The traits that define a senior engineer are not catalogued perfectly in one spot. But, nevertheless, we'll try to cover some of the most important traits and habits of a senior engineer.
In today's episode, we'll add more detail to the commonly recommended skill of "work breakdown." Sometimes this extremely valuable skill is the opposite of what you really ... Show More
Oct 24
Signs You May Have a Regressive Mindset
Keeping up has always been part of the job for software engineers, and with AI it's harder than ever. In this episode, I talk about two signals that you, your coworkers, or the people you manage might have a regressive mindset, which shows up as quietly avoiding the learning you ... Show More
16m 54s
Sep 30
How History Can Inform a Dynamic Understanding of Technological Revolutions Mirroring this Moment In Software Engineering
You're tired of hearing that you need to pick up AI, so today I'm not going to add to that pile. Instead, we'll look back at two moments in history that look a lot like this one: the arrival of Fortran in the 1950s, and the spread of autopilot in commercial aviation. Both show ho ... Show More
17m 14s
Sep 21
Fundamentals Will Help You Survive the Constant Acceleration of Software Engineering
Fundamentals get talked about constantly, but rarely defined. In this episode I dig into what a fundamental actually is — the building blocks, heuristics, and core characteristics that don't change — and why they matter more than ever in a profession where abstraction moves faste ... Show More
13m 18s
Jul 2023
Episode 364: EMs doing technical tasks and too soft?
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Do you think an EM should only be involved with management tasks, and let the members handle the technical stuff, or should they have some technical expertise to manage things like architecture reviews or handle urgent inc ... Show More
25m 27s
Mar 2016
Episode 1: Startup Opportunities and Switching Jobs
Welcome to Soft Skills Engineering, where we answer your questions about non-technical topics in software engineering. Come get some wisdom, or at least some wise cracks. In episode 1, Dave and Jamison answer two questions: I’m a developer who gets approached from time to time to ... Show More
25m 33s
Feb 2024
Episode 396: Enthusiastic scope creep and human search engine
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’ve recently started a new Gig as a Senior Developer/Tech Lead at a company where we are our own clients, using the software we develop in-house. I’m encountering a bit of a hiccup, though. Our product owner, is primarily ... Show More
35m 44s
Aug 2022
Episode 318: Staff and part time dev
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Albert Camus asks, Hello Team. I am a long time listener of the show, and I really enjoy it. I’m a senior engineer and want to get to the next level in my career. I talked to my manager about this. I told them I p ... Show More
28m 53s
Jun 2023
Episode 361: Get git and non-tech ramping up
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Schtolteheim Reinbach III asks, Hey soft skills engineering, love you guys. I work at a company you wouldn’t hear much about, on a product that you wouldn’t think about as having much tech involved- suffice it to ... Show More
28m 5s