People Or Tech Skills - Which Matters More?

Balance Technical and Soft Skills to Accelerate Your Career

Welcome!

Hi this is John with this week’s Developing Skills - Skills for Developers looking to develop their careers.

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News - I Have A YouTube Channel For Software Engineers

I’ve recently started building a YouTube channel sharing short videos on software engineering. I’ll be sharing more of the advice I publish in Developing Skills.

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Gregor Ojstersek

It’s all about why being a great engineer to work with will get you promoted! It’s on Thursday, September the 5th, 2024 at 5:00 PM (GMT+1) Full details here!

Tip of The Week: Balance Technical and Soft Skills to Accelerate Your Career

In software engineering, technical skills are always revered. But focusing on technical skills alone is a mistake. Soft skills — the abilities to communicate, collaborate, and lead — are critical.

Why Soft Skills Matter Most

Soft skills are underrated, they are the glue that holds teams and projects together. Here’s three reasons why.

Firstly, software development is a team sport. No matter how brilliant your technical skills are, they’re worthless if you can’t collaborate with others. The best software engineers know how to listen, communicate clearly, and empathise with their teammates. They bring people together and ensure everyone is moving in the same direction.

Secondly, the problems we face building software are rarely straightforward. They often involve handling ambiguity and dealing with conflicting requirements and constraints. Engineers with strong soft skills aren’t just coding to spec; they’re solving the right problems in the right way.

Finally, as you become more senior, your technical contributions will matter less than your ability to lead and inspire others. Engineers who can communicate a vision, build consensus, and manage conflict are far more valuable than those who simply churn out code. Leadership is about influence, and influence is rooted in soft skills of communication, empathy, and emotional intelligence.

Technical Skills Are The Foundation

That said, technical skills are the foundation of your career as a software engineer. They are non-negotiable. You simply can’t be a software engineer without the ability to build software.

Finding The Balance

The key to a successful career is to find the right balance of soft and technical skills. Here’s how:

1. Conduct Self-Assessment: Look at your current skill set. Where are you excelling, and where are you falling short? Get feedback from colleagues and mentors — not just on your coding abilities but on your teamwork, communication, and leadership qualities. Being honest about your weaknesses is the first step toward improvement.

2. Set Ambitious, Balanced Goals: Don’t just aim to become a better coder. Set goals that push you to improve both technically and interpersonally. Don’t just focus on learning new technology, but also explore taking a course on effective communication or leadership.

3. Actively Seek Diverse Learning Experiences: Technical skills don’t only develop at your desk, and soft skills aren’t just about team meetings. Mix it up. As well as the technical skills development you’re doing, look for opportunities to join communication workshops or volunteer for leadership roles to build your soft skills. The more varied your experiences, the more balanced your growth. For a double win, volunteer to lead a technical initiative such as running a series of professional development talks, mentoring programme or a technical book club.

4. Integrate Soft Skills Into Technical Tasks: Don’t silo your skills. Use every opportunity to practice soft skills in technical contexts. When debugging with a team, emphasise collaborative problem-solving. When presenting a technical solution, focus on clarity and storytelling.

Recognise That The Balance Changes As You Progress Through Your Career

As you advance in your career, the balance between soft and technical skills doesn’t just shift — it transforms. Here’s what to expect:

Junior to Mid-Level Engineers: Early in your career, your focus should be on technical skill-building. You’re learning the ropes, writing code, and becoming proficient in the tools of the trade. But don’t neglect soft skills. The engineers who stand out are those who are not only technically competent but also great team players and communicators.

Mid-Level to Senior Engineers: As you progress to this level, you’re expected to take on more responsibility — leading parts of projects, mentoring juniors, and making technical decisions. Your technical skills still matter, but soft skills become more important, particularly as you move to senior.

Staff+ Engineers: At this stage, you’re expected to take on more responsibility — leading projects, mentoring mid- and senior level engineers, and making architectural decisions. Your technical skills still matter, but soft skills become equally, if not more important. You’re now moving to a position where influencing others, making strategic decisions, and fostering a collaborative environment are key.

Leadership Roles: As you step into leadership roles, the game changes entirely. Your job is no longer about coding, it’s now about leading teams, setting strategic directions, and driving the organisation forward. Here, soft skills are your primary skills. Your technical background informs your decisions, but your ability to lead, communicate, and inspire is what will define your success.

Find the right balance for where you are now and have a plan to achieve where you want to be.

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

1. I write another newsletter, Coding Challenges that helps you become a better software engineer through coding challenges that build real applications.

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

3. I have some courses available:

   1. Become a Better Software Developer by Building Your Own Redis Server (Python Edition) which guides you through solving the Redis Coding Challenge in Python.

   2. Build Your Own Shell (Go Edition) which guides you through solving the Shell Coding Challenge in Go.