And Now For Something Completely Different…

Learn Something Different - Four Underrated Ways to Level Up as a Software Engineer

Welcome!

Hi! Remember me? It’s John from Developing Skills!

I’ve taken a few months off writing here due to other commitments, but I’m back with a renewed focus on the delivery, leadership and soft skills that software engineers and software engineering leaders need to take their careers to the next level.

I hope you’re excited to join me on that journey, if there is a topic you’d like to see covered, please let me know by replying to this email📧

Tip of The Week: Learn Something Different - Four Underrated Ways to Level Up as a Software Engineer

When we think about improving as software engineer, we often reach for the obvious: learning a new language, mastering a new framework, or finally getting fluent with that algorithm book that has been gathering dust on the shelf.

But some of the most powerful ways to grow aren't technical at all — and they’re often overlooked. Here are four underrated ways to accelerate your growth and impact as a engineer.

1. Pair With Non-Technical People

Yes, really. Sit with a product manager, a sales rep, or a customer support agent. You’ll start to see the business through their eyes — the constraints they navigate, the language they use, the goals they chase, the user feedback they receive.

This kind of pairing offers two huge benefits:

• You gain commercial awareness. You’ll understand how your code creates value, how decisions are made, and how features are prioritised. That context makes you a more strategic, product-minded engineer.

• They gain engineering insight. Many people in a business have no idea how software gets made. Pairing helps demystify what we do and builds trust across teams.

2. Read A Book On Leadership

You don’t need a manager title to lead. In fact, many of the most effective leaders in engineering are individual contributors who’ve learned how to lead without authority.

Great leadership helps you:

• Influence decisions and outcomes beyond your job description or even your team.

• Create momentum around ideas you care about.

• Increase your impact across your team and organisation.

Here are two great books you could start with:

1. The Art of Leadership by Michael Lopp

2. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

3. Take A Course On Writing

Clear writing is a superpower. It helps you share knowledge, make decisions, explain ideas, and influence others.

As software engineers, we already write a lot: code, comments, documentation, pull requests, user stories, technical designs, architecture decision records (ADRs), and even the occasional Stack Overflow answer or LLM prompt.

But writing well gives you leverage. It makes your thinking easier to follow, your arguments more persuasive, and your ideas more likely to be heard and acted on.

If you’re not sure where to start, try a short course on technical writing, persuasive writing, or business communication. Your future readers (and your future self) will thank you.

Alternatively consider these three books:

1. Simply Said: Communicating Better at Work and Beyond by Jay Sullivan

2. Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark

3. The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence by Ros Atkins

4. Learn Sales

Sales? Yes, sales. Not in the cheesy, pushy way, you don’t need to become a used car salesman! Learn sales in the deeply human way of understanding needs, telling compelling stories, and motivating action.

Knowing how to sell helps you:

• Sell yourself — on your resume, in interviews, and inside your company.

• Sell your ideas — when you're proposing a refactor, pitching a new tool, or leading a technical initiative.

• Sell your vision — especially important if you’re building something new, like a startup, an open source project, or an internal platform.

Sales is ultimately about empathy, storytelling, and influence — all essential skills for any developer who wants to make a difference.

In short: if you want to stand out as a software developer, don't just sharpen your technical skills — expand your influence, your communication skills, and your commercial awareness.

These are the things that turn good developers into great ones.

Want help growing your influence as a developer? Hit reply — I’d love to hear where you’re at and how I can help.

Three Ways I Can Help You Level Up As A Software Engineer:

1. I’m available as a coach to help you or the software engineers on you team level up.

2. I run a YouTube channel sharing advice on software engineering.

3. I have a course on building your personal brand on LinkedIn, it explains how I’ve built an audience over over 190,000 on LinkedIn and changed my life.