Soft Skills Engineering

<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>

<p>In episode 19, Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <p>Would you ever fire someone over a coding mistake? For example, should you empathize with ignorance and explain how SQL injection works or is the mistake so basic as to be intolerable. Would you change your answer if the mistake was found during a code review or found as the source of a data breach?</p> <p>How do you positively represent the desire to be demoted? I am called a ‘senior engineer’, but I got that way because of null instead of actual skill. I would like to be a senior engineer at some point, but I would be a better one if I travel more where I have seniors to look up to, established processes etc rather than stressing about defining everything myself; but that’s a weird thing to say to a current or potential boss and is hard to do without also volunteering for a pay cut.</p>

<p>In episode 18, Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <p>I’m a computer science major who still has a couple years of school left. I also have a part time job doing web development. I love what I’m learning and doing at work to the point that I question if it’s worth investing two more years into school. How would you counsel someone in my position?</p> <p>From listener Antonio: How do I prepare for an interview?</p>

<p>In episode 17, Jamison and Dave answer these questions:</p> <p>From listener Greg Harrison: I want to build a side-project, but my lack of coming up with a good idea saps my motivation. Do you guys have any tips?</p> <p>Have you ever been fired? What happened? How do you bounce back?</p>