your idea or communicate with a client will ultimately define your success. You can be an average developer but have great soft skills and achieve more, because you allow other's to participate in your journey.
So what soft skills do you think we lack? And do you agree with what I'm saying? If not, why not? I'm intrigued to hear your thoughts! :)
Tom
Top comments (1)
IMHO, two of the most important soft skills an engineer can build is project management, and managing expectations. Project management demonstrates your ability to work on a large-scale assignment independently, and managing expectations helps with keeping assignments reasonable, reducing external stress factors like unrealistic deadlines.