Soft Skills Engineering - Jamison Dance and Dave Smith

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Software How-To
**Soft Skills Engineering – Jamison Dance and Dave Smith**

It takes more than great code to be a great engineer. Soft Skills Engineering is a weekly advice podcast for software developers about the non-technical stuff that goes into being a great software developer.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 45: RAPID FIRE and Micromanagers Jan 28, 2017

Show notes

It’s our first RAPID FIRE episode, where we answer a bunch of questions rapid-ish-ly.

Why do I get passed up for developer jobs?
Should I take this high-paying job even though it’s a scary change?
Should I quit my first job after five years?

We also answer a longer question:

How do I deal with a micromanaging project manager?

Thank you to Algolia for sponsoring this episode. Check out their job posting at algolia.com/softskillsengineering.

Episode 44: Discussing Firing and Writing Job Postings Jan 25, 2017

Show notes

Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

When I let someone go, should I tell them the reason why?
How do I write a good job description?

We mention Julia Evans’ blog post A litmus test for job descriptions in the second question.

Episode 43: Internship Costs and CS Interview Questions Jan 16, 2017

Show notes

Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

What do internships cost companies?
How do you feel about asking hard technical computer science questions in interviews?

The second question was prompted by this tweet:

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"
— Samantha 🐝 Quiñones (@ieatkillerbees) December 14, 2016

Episode 42: Bootcamp Job Hopping and Cultural Reliability Jan 02, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

Should I switch jobs to my fourth job within two years of graduating from a bootcamp?
What non-technical practices and cultural attributes improve software reliability?

Episode 41: Management Snobs and Two Bosses Dec 28, 2016

Show notes

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

How do I deal with someone who says their job (management) is so much harder than my job (engineering)?
How do I deal with a two-boss situation where I am one of the bosses?

Episode 40: Office Visibility and New Tech Dec 21, 2016

Show notes

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

How can I encourage my team to be more visible in the office?
How do I learn new technologies without going through a noob phase?

Episode 39: Brilliant Jerks and One on Ones Dec 12, 2016

Show notes

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

How do I deal with engineers who are skilled technically but rude and demeaning?
What should I talk about in one on ones with my manager or reports? We also cite Questions for our first 1:1, a blog post by Lara Hogan.