Soft Skills Engineering

<p>Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>My supervisor is a know-it-all who needs to be the smartest person in the room. How do I deal with it?</li> <li>I want to move to another city and work remotely. How do I convince my boss to let me?</li> </ol>

<p>Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>It’s been a year and I still haven’t touched the codebase. What should I do?</li> <li>All my hobbies revolve around computers. How do I develop other interests?</li> </ol> <p>Jamison mentioned Dan Luu’s article on how bad teams are always hiring. <a href="https://danluu.com/hiring-lemons/">Here</a> it is.</p> <p>Rich Hickey’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f84n5oFoZBc">Hammock-Driven Development</a> talk was also mentioned.</p>

<p>Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>Should I get a Masters in Computer Science?</li> <li>How do I ask good questions?</li> </ol>

<p>Jamison and Dave talk about these questions:</p> <ol> <li>My cousin is a manager at my employer. How do I avoid nepotism?</li> <li>I’d like to become a developer. What are the minimum requirements for a junior developer? When will I be “good enough” to get a job as a junior dev?</li> </ol>

<p>Jamison and Dave talk about these questions:</p> <ol> <li>I have a great, comfortable job that doesn’t push me very hard. How do I deal with worrying about being left in the dust?</li> <li>How do I deal with imposter syndrome?</li> </ol>

<p>Jamison and Dave talk about these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How direct should I be in a peer review of a coworker who I really dislike?</li> <li>How do I convince developers to go on call?</li> </ol>

<p>Jamison and Dave were out this week, so here is a <em>DEEP CUT</em> from the archives.</p> <p>This originally aired as episode 41.</p> <ol> <li>How do I deal with someone who says their job (management) is so much harder than my job (engineering)?</li> <li>How do I deal with a two-boss situation where I am one of the bosses?</li> </ol>

<p>Jamison and Dave answer these two questions:</p> <ol> <li>I’m in too many meetings. How do I guard my own productivity?</li> <li>How do I make sure I’m not sidelined when my company acquires another company?</li> </ol>

<p>We answer these two questions:</p> <ol> <li>What should developers know about product management?</li> <li>I have TOO MANY notifications interrupting me all the time. What do I do?</li> </ol>

<p>We answer these two questions:</p> <ol> <li>What is the best seating arrangements for software developers?</li> <li>How do I disarm my CTO who is emotionally attached to his code?</li> </ol>

<p>Thanks to all the people who pointed us to the <a href="http://principles-wiki.net/principles:single_level_of_abstraction">Single Level of Abstraction Principle</a> which we obliquely referred to in <a href="http://softskills.audio/2017/04/25/episode-57-management-tasks-i-hate-and-difficult-co-workers/">episode 57</a>.</p> <p>We answer these two questions:</p> <ol> <li>How can I convince management to pay for developer training?</li> <li>Should I mention unrelated experience on an application?</li> </ol>

<p>Dave and Jamison were out this week, so we have a re-run of a DEEP CUT for you.</p> <p>This originally aired as episode 18. We answer these two questions:</p> <ol> <li>I have a part-time job as a developer while I’m still in school. Should I drop out and just work full time?</li> <li>How do I prepare for a job interview?</li> </ol>

<ol> <li>I’ve been pushed in to doing management tasks I really don’t enjoy. What do I do?</li> <li>How do I handle a co-worker who I really struggle to get along with?</li> </ol> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p>

<ol> <li>How do I keep meetings on track?</li> <li>I work in an agency with a designer-centric culture. How do I make myself heard?</li> </ol> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p>

<p>It’s a special ng-conf live episode! <a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions in front of a live audience:</p> <ol> <li>When you go freelancing, do your coding skills atrophy?</li> <li>What is something you wish you knew about freelancing before you started?</li> <li>I met all my aggressive career goals. What next?</li> </ol> <p>Here is the <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qr0d05X5-AsyDYqKRCfgGGcWSshTMd_vfTggfhDpbls/edit">Khan Academy Engineering Ladder</a> Jamison mentioned towards the end of the show.</p>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>Our codebase is really bad, and management hired a contractor behind our backs to rewrite it. What should I do?</li> <li>How important are job titles when looking for a new job?</li> </ol> <p>Here is the <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qr0d05X5-AsyDYqKRCfgGGcWSshTMd_vfTggfhDpbls/edit">Khan Academy Engineering Ladder</a> Jamison mentioned towards the end of the show.</p>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>I was hired for one thing, but ended up doing something <em>very</em> different that I don’t enjoy. What do I do?</li> <li>How do I tell my manager that I’m moving into management on another team?</li> </ol>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>I feel guilty about how slow I’m working. What should I do?</li> <li>I’d like to find a job, but I don’t have any completed side projects or an interesting GitHub profile. How can I explain this?</li> </ol>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>I’m a junior developer on a team of seniors, and I’m also the Scrum Master. Our team has <em>lots</em> of problems. What do I do?</li> <li>Jamison openly talks about not finishing his degree. How did he put it on his resume or explain it to potential employers?</li> </ol> <p>In question two Jamison discovers he has been lying on his LinkedIn profile for half a decade, and freaks out a little bit. The mistake is corrected, but can the damage ever be undone? Tune in next week on <em>SOFT SKILLS ENGINEERING</em>.</p>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>I didn’t quit my job. Did I mess up?</li> <li>I was hired to manage a team, but it is actually just me. What do I do?</li> </ol>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>What do I do if I suspect my co-worker plagiarized my homework assignment in their own interview?</li> <li>My employer is making me provide my own laptop. Is this normal?</li> </ol> <p>We mention <a href="https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/08/09/the-joel-test-12-steps-to-better-code/">The Joel Test</a>. Also remember to tweet about the show for endorsements from <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-smith-8895461/">Dave</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamison-dance-70469b28/">Jamison</a> for completely serious and relevant skills like doomsday-bunker-building and yodeling.</p>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>When and how do you quit a company that is on a death march?</li> <li>How do I find out if I’m underpaid?</li> </ol>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How soon into a new job is it appropriate to raise concerns?</li> <li>What do you do when issues in your personal life affect your work?</li> </ol> <p>Thank you to Algolia for sponsoring this episode. Check out their job posting at <a href="https://www.algolia.com/softskillsengineering">algolia.com/softskillsengineering</a>.</p> <p>Also thanks to Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which I spent 310 hours playing.</p>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/djsmith42">Dave</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jamison_dance">Jamison</a> answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How do I deal with my new job that turns out to be crappy?</li> <li>How do I know how hard to push back against more experienced engineers when suggesting a new idea?</li> </ol> <p>Thank you to Algolia for sponsoring this episode. Check out their job posting at <a href="https://www.algolia.com/softskillsengineering">algolia.com/softskillsengineering</a>.</p>

<p>It’s our first RAPID FIRE episode, where we answer a bunch of questions rapid-ish-ly.</p> <ol> <li>Why do I get passed up for developer jobs?</li> <li>Should I take this high-paying job even though it’s a scary change?</li> <li>Should I quit my first job after five years?</li> </ol> <p>We also answer a longer question:</p> <p>How do I deal with a micromanaging project manager?</p> <p>Thank you to Algolia for sponsoring this episode. Check out their job posting at <a href="https://www.algolia.com/softskillsengineering">algolia.com/softskillsengineering</a>.</p>

<p>Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>When I let someone go, should I tell them the reason why?</li> <li>How do I write a good job description?</li> </ol> <p>We mention Julia Evans’ blog post <a href="https://jvns.ca/blog/2016/10/21/a-litmus-test-for-job-descriptions/">A litmus test for job descriptions</a> in the second question.</p>

<p>Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>What do internships cost companies?</li> <li>How do you feel about asking hard technical computer science questions in interviews?</li> </ol> <p>The second question was prompted by this tweet:</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In 20 years of engineering I've never said, "thank goodness we hired someone who can reverse a b tree on a whiteboard while strangers watch"</p>— Samantha 🐝 Quiñones (@ieatkillerbees) <a href="https://twitter.com/ieatkillerbees/status/808831573785243649">December 14, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>Should I switch jobs to my fourth job within two years of graduating from a bootcamp?</li> <li>What non-technical practices and cultural attributes improve software reliability?</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How do I deal with someone who says their job (management) is so much harder than my job (engineering)?</li> <li>How do I deal with a two-boss situation where I am one of the bosses?</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How can I encourage my team to be more visible in the office?</li> <li>How do I learn new technologies without going through a noob phase?</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How do I deal with engineers who are skilled technically but rude and demeaning?</li> <li>What should I talk about in one on ones with my manager or reports? We also cite <a href="http://larahogan.me/blog/first-one-on-one-questions/">Questions for our first 1:1</a>, a blog post by Lara Hogan.</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>When is it appropriate to go over someone’s head?</li> <li>Should I fire the new engineer that we just hired (and who relocated to take the job)?</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How does venture capital work, and how does it affect me?</li> <li>How do I give great presentations at work?</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>What do you think of unlimited vacation policies?</li> <li>How do I enforce coding best practices?</li> </ol> <p>Show notes, because Jamison is feeling ambitious:</p> <ul> <li>The <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664">Netflix culture slides</a> we mentioned</li> <li><a href="https://www.pylint.org/">pylint</a>, the linter Dave talked about</li> </ul>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How can I attract talent?</li> <li>How do I quit without burning bridges?</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>Do certifications help me?</li> <li>How can I solve an avoidance problem?</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How can a developer damage their credibility online?</li> <li>How can I meet potential employers while I’m still in school?</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer this question:</p> <ol> <li>Why would a developer leave a full time job to do consulting or contracting?</li> </ol> <p>It just so happens that Jamison did this a few months ago, and he shares his experience in making the transition.</p>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>Should I go in to management?</li> <li>How do you know if a job is worth applying to?</li> </ol>

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p> <ol> <li>How should you reach consensus on a team? Should you always have consensus?</li> <li>What is the etiquette around editing code in a shared repository?</li> </ol>

<p>Literally the only episode that the advice “quit your job and get a better one” doesn’t apply.</p> <p>Dave and Jamison answer the question:</p> <blockquote> <p>What should I do when starting a new job?</p> </blockquote>

<p>In episode 28, Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <h2 id="how-long-should-i-stay-before-i-quit-my-job">How long should I stay before I quit my job?</h2> <ul> <li>Two to three years seems fairly normal.</li> <li>Dave sees people with less than 12 months regularly.</li> <li>Staying at a job means you experience things you wouldn’t if you hopped around a lot.</li> <li>It is much easier to see the <a href="http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jsp">hype cycle</a> play out if you stick around.</li> <li>You get to see the outcome of your own decisions.</li> <li>Quitting usually == raise.</li> <li>Chronic job hopping <em>might</em> result in a reputation of not sticking with things.</li> <li>Dave thinks you should quit your first job after 18 months because of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem">Monty Hall problem</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="how-do-you-encourage-junior-developers-to-improve">How do you encourage junior developers to improve?</h2> <ul> <li>We assume that these junior developers really want to improve.</li> <li>Make it clear that people get stuck and struggle, and that is normal.</li> <li>Make it clear that you don’t want them to get <em>too</em> stuck.</li> <li>Make it OK to ask questions.</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/superSGP/status/693933815144779776">People generally live up or down to your expectations</a>, so help them feel trusted and that you expect they will be great.</li> <li>Make the outcome of their work clear.</li> </ul>

<p>In episode 27, Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <h2 id="how-do-i-write-a-great-resume">How do I write a great resume?</h2> <ul> <li>Do you really need a resume these days?</li> <li>How important is formatting and good design?</li> <li>What content should be on your resume?</li> </ul> <h2 id="should-i-push-back-on-non-engineering-tasks-like-powerpoint-presentations">Should I push back on non-engineering tasks like PowerPoint presentations?</h2> <p>From listener samspot: I am a Sr. Developer and I am often asked to spend time on PowerPoint presentations for funding and other business stuff. I want to ask why the managers, analysts, etc can’t handle these tasks. I find them to be a frequent distraction from my actual responsibilities, especially because these are so frequently “emergency” requests. Should I push back on this work, or is it better to be a team player?</p>

<p>In episode 26, Jamison and Dave answer these question:</p> <h2 id="how-do-you-make-sure-people-know-about-your-good-work">How do you make sure people know about your good work?</h2> <p>See <a href="https://twitter.com/mzabriskie">Matt Zabriskie’s</a> <a href="http://www.mattzabriskie.com/blog/communicate-your-efforts">great post</a> for background on this.</p> <p>We also mentioned <a href="http://mdswanson.com/blog/2013/08/11/write-things-tell-people.html">Do Things, Write About It</a>.</p> <h2 id="how-do-you-get-your-point-across-effectively-so-you-dont-have-to-say-i-told-you-so-later">How do you get your point across effectively so you don’t have to say “I told you so” later?</h2>

<p>In episode 25, Jamison and Dave answer these question:</p> <h2 id="how-do-i-understand-the-business-side-better">How do I understand the business side better?</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://medium.com/@hoffa/400-000-github-repositories-1-billion-files-14-terabytes-of-code-spaces-or-tabs-7cfe0b5dd7fd#.ahv57m5mn">Analysis of tabs vs spaces</a></li> <li>How does your business make money?</li> <li>Just ask your CEO/manager</li> <li>Kill the myth of the pointy-haired boss</li> <li>Smaller companies expose you to this more</li> <li>Just ask questions: <ul> <li>What was our revenue last month?</li> <li>How much did we spend last month?</li> <li>Who are our biggest customers?</li> <li>How does the sales process work?</li> </ul> </li> <li>The Dave Smith Method® for learning business jargon.</li> <li>Be kind and have empathy when you learn.</li> </ul> <h2 id="can-i-be-a-good-technical-manager-without-a-technical-background">Can I be a good technical manager without a technical background?</h2> <ul> <li>Technical leadership vs management.</li> <li>Management means empathy and understanding. Can you get that without “coming up through the ranks”?</li> <li>What are the skills of a good manager?</li> <li>Does being a developer give you those skills?</li> <li>Dave is a Night Elf Code Mage.</li> <li>How do you handle technical concerns as a non-technical person?</li> <li>Don’t fake technical knowledge.</li> <li>Leading a team when you don’t directly see the effect of your actions.</li> <li><a href="http://randsinrepose.com/archives/managing-nerds/">Managing Nerds</a> by Rands.</li> <li>Jamison’s former boss’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Object-Programming-Visual-Windows/dp/1556158998">technical expertise</a></li> </ul>

<p>In episode 24, Jamison and Dave answer this question:</p> <p>As a software developer, should I be a generalist or a specialist? This was inspired by a Twitter conversation here: <a href="https://twitter.com/iam_preethi/status/766758679743954944">https://twitter.com/iam_preethi/status/766758679743954944</a></p>

<p>In episode 23, Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <p>You are asked to be a CTO of a start-up. What questions would you ask in order to decide whether to join, and what things would you give most attention to, if you do join?</p> <p>I REALLY want and deserve a raise so I hope you two discuss how a nerdy introvert gets the CFO of a small privately owned business to want to give her more money when she’s already happily donating an additional 10-20 hours a week.</p>

<p>In episode 21, Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <p>What’s up with all this health insurance jargon?</p> <p>How do I get started contributing to open source?</p>

<p>In episode 21, Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <p>What kind of work should interns be given?</p> <p>How do you handle developers who are dead weight?</p>

<p>In episode 20, Jamison and Dave share some stories from people who have been fired.</p> <p>We also answer this question: How do I make code reviews more effective? It feels like reviewers fit into 2 categories: either they are too quick and superficial, or they get bogged down in nit picks.</p>