Thank you all for your feedback and support; I truly appreciate it. To clarify-I’m not saying to ignore your programming skills completely; obviously, that wouldn’t be smart. Continue to learn and develop these skills, but place more emphasis on the skills I mentioned as they will take you further than your technical skills ever will.
I need help and this video showed me that. I'm really struggling with personal branding as a software engineer. It's very clear to me that I can't market myself properly. Any suggestions for books, courses, bootcamps, workshops or mentorship?
Thank you for sharing this. You are exactly right. I'm a Software Programmer and I'm good at it but I'm not the only one, there are still way brilliant software engineers than me out there. However, I'm good in communication .. especially documentation and presentation skill. You don't have to be perfect but You can communicate your idea and present it in such a way that make the audiences easy to understand your thought.
Good day! May be that person who did not write good documentation, just did not want the company to lose him, on contrary, he wanted higher appreciation, and what you video was intended - he wanted higher salary. You have good programmers in US, but in 3rd world if you have good programmer it is like a miracle. A lot of Banks or other high level companies pays big amount of money for software written in US, Russia, Europe, because almost nobody can replicate them.
Thank you for providing the advice on soft skills development, personal communication, marketing, problem solving by approaching the problem from a “Why do I need to solve this” vs “How to solve this problem”. I think that as long as we put ourselves out there and practicing to communicate through steps will help us to improve our clarity, simplification. This helps to shift back and forth from the complex to simplistic ideas making us more versatile, marketable, sought after ability to smoothly transition for the audience we speak to or work with. NY and CA may have the highest per capita incomes, but soon a state like TX could be in play. Great job with the video!
I am 17, as I learn this technical skills, how and where can I learn to enhance by oral communication, documentation and even communication as little as comments
nuggets :) -> Always be a creator -> Ask why before how -> Do effective marketing ->And communication can make you rich what is communication?? Definition: Convey in a manner that other people can understand
I have 14 years of experience in this field and I can confirm everything you said, not only I learned from your advice, it is 100 percent correct. awesome video
This is too massive for the most. This transition from core coder to " nontech solution creator" involves a lot of pain. The reason is imho that when we learn engineering, it is stated as the most important skill. Otherwise, it's often not possible to learn that hard skill. And if we don't get it to switch after 3-5 years, it's getting harder and harder to understand the world. Thanks for the great video ❤
I've been a Software Engineer for over 9 years now and the truth is - you won't make $150k+ unless you work at FAANG or other semi-known companies that use Leetcode type interviews. All the my jobs that I've had were with companies that didn't do Leetcode type interviews because I can never pass them despite being one of the founding engineers at a startup I worked at from seed all the way to acquisition. If you're a Software Engineer now, communicate your desire to become a Software Engineering Manager - no matter how early/late you are in your career. This will make your career more fruitful and lucrative. When you do this, not only will you get paid more, but the interviews aren't Leetcode, you won't be writing code day-to-day and above all - you'll sit on the table with the heavy-hitter stakeholders who talk $$$ and not .
Can confirm. I am now a manager and have been for 5 years. I still code but don't have to deal with leetcode interviews. In the past, I declined every leetcode interview because they didn't want to solve problems. They got off on leetcode interviews.
Some programmers do that just for hobby like Linus Torvalds. Nothing's wrong just a life choice. Some comfortable with that situation and some want more, so it is a personal choice as long as it makes you happy. If don't then find another company.
But in managerial interviews they will ask questions about leadership skills and how to manage people in software projects. As a programmer if you are not at a very high level or have that opportunity before there's really not too much to show off.
Back in 2008, I wrote a software algorithm in C and Assembly language for security company in Boca Raton, Florida and it exceeded the project management expectations. That project was a multimillion dollar project. The problem is they hired a newly graduated engineer and asked me to teach her how I built the hardware and coded the algorithm for that security product. That was a nightmare for me because I knew they were planning to transfer all the knowledge I have to a fresh engineer who started coding. This is when I started looking for another job - this has created so many problems for me and for the company because managers think about money more than Human Resources and brain power - I call those "managers without brains."
If you were about leave your job for this anyways, you should just have said: "'im not going to teach anybody, if you want fire me now.'" Because you were not somebody that could be replaced instantly. Especially in 2008 it was hard to find good programmers. Even now there are many programmers but not many a real good.
I've been programming for over 25 years and wish I had received the advice you provided earlier in my career. I was often overlooked for promotions because I didn't effectively communicate my career goals. After taking communication courses, I now understand how crucial this skill is. Thank you for sharing your insights.
I would add that there is a big difference between knowing how to code vs launching and debugging production grade software. Many people would struggle to acheive this but if you are great at defining problems, scoping tasks and communicating then you can find people who fix the problems for you.
If you are hired as a senior engineer and command an above average wage, you are expected to solve problems and quite often those problems are not straight forwards. I agree that communication is highly important, but you can't hide behind communication, eventually you need to actually provide a technical solution and demonstrate competence. It's a completely different type of pressure. However, if you have both communication and competence, you're going to be a top pick most of the time.
I agree, I certainly don’t experience that everyone in the sector is already adequately technically skilled. The so-called “10x” gulf between the talented versus typical senior dev does seem about right.
It's mind boggling how they easily dismiss coding and problem solving skills like it's not important. The advice should be exactly like you said. If you want to be a manager, there are two kinds of Software Engineering Managers, technical and non-technical. In that case the guy's advice is valid but all and all coding skills are very important.
I think his point was that if you are hired as senior dev ,they are already expecting you to be good at coding since you have years of experience but communication is definitely something that they care more compared to a junior dev ,but you are right ,senior tend to work on more challenging issues .
Couldn’t agree more, over the 9 years I’ve been in the software industry, the biggest turn in my career was when my technical director recommended me to stop coding all together while I was on a tech lead position. Every year prior to that I used to be for the most part the best solo contributor of projects I was part of, and nevertheless when I stopped coding altogether performance not only of my team but other teams we interacted with as well increased. The reason was simple, most real issues that happen on enterprises are around communication or lack of. Focusing on that allowed for a much better organization level planning, setting expectations from other teams as well as asking for expectations for my team and working through the issues. Now working as a software engineer manager I try to have someone who could replace me at all times and if I don’t have it work towards it, that way everything works better. The best compliments I’ve received in the work industry has always been from my bosses around the fact that they don’t need to get involved and that there’s never escalations when that’s not usually the norm
An excellent video. As a software engineer with 10 years of experience I can say communication is number 1 skill that has helped me most in my career. And number 2 is the high level responsibility and ownership I take over my tasks. And Im not a naturally good communicator. Ive worked a lot on that and still see a lot of room for improvement.
See this advice is for those who want to scale from sky to space. For those on ground 0 , learn software skills, be it coding in python , sql or frontend or backend. These core skills will land you job and then furthur grow your communication and marketing skills.
You can practice BOTH communication and coding at the same time. Coding (in part) is giving instructions to the tech just as documentation is communicating to the team. Again the market is big enough for the best if you take the time to get good at both.
i don’t agree your advice maybe good for top 1 percent of engineers who are super talented and are already working in top companies but for rest of us programming is most important skill.No-one is going to give importance to other skills during a interview. Also there is a huge lack of skills in software engineering. Most people dont know how to design and solve complex problems
Yeah if you're not top 1% this advice kinda sucks, but for moat people who get serious about programming or who want to, this advice will help them when they are top 1%. So it seems like something you should learn anyway
Commutation skills are important regardless of level or position. Yes to get a job especially junior level it is most important to be able to code up and solve well defined problems. You should always be thinking though of how you can communicate the problem, your approach, and expected impact (in a real world setting). This advice isn’t just for top 1%.
Totally agree. Most of developers are totally unfamiliar with clean code best practices, how to architecture your code to avoid tight coupling and how to unit test your code efficiently. A lot of 10x devs are at coding but are not great at software engineering.
As a software engineer, now I spend half of the time "talking" with Chat-GPT, in order to get solutions to make the code faster. I'm not good at communication but this is like training those skills. It actually helps me to understand precisely and effectively how to explain what needs to be communicated within a minimal message to get the most precise results. I think I'm able to organize better my thoughts when I'm talking about the projects with my coworkers.
I aeree, I am not a software engineer, but I need to code sporadically, i am slow at it, but chat gpt increased my speed at least twice or more. How much speed chat gpt can increase in a software Engineer ? I guess it is more beneficial to the less experienced..
Awesome video. I’ve been a developer for 25 years and relate to a lot of what you’re saying. Please create more videos like this. You have a unique and refreshing perspective.
good advice! after 30yrs as a dev… what I know is that programming is commoditized now… every emp’ decision comes down to the $… and trying to offshore all dev and support. “sw eng are creators”, so true. always allocate time to building your side hustle… build your own prod or service and focus on profitability… and not necessarily building the perfect piece of sw. You dont need to be a Zuk or Elon to be successful. also get and stay out of debt! and build your retirement fund early and stick to it!
I'm just looking for two colleagues to my team, so I had some interviews recently. What I've discovered is, many people just do the marketing and communication, but unable to use the easiest javascript functions. (Saying 5 (FIVE!) years of js, but can't even do map, sort, etc..) They should learn programming before doing marketing. It's pretty annoying. Fortunately we do tests, so it turns out who says more than the reality.
as someone with decades of programming experience, this is 100% true. What's holding most people (and did me) for a long time is clarity of communication to others. People don't know what they are doing, have done, or can do.
I'm an individual with 3 years of experience in this sector, now switched as a full time freelance solution architect for last 2 years. I know exactly what you are talking about. Thank you for pointing out these essential points.
it is the same for every field. when Individuals progress in their careers, the skill requirements often shift. While technical expertise remains essential, leadership skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to collaborate become increasingly important in managerial roles. It’s not just about what you know; it’s also about how effectively you can lead and inspire others. Regarding coding and wealth, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Most people who code do it out of passion, curiosity, and a desire to create. While some software engineers do earn substantial salaries, many are motivated by the joy of problem-solving, building something meaningful, and contributing to the world of technology. And people don't code just to be rich
Programming is most important to get a job least important once you actually in the job 😅, if you get laid off you have to become “good” again or will be jobless, ya some companies will want great communication and skills for HR but you will still need great programming skills, like he said there is a ton of talent there is no shortage you gotta go the extra mile to prove yourself.
Right. Makes sense. Whether coding or communication, everything is a skill that needs years of deliberate practice to master.
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Code is also a communication tool with future you or with other people. Beginner programmers write code to communicate with computers, senior programmers write code to communicate with people.
He's not going the extreme way to say skill isn't useful. He's simply saying skills are way too common and abundant and what sets people apart is their communication and marketing skills in this competitive market. It's absolutely true and being more than a decade old hardware engineer, the exact same rule applies. People who focus too much on skill and "work hard" in the conventional sense are often the ones lacking on communication skills and even socially awkward sometimes.
With more than 30 years experience, I would say, coding takes less than half time during overall project. Even much smaller. More than half is taken to define and agree on the problem spec 😀
I agree "communication skills" are necessary to break out of the daily grind but "communication skills" is really a euphemism for talking rubbish. For being the consummate salesman, for taking credit for other people's work, for screaming louder than everyone else, for backstabbing co-workers, for lying, sugarcoating, and exaggerating your achievements and what you will do. All of this doesn't gel with the truth of engineering and is why high flying managers rarely know enough IT to program themselves out of a paper bag.
Create a solution for a problem 1. Programming is less important than communication/soft skills. 2. It's all about marketing. 3. Hone your entrepreneurial skills. 4. Don't forget you are a creator. 5. Devs will realise they are just not making enough money.
This is the single most inspirational video, I've seen this year. I have 5 years experience as a Fullstack dev, mostly focusing on the Frontend also know some DevOps stuff. Currently struggling to get a promotion and wanna change jobs and also yearning to start my own solo SaaS gig. Thank you man, you just gave me a push
Thank you, I am 40 with 9 years of experience as SE and now I see I turned to wrong turn. Feels like endless frustration. I would like to listen how to start my own business
same here started research documents on advanced AI. not posting anywhere, as its useless with the process. better build own product that brings solution to modern problems.
Your speaking my language. I was an Oracle DBA for many years, and realized that the most interesting problems were more cultural and social. This brought me into the architecture space. Good work.
Sometimes we ratio between salary/worth is opposite. Remember that in average more than 50% of our code never makes it to production but we still getting payed
These pieces of advice are fine for jobs focused on creating CRUD apps and software where the value is not in the software itself, rather trivial, but the business and marketing ideas taking precedence. However, when you are more niche-specialized and the business model depends on tech innovation and deep domain knowledge, these pieces of advice are much less important.
Yes you can invent the next Spotify, or a 3D rotation algorithm of your artificial world, but usually you do this for 10 years in life or so, not until you turn 65. At one point in time, you might sell your own software to somebody. Or teach them how to use it, or tell them what's so innovative in your invention. If you don't want to spend your entire life locked in the programming cellar you need to communicate.
Yes, please. Show us some practial examples, with some of your colleagues, in different situations, what good (and bad) communication really means. You know that from your experience, but I have just a vague idea of what you are talking about.
This video was specifically meant for me. Over the years I've found that you can get away with almost anything as a SWE because you can keep communication and people will put that aspect way above your skill. I'm struggling with communication, not that I can't communicate normally, but it boils down to seeing it as a huge wall that I most often don't want to. The need for space with us SWE can be our downfall. Gradually, I'm learning that this is what clients take so seriously. It doesn't have to be much, they only need you to keep them up to speed with whatever is going on.
Surprisingly good insight into software engineering for 7 years experience, which isn’t all that long. You seem to have caught on really quick. Well done.
But ultimately isn't it great programming/coding skills which help you get that level of communication skills for a great resume for a luxurious job? Like if I don't have the basics of coding in any language, what am I gonna flex through my extraordinary communication skills?
This is exactly what I needed to hear. I always felt inferior to my classmates because they were very focused on the logic of the solution, and here I am thinking how can I ever use this in my life or anyone's life? I thought my problem was questioning why, instead of how, but you made me realize that i am actually on the right path. thanks bgo!
I love how you call Software Engineer as a Creator. that’s so true we don’t just write code. We think. not only think is my code work but we think is this product good. I call it passion. sometime I quit from a company because of product that i working on don’t match my passion.
Great vid. Where the software engineering problem solving mind meets the entrepreneurial problem solving mind. The perfect fusion in this day and age. There's not much content on TH-cam on this topic specifically, so keep doing what you're doing dude
Totally agree with you. I have noticed around me that people who aren't good communicator are mostly who lack the ability to solve that problem. Also I feel marketing is very important it's no more the age of your work speaks for you. People around are always ready to pounce upon someone else's appreciation 😅😅
Absolutely I am currently working at company that is making million of dollars and trust me I am not happy at my work anymore. I recently started building my first sass , which is a review platform to help students or anyone choose major based on real life in school and in the workforce shared by others to help people make a better decision about the chosen major and career opportunities. The goal is to help people have all their data they will before choosing any major . For example , cost about the major , career opportunities, promotion , salary , students loans , career progression and much more. This is my ultimate goal. Choosing a wrong major could destroy your entire future. Thanks for sharing this video.
I am a fresher in this field and I must say about the advice you talked about that, "Why should I solve this problem?" is one of the qualities that my manager holds, who has a 13 yrs. experience and I could connect it right here in this video, why he always keeps saying this. Thanks man!
Great advice! Often, we forget that our job involves providing solutions, which includes attending meetings and engaging with stakeholders to gather requirements
To be honest. People who are in these fields are EXTREMELY SMART. I’ve personally witnessed this in high school. So it makes sense to me that coding skills isn’t the big issue. Coding is like learning a new language. And when I was taking a class for computer science in high school. I couldn’t understand the bullshit that I was looking at on my screen. Even when the teacher was explaining it to me, but somehow everyone else was understanding it and realize that this isn’t for me. I’m still in highscool and still want to break through in the tech world which is why I’m trying to get into cybersecurity in a DoD field
Don’t know exactly what this gentleman was working on at a basic level, but great engineer are rare. There are tons of bad engineered at a technical level, with bad communication skills. Is not an easy career in any way
Thanks for posting. Communication is the most important factor , if you can't get the requirements right and can not meet the expectations and provide value to stakeholders, the software developed is not going to be used. Wither you want to get new promotion or new clients if you can't communicate what your software can do in 5 min then no matter how good or efficient or advanced tools you have used in coding no body will care about your efforts. Simplicities the answer to all solutions.
Great video. Agree with everything. Just wanted to let people know that many companies have expert/IC track for talented highly technical people who don’t want to be managers. You still have to have great communication skills. You will be talking in conferences, writing technical papers, and participating in tech standards advisory boards, etc. If you like coding, learn to say no when they offer you manager positions. If your current company doesn’t have a proper expert track, go somewhere else. I am still writing code roughly 80% of the time. I am currently running my own single person business and I am working with 50 person startup. Their CEO is still coding 50% of his time. It’s definitely possible to keep coding if you want. But if you have great communication skills, it’s going to require effort to avoid ending up being a manager with zero time to write code. If that happens and you don’t feel good about it in a few years, then you can just get a new job where you can code again. It’s surprisingly easy if you have good public presence with important papers or important conference talks.
I’m a psychologist in Adelaide who specialises in neurodiversity. Many software engineers are on the autism spectrum. Being autistic can be a huge advantage due to their systems and logical thinking skills however many may have difficulty with communication skills. If you recognise this then coaching may help you.
I am 14 plus years business analyst and project manager, i still doesn’t know how to code , but i felicitates things and communicate to the stakeholders in precisely what need to be communicated with which helps them to take the right decisions for the accounts that they are involved And i am planning to take entrepreneur stage as crucial aspect in my life , i am currently running couple of projects in my premises hoping to be the best So the crux is the communication is the key factor everything in this business
The thing is, doing what you like to do, is not the same as getting rich. Of course, doing something you don't like, can give you more money. But as an introvert, becoming a team leader or a coach or a sales person doesn't seem to make you happy. What helps in this aspect is becoming a father. That's kind of your first step in becoming a team leader.
@@nexovecI’m happy I went to a liberal arts college as they emphasized these skills . Where as my peers who went to normal colleges mocked me for having to understand philosophy and world history and social science if my goal is to be a tech engineer. But now entering my senior year , my current internship is thag of a network engineer but my pitch during the interview process was that I come with a wide array of skills , and I can navigate through multiple mediums effectively. Now I’m getting more and more projects besides networking . Currently I’m researching on smart building automation systems to use ourselves as wel to sell to our clients . I’m expected to research this on my own, have meetings with these companies from Honeywell to siemns , and create a report on how to implement and train our staff. And what has got me this task ? My software background. But more importantly, all the other skills I’ve developed in school.
@@nexovecjust how great will that look on my resume vs my peers , “lead implementation of a cloud based smart automation system integrate and monitor multiple over IP systems . Including preliminary research , presentation, trainings “
At first I thought I wasn’t going to like your video because it says “stop coding“, but after listening to what you had to say, I have to say that I completely agree.
Wow, in 7 years you accomplished so much, man I work as a developer for over 15 years and I'm currently working for 13$/h as a full stack developer, I never thought that this kind of fast growth is even possible.
Hey👋 BGO, I watched your video for the first time today. Your journey has truly helped me understand what a software developer actually requires. I recently graduated from high school and am a complete beginner in this field. I've always been passionate about solving problems through programming but never focused on my communication skills. Your insights have enlightened me about why I might have been struggling in my school projects. Thank you so much for making me realize the importance of communication skills.
You got me when you said AI/ML. Yes, for 9 months my latest job I have been working as an AI Architect for this company. As you said they promised "equity" but never paid. Although unfair with this experience I now can create any AI/ML solution for any problem out there and make more money as a "creator". The moment I formed my LLC, suddenly the company founder wants to pay me regularly. (basically to buy time before they get my replacement from India or some where else before firing me at their convenience). I agree with you we have tremendous bargaining power. I need to Market myself aggressively now to get 1-2 paying customers so I can live via my own company. I agree 10000% with what you said. I saved this video so that I can watch it again and again. Thank you.
I’m happy to hear communication is so important. I have a few years of sales experience. Got tired of it and am learning software development. Just finished a bootcamp. Coding is really really hard but happy my background will be valuable in this role.
I agree with you, but in the specific case you want to get into the big four you need to grind on leet code, and even that can ensure make it, because in any interview now a days first are the code tests and then the human interaction interview, so maybe you need to keep hard work learning to code and then the soft skills
This is gold. Thank you so much. One of the reason that I took up software engineering is because I thought I don't have to communicate that much with others but I am completely wrong. Communication skill is really important regardless of your profession. Thanks again!
This is more how to climb the corporate ladder than being a good software developer. A good software developer can make complex problems look easy and at the same time cooperate with many people at the same time to come up with the final implementation.
Bingo! You hit the nail on the head. I have 15 years of experience in this field. Everything you said is true. It helps not only experienced individuals but also those coming into this field. Thanks for this video!
It's so true that communication skills are important for software engineers... There is a project at the company I work for, that is doomed to fail, not because the tech people are not talented, but because they lack the skills to syncronize with the end users and understand the business needs. They didn't consult the right people in the design phase, they didn't communicate how the project is going, they didn't properly explain how the tool will work, everyone is confused, the tool has horrible user experience, and it will be a mess when launched. It's such a shame, a lot of work and money thrown out the window.
Very valuable video! I’m just starting out on my computer science journey, and this video provided tangible steps, I can start implementing now. I’ve been solving problems for various businesses for years being a business consultant. Now that I’ve started programming, coding, and understanding more of the technical side of the strategy. I’m realizing that if I had the computer science skills that I’m learning now, I could’ve created the solutions myself. I will say, once I started learning how to code, my mind immediately expanded into the possibilities I now can do.
This video really hits home. I’m surprised how little content about this subject can be found out there. Communication is the single most important aspect that might be holding us back as SDE. Please more videos about this sir.
All of this is true. I want to add an anecdote here. The problems and solutions mentioned in this video makes it very hard for introverts to grow. They see their less technical, well spoken, extroverts peers rise up on lucrative positions like PM, marketing, business associates etc, while they are stuck on development and engineering. It is a guiltfull crushing feeling.
Great advice! Thanks Bgo for sharing. 👏 Key takeaways: 1) improve communication skills 2) learn to market yourself 3) be productive and focused in moving to the next level
It is simple and easy to be an extreme "specialist," focusing solely on one field/topic/subject. Hide in the lab and be a nobel prize winner. It's difficult to be a wholesome person. That balancing art is difficult; however, with willingness, you may archive it. and succeed in all areas of life. All that remains is to build those muscles. Yes, it will be difficult because you are not using the most recent framework or library. It is better to be a wholesome person than a master of one. "Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one". The quote means that someone with a wide range of skills can be more resourceful than a specialist in a specific area. It's often used to imply that being a generalist is a good thing
One thing I noticed is. If a swe is super talented and does it all from code to architecture. Management feels threatened… they immediately look for ways to build redundancy to replace you. That’s why I started my own AI consulting firm. Rather than giving my best for wretches who get to keep the IP might as well own it all and get paid directly by my customers/clients. Not to mention every project solved adds to intellectual capital that can be used to build a big product for subscription based revenue later into the game.
very good vid. good advice for my son who's becoming a sw engineer by these days (linked from his parent who is a 60 sw/tech pro.) Neverthless, I think you might well need another 7 yrs of experience to look back to your own developments and achivements and analyze them in perspective (hopefully you don't regret on anyone) , and maybe some 7 more or even more years of plain life, to really improve on answering the "why?'s" as this question is key to make the difference on your hapiness and in what you will eventually leave behind when you are gone.
communication skills and focus growing your own business if you want to maximise your value as a software engineer, that is what I learned from your video. To do so I will improve my English skills as English is not my first language. Also I will start to do something while learning coding as basically, your own business is way more important than landing a job and work for someone. Thank you so much for your video!
I 100 percent agree with your sentiment that programming skills take takes a back seat to communication skills. I have seen many foreign developers get let go because they cannot communicate well verbally or nonverbally. So it pays to improve your communication skills.
Love your video, very informative. But the fact is lately no one cares about communication or soft skills. All the interviews I have had recently start with 15-30 minute online code challenge; they don't even ask my name. Been doing software development for over 30 years, but no one seems to care about my experience, accomplishments and skill sets. Industry kind of sucks.
I am actually thinking the same my comrade. Good to see someone think the same. When you said some engineers even can't write documentation, this was just "I know that fell bro".
Asking Why first is crucial not only in software engineering but just about everything. It is really among the most important things to ask at any time.
The ability to communicate well about a problem or solution, requires not only pure communication skills but also domain knowledge and professional skills. When I moved from one industrial domain into another, much of my ability as a great communicator was undercut by the lack of substance in my conversation. I was able to grasp the higher level concepts, which are often very similar across the domains, but when it came to the intricate aspects of a problem, I was not nearly as effective in the new domain as before. Likewise, the art of coding and software engineering has evolved a lot since I last performed the action. My understanding of such art is more abstract and alas more superficial than it used to be. That's not to say you have to continue doing everything yourself. But the move to management (or "communication") comes with losses that you should not ignore, so that you can actively minimize those.
Thank you so much Bgo, this is helpful for me in my software development career. Applying this asap! Yes, a specific video on improving commutation skills will go a long way
While i agree software engineers need to improve there soft skills ( Communication etc). But if the person stops coding & looses that hands on coding experience, They are more of People/Product/Program Manager. My opinion : People who love coding, should continue to code & work on soft skills ( Communication, Marketing & Sales ) on there Free time. That will help them in getting promoted, find new job, write commercial grade applications for fun, get traction, Start a company & eventually get Rich. Getting rich is a Marathon, No shortcuts. So Please don't stop coding.
Hi Kannadigan, 100% - as I always say "All good software engineering are good programmers, but not all good programmers are good software Engineers" Once you have the proper coding fundemantals, there is more ROI in soft skills than technical skills. You don't ignore coding all together - you simply invest more into other skills, giving you more leverage.
Learnt something great just now would love a deep dive into communicating better and marketing yourself I'm an entry level beginner programmer I really appreciate you doing this
Thanks man i have being in the field for the last 4 years failing leetcode interview over and over ,this companies makes someone feel wasted I cant pass all the leetcode questions i need real life exposure and projects in the field. now am just a freelancer
Can you make more videos about how to get into entrepreneurship as a software engineer and how you do business instead of being an employee? Can I also do it on the side next to my job until it works out then quit or do I really have to quit and do this fully asap?
You can outsource whole projects for cheap if you can communicate. Even better if you can use Figma for example. Design or have someone design the UI and document every function you want the UI to do. Oursourcing programming companies will love to work with you, since you know what you want. It will be cheap and fast.
Im a physician and just started to learn python 2 months ago since chatgpt 4 came out. I see that the cognitive reframing of programers is directly oriented to solve problems and that is a skill that us get after years of experience. 😮
Thank you all for your feedback and support; I truly appreciate it.
To clarify-I’m not saying to ignore your programming skills completely; obviously, that wouldn’t be smart. Continue to learn and develop these skills, but place more emphasis on the skills I mentioned as they will take you further than your technical skills ever will.
I need help and this video showed me that. I'm really struggling with personal branding as a software engineer. It's very clear to me that I can't market myself properly. Any suggestions for books, courses, bootcamps, workshops or mentorship?
Thank you for sharing this. You are exactly right. I'm a Software Programmer and I'm good at it but I'm not the only one, there are still way brilliant software engineers than me out there. However, I'm good in communication .. especially documentation and presentation skill. You don't have to be perfect but You can communicate your idea and present it in such a way that make the audiences easy to understand your thought.
Good day! May be that person who did not write good documentation, just did not want the company to lose him, on contrary, he wanted higher appreciation, and what you video was intended - he wanted higher salary. You have good programmers in US, but in 3rd world if you have good programmer it is like a miracle. A lot of Banks or other high level companies pays big amount of money for software written in US, Russia, Europe, because almost nobody can replicate them.
Thank you for providing the advice on soft skills development, personal communication, marketing, problem solving by approaching the problem from a “Why do I need to solve this” vs “How to solve this problem”. I think that as long as we put ourselves out there and practicing to communicate through steps will help us to improve our clarity, simplification. This helps to shift back and forth from the complex to simplistic ideas making us more versatile, marketable, sought after ability to smoothly transition for the audience we speak to or work with. NY and CA may have the highest per capita incomes, but soon a state like TX could be in play. Great job with the video!
I am 17, as I learn this technical skills, how and where can I learn to enhance by oral communication, documentation and even communication as little as comments
nuggets :)
-> Always be a creator
-> Ask why before how
-> Do effective marketing
->And communication can make you rich
what is communication??
Definition: Convey in a manner that other people can understand
I have 14 years of experience in this field and I can confirm everything you said, not only I learned from your advice, it is 100 percent correct. awesome video
This is too massive for the most. This transition from core coder to " nontech solution creator" involves a lot of pain. The reason is imho that when we learn engineering, it is stated as the most important skill. Otherwise, it's often not possible to learn that hard skill.
And if we don't get it to switch after 3-5 years, it's getting harder and harder to understand the world.
Thanks for the great video ❤
in big companies unfortunately the main skill for a software engineer is to be a good politician
and how to shut your mouth (while smiling);
This guy knows what he's talking about. He's not saying that you don't have to learn hard skills, he's talking about how to set yourself apart.
I've been a Software Engineer for over 9 years now and the truth is - you won't make $150k+ unless you work at FAANG or other semi-known companies that use Leetcode type interviews. All the my jobs that I've had were with companies that didn't do Leetcode type interviews because I can never pass them despite being one of the founding engineers at a startup I worked at from seed all the way to acquisition.
If you're a Software Engineer now, communicate your desire to become a Software Engineering Manager - no matter how early/late you are in your career. This will make your career more fruitful and lucrative. When you do this, not only will you get paid more, but the interviews aren't Leetcode, you won't be writing code day-to-day and above all - you'll sit on the table with the heavy-hitter stakeholders who talk $$$ and not .
Can confirm. I am now a manager and have been for 5 years. I still code but don't have to deal with leetcode interviews.
In the past, I declined every leetcode interview because they didn't want to solve problems. They got off on leetcode interviews.
Some programmers do that just for hobby like Linus Torvalds. Nothing's wrong just a life choice. Some comfortable with that situation and some want more, so it is a personal choice as long as it makes you happy. If don't then find another company.
I am also not good at Leet Code questions but I want you to be Enterprise architect
But in managerial interviews they will ask questions about leadership skills and how to manage people in software projects. As a programmer if you are not at a very high level or have that opportunity before there's really not too much to show off.
In my opinion system design interview are harder than the average Leetcode problem
Back in 2008, I wrote a software algorithm in C and Assembly language for security company in Boca Raton, Florida and it exceeded the project management expectations. That project was a multimillion dollar project. The problem is they hired a newly graduated engineer and asked me to teach her how I built the hardware and coded the algorithm for that security product. That was a nightmare for me because I knew they were planning to transfer all the knowledge I have to a fresh engineer who started coding. This is when I started looking for another job - this has created so many problems for me and for the company because managers think about money more than Human Resources and brain power - I call those "managers without brains."
you are damn right. Speaking of them. Most hr's are just the same
If you were about leave your job for this anyways, you should just have said: "'im not going to teach anybody, if you want fire me now.'" Because you were not somebody that could be replaced instantly. Especially in 2008 it was hard to find good programmers. Even now there are many programmers but not many a real good.
There are many coders, some are fast, some are slow, but both can achieve it at end.
I've been programming for over 25 years and wish I had received the advice you provided earlier in my career. I was often overlooked for promotions because I didn't effectively communicate my career goals. After taking communication courses, I now understand how crucial this skill is. Thank you for sharing your insights.
I would add that there is a big difference between knowing how to code vs launching and debugging production grade software. Many people would struggle to acheive this but if you are great at defining problems, scoping tasks and communicating then you can find people who fix the problems for you.
This comes with experience. I have good experience in prod issues but not in leet code
If you are hired as a senior engineer and command an above average wage, you are expected to solve problems and quite often those problems are not straight forwards. I agree that communication is highly important, but you can't hide behind communication, eventually you need to actually provide a technical solution and demonstrate competence. It's a completely different type of pressure.
However, if you have both communication and competence, you're going to be a top pick most of the time.
I agree, I certainly don’t experience that everyone in the sector is already adequately technically skilled. The so-called “10x” gulf between the talented versus typical senior dev does seem about right.
It's mind boggling how they easily dismiss coding and problem solving skills like it's not important. The advice should be exactly like you said. If you want to be a manager, there are two kinds of Software Engineering Managers, technical and non-technical. In that case the guy's advice is valid but all and all coding skills are very important.
You can't hide behind communication🫵🏾
I think his point was that if you are hired as senior dev ,they are already expecting you to be good at coding since you have years of experience but communication is definitely something that they care more compared to a junior dev ,but you are right ,senior tend to work on more challenging issues .
Couldn’t agree more, over the 9 years I’ve been in the software industry, the biggest turn in my career was when my technical director recommended me to stop coding all together while I was on a tech lead position. Every year prior to that I used to be for the most part the best solo contributor of projects I was part of, and nevertheless when I stopped coding altogether performance not only of my team but other teams we interacted with as well increased. The reason was simple, most real issues that happen on enterprises are around communication or lack of. Focusing on that allowed for a much better organization level planning, setting expectations from other teams as well as asking for expectations for my team and working through the issues. Now working as a software engineer manager I try to have someone who could replace me at all times and if I don’t have it work towards it, that way everything works better.
The best compliments I’ve received in the work industry has always been from my bosses around the fact that they don’t need to get involved and that there’s never escalations when that’s not usually the norm
An excellent video. As a software engineer with 10 years of experience I can say communication is number 1 skill that has helped me most in my career. And number 2 is the high level responsibility and ownership I take over my tasks.
And Im not a naturally good communicator. Ive worked a lot on that and still see a lot of room for improvement.
See this advice is for those who want to scale from sky to space. For those on ground 0 , learn software skills, be it coding in python , sql or frontend or backend. These core skills will land you job and then furthur grow your communication and marketing skills.
My two cents, building communication skills should go hand in hand with technical skills as soon as you are ready to start out as junior.
Eloquently said. You’re either Canadian or this comment is Chatgpt reviewed.
You can practice BOTH communication and coding at the same time. Coding (in part) is giving instructions to the tech just as documentation is communicating to the team. Again the market is big enough for the best if you take the time to get good at both.
i don’t agree your advice maybe good for top 1 percent of engineers who are super talented and are already working in top companies but for rest of us programming is most important skill.No-one is going to give importance to other skills during a interview. Also there is a huge lack of skills in software engineering. Most people dont know how to design and solve complex problems
Yeah if you're not top 1% this advice kinda sucks, but for moat people who get serious about programming or who want to, this advice will help them when they are top 1%. So it seems like something you should learn anyway
Analysis paralysis that's why you aren't even top 1% with that mindset.
Commutation skills are important regardless of level or position. Yes to get a job especially junior level it is most important to be able to code up and solve well defined problems. You should always be thinking though of how you can communicate the problem, your approach, and expected impact (in a real world setting). This advice isn’t just for top 1%.
Most people don’t need to design systems or solve complex problems though
Totally agree. Most of developers are totally unfamiliar with clean code best practices, how to architecture your code to avoid tight coupling and how to unit test your code efficiently.
A lot of 10x devs are at coding but are not great at software engineering.
As a software engineer, now I spend half of the time "talking" with Chat-GPT, in order to get solutions to make the code faster. I'm not good at communication but this is like training those skills. It actually helps me to understand precisely and effectively how to explain what needs to be communicated within a minimal message to get the most precise results. I think I'm able to organize better my thoughts when I'm talking about the projects with my coworkers.
True, happens to me as well
I aeree, I am not a software engineer, but I need to code sporadically, i am slow at it, but chat gpt increased my speed at least twice or more. How much speed chat gpt can increase in a software Engineer ? I guess it is more beneficial to the less experienced..
I became a code tester engineer 😆
But then learning it and understand it better from copy pasting. 😂😂😂
2weeks back i learnt php and tomorrow am finishing my project thanks to chatgpt for easing my work
Awesome video. I’ve been a developer for 25 years and relate to a lot of what you’re saying. Please create more videos like this. You have a unique and refreshing perspective.
You are way more senior then video creator sir 😅
Definitely agree that communication skills are vital, but, there aren’t many talented senior engineers who mastered the art of Software development
good advice! after 30yrs as a dev… what I know is that programming is commoditized now… every emp’ decision comes down to the $… and trying to offshore all dev and support.
“sw eng are creators”, so true. always allocate time to building your side hustle… build your own prod or service and focus on profitability… and not necessarily building the perfect piece of sw.
You dont need to be a Zuk or Elon to be successful.
also get and stay out of debt! and build your retirement fund early and stick to it!
I'm just looking for two colleagues to my team, so I had some interviews recently. What I've discovered is, many people just do the marketing and communication, but unable to use the easiest javascript functions. (Saying 5 (FIVE!) years of js, but can't even do map, sort, etc..) They should learn programming before doing marketing. It's pretty annoying. Fortunately we do tests, so it turns out who says more than the reality.
as someone with decades of programming experience, this is 100% true. What's holding most people (and did me) for a long time is clarity of communication to others. People don't know what they are doing, have done, or can do.
I'm an individual with 3 years of experience in this sector, now switched as a full time freelance solution architect for last 2 years. I know exactly what you are talking about. Thank you for pointing out these essential points.
it is the same for every field. when Individuals progress in their careers, the skill requirements often shift. While technical expertise remains essential, leadership skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to collaborate become increasingly important in managerial roles. It’s not just about what you know; it’s also about how effectively you can lead and inspire others.
Regarding coding and wealth, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Most people who code do it out of passion, curiosity, and a desire to create. While some software engineers do earn substantial salaries, many are motivated by the joy of problem-solving, building something meaningful, and contributing to the world of technology. And people don't code just to be rich
One of the best videos on this topic I’ve seen. This channel will inevitably grow and grow.
Programming is most important to get a job least important once you actually in the job 😅, if you get laid off you have to become “good” again or will be jobless, ya some companies will want great communication and skills for HR but you will still need great programming skills, like he said there is a ton of talent there is no shortage you gotta go the extra mile to prove yourself.
Right. Makes sense. Whether coding or communication, everything is a skill that needs years of deliberate practice to master.
Code is also a communication tool with future you or with other people.
Beginner programmers write code to communicate with computers, senior programmers write code to communicate with people.
If everyone is talking, who is doing the coding?
Cursor with openai, you are welcome 😅
He's not going the extreme way to say skill isn't useful. He's simply saying skills are way too common and abundant and what sets people apart is their communication and marketing skills in this competitive market. It's absolutely true and being more than a decade old hardware engineer, the exact same rule applies. People who focus too much on skill and "work hard" in the conventional sense are often the ones lacking on communication skills and even socially awkward sometimes.
The people that didn't watch this video
Interns and junior developers 😅
GPT5
With more than 30 years experience, I would say, coding takes less than half time during overall project. Even much smaller. More than half is taken to define and agree on the problem spec 😀
I agree "communication skills" are necessary to break out of the daily grind but "communication skills" is really a euphemism for talking rubbish. For being the consummate salesman, for taking credit for other people's work, for screaming louder than everyone else, for backstabbing co-workers, for lying, sugarcoating, and exaggerating your achievements and what you will do. All of this doesn't gel with the truth of engineering and is why high flying managers rarely know enough IT to program themselves out of a paper bag.
The problem exists because not all managers are leaders.
Create a solution for a problem
1. Programming is less important than communication/soft skills.
2. It's all about marketing.
3. Hone your entrepreneurial skills.
4. Don't forget you are a creator.
5. Devs will realise they are just not making enough money.
This is the single most inspirational video, I've seen this year.
I have 5 years experience as a Fullstack dev, mostly focusing on the Frontend also know some DevOps stuff. Currently struggling to get a promotion and wanna change jobs and also yearning to start my own solo SaaS gig.
Thank you man, you just gave me a push
struggling to get a promotion at your current gig?
Thank you, I am 40 with 9 years of experience as SE and now I see I turned to wrong turn. Feels like endless frustration. I would like to listen how to start my own business
same here started research documents on advanced AI. not posting anywhere, as its useless with the process. better build own product that brings solution to modern problems.
Your speaking my language. I was an Oracle DBA for many years, and realized that the most interesting problems were more cultural and social. This brought me into the architecture space. Good work.
I'm a loyal and skilled programmer with good communication skills, but too many insist on overpromising and underdelivering.
Creating and problem solving are the things I love most about software engineering
Sometimes we ratio between salary/worth is opposite. Remember that in average more than 50% of our code never makes it to production but we still getting payed
These pieces of advice are fine for jobs focused on creating CRUD apps and software where the value is not in the software itself, rather trivial, but the business and marketing ideas taking precedence. However, when you are more niche-specialized and the business model depends on tech innovation and deep domain knowledge, these pieces of advice are much less important.
Yes you can invent the next Spotify, or a 3D rotation algorithm of your artificial world, but usually you do this for 10 years in life or so, not until you turn 65.
At one point in time, you might sell your own software to somebody. Or teach them how to use it, or tell them what's so innovative in your invention.
If you don't want to spend your entire life locked in the programming cellar you need to communicate.
Yes, please. Show us some practial examples, with some of your colleagues, in different situations, what good (and bad) communication really means. You know that from your experience, but I have just a vague idea of what you are talking about.
This video was specifically meant for me. Over the years I've found that you can get away with almost anything as a SWE because you can keep communication and people will put that aspect way above your skill. I'm struggling with communication, not that I can't communicate normally, but it boils down to seeing it as a huge wall that I most often don't want to. The need for space with us SWE can be our downfall.
Gradually, I'm learning that this is what clients take so seriously. It doesn't have to be much, they only need you to keep them up to speed with whatever is going on.
brother, you're going to grow big soon! mark my words!
We learn to code because we don't know where a new opportunity can present itself. It's just a plus technical skill I think.
Surprisingly good insight into software engineering for 7 years experience, which isn’t all that long. You seem to have caught on really quick. Well done.
But ultimately isn't it great programming/coding skills which help you get that level of communication skills for a great resume for a luxurious job? Like if I don't have the basics of coding in any language, what am I gonna flex through my extraordinary communication skills?
This is exactly what I needed to hear. I always felt inferior to my classmates because they were very focused on the logic of the solution, and here I am thinking how can I ever use this in my life or anyone's life? I thought my problem was questioning why, instead of how, but you made me realize that i am actually on the right path. thanks bgo!
same here bro!!!😇
I love how you call Software Engineer as a Creator. that’s so true we don’t just write code. We think. not only think is my code work but we think is this product good. I call it passion. sometime I quit from a company because of product that i working on don’t match my passion.
Great vid. Where the software engineering problem solving mind meets the entrepreneurial problem solving mind. The perfect fusion in this day and age. There's not much content on TH-cam on this topic specifically, so keep doing what you're doing dude
Totally agree with you. I have noticed around me that people who aren't good communicator are mostly who lack the ability to solve that problem.
Also I feel marketing is very important it's no more the age of your work speaks for you. People around are always ready to pounce upon someone else's appreciation 😅😅
Vro what are you doing right now?? digital marketing or cs ?
Absolutely
I am currently working at company that is making million of dollars and trust me I am not happy at my work anymore.
I recently started building my first sass , which is a review platform to help students or anyone choose major based on real life in school and in the workforce shared by others to help people make a better decision about the chosen major and career opportunities.
The goal is to help people have all their data they will before choosing any major .
For example , cost about the major , career opportunities, promotion , salary , students loans , career progression and much more.
This is my ultimate goal.
Choosing a wrong major could destroy your entire future.
Thanks for sharing this video.
This guy's the Noel of Software Engineering.
I am a fresher in this field and I must say about the advice you talked about that, "Why should I solve this problem?" is one of the qualities that my manager holds, who has a 13 yrs. experience and I could connect it right here in this video, why he always keeps saying this. Thanks man!
Great advice! Often, we forget that our job involves providing solutions, which includes attending meetings and engaging with stakeholders to gather requirements
To be honest. People who are in these fields are EXTREMELY SMART. I’ve personally witnessed this in high school. So it makes sense to me that coding skills isn’t the big issue. Coding is like learning a new language. And when I was taking a class for computer science in high school. I couldn’t understand the bullshit that I was looking at on my screen. Even when the teacher was explaining it to me, but somehow everyone else was understanding it and realize that this isn’t for me. I’m still in highscool and still want to break through in the tech world which is why I’m trying to get into cybersecurity in a DoD field
Don’t know exactly what this gentleman was working on at a basic level, but great engineer are rare. There are tons of bad engineered at a technical level, with bad communication skills. Is not an easy career in any way
Thanks for posting. Communication is the most important factor , if you can't get the requirements right and can not meet the expectations and provide value to stakeholders, the software developed is not going to be used. Wither you want to get new promotion or new clients if you can't communicate what your software can do in 5 min then no matter how good or efficient or advanced tools you have used in coding no body will care about your efforts. Simplicities the answer to all solutions.
Great video. Agree with everything.
Just wanted to let people know that many companies have expert/IC track for talented highly technical people who don’t want to be managers. You still have to have great communication skills. You will be talking in conferences, writing technical papers, and participating in tech standards advisory boards, etc.
If you like coding, learn to say no when they offer you manager positions. If your current company doesn’t have a proper expert track, go somewhere else. I am still writing code roughly 80% of the time.
I am currently running my own single person business and I am working with 50 person startup. Their CEO is still coding 50% of his time. It’s definitely possible to keep coding if you want. But if you have great communication skills, it’s going to require effort to avoid ending up being a manager with zero time to write code. If that happens and you don’t feel good about it in a few years, then you can just get a new job where you can code again. It’s surprisingly easy if you have good public presence with important papers or important conference talks.
Leading a small team (
Thanks for praising us software engineer so much. Enough motivation for helping us, we can do whatever we want your are correct 😊😊
I’m a psychologist in Adelaide who specialises in neurodiversity. Many software engineers are on the autism spectrum. Being autistic can be a huge advantage due to their systems and logical thinking skills however many may have difficulty with communication skills. If you recognise this then coaching may help you.
I am 14 plus years business analyst and project manager, i still doesn’t know how to code , but i felicitates things and communicate to the stakeholders in precisely what need to be communicated with which helps them to take the right decisions for the accounts that they are involved
And i am planning to take entrepreneur stage as crucial aspect in my life , i am currently running couple of projects in my premises hoping to be the best
So the crux is the communication is the key factor everything in this business
The thing is, doing what you like to do, is not the same as getting rich. Of course, doing something you don't like, can give you more money.
But as an introvert, becoming a team leader or a coach or a sales person doesn't seem to make you happy.
What helps in this aspect is becoming a father. That's kind of your first step in becoming a team leader.
Even my university can't give advice like this
😂😂😂
University claims it is not for employment
@@nexovecI’m happy I went to a liberal arts college as they emphasized these skills . Where as my peers who went to normal colleges mocked me for having to understand philosophy and world history and social science if my goal is to be a tech engineer.
But now entering my senior year , my current internship is thag of a network engineer but my pitch during the interview process was that I come with a wide array of skills , and I can navigate through multiple mediums effectively.
Now I’m getting more and more projects besides networking . Currently I’m researching on smart building automation systems to use ourselves as wel to sell to our clients . I’m expected to research this on my own, have meetings with these companies from Honeywell to siemns , and create a report on how to implement and train our staff. And what has got me this task ? My software background. But more importantly, all the other skills I’ve developed in school.
@@nexovecjust how great will that look on my resume vs my peers , “lead implementation of a cloud based smart automation system integrate and monitor multiple over IP systems . Including preliminary research , presentation, trainings “
@@nexovecTH-cam took off my first comment for no reason :(
At first I thought I wasn’t going to like your video because it says “stop coding“, but after listening to what you had to say, I have to say that I completely agree.
Wow, in 7 years you accomplished so much, man I work as a developer for over 15 years and I'm currently working for 13$/h as a full stack developer, I never thought that this kind of fast growth is even possible.
It’s a lot easier to climb the corporate ladder once you understand they reward conformance and not performance.
Not sure about US, but for Australia it is true for many corporates and public sectors.
Hey👋 BGO, I watched your video for the first time today. Your journey has truly helped me understand what a software developer actually requires. I recently graduated from high school and am a complete beginner in this field. I've always been passionate about solving problems through programming but never focused on my communication skills. Your insights have enlightened me about why I might have been struggling in my school projects. Thank you so much for making me realize the importance of communication skills.
You got me when you said AI/ML. Yes, for 9 months my latest job I have been working as an AI Architect for this company. As you said they promised "equity" but never paid. Although unfair with this experience I now can create any AI/ML solution for any problem out there and make more money as a "creator". The moment I formed my LLC, suddenly the company founder wants to pay me regularly. (basically to buy time before they get my replacement from India or some where else before firing me at their convenience). I agree with you we have tremendous bargaining power. I need to Market myself aggressively now to get 1-2 paying customers so I can live via my own company. I agree 10000% with what you said. I saved this video so that I can watch it again and again. Thank you.
I’m happy to hear communication is so important. I have a few years of sales experience. Got tired of it and am learning software development. Just finished a bootcamp. Coding is really really hard but happy my background will be valuable in this role.
I agree with you, but in the specific case you want to get into the big four you need to grind on leet code, and even that can ensure make it, because in any interview now a days first are the code tests and then the human interaction interview, so maybe you need to keep hard work learning to code and then the soft skills
This is gold. Thank you so much.
One of the reason that I took up software engineering is because I thought I don't have to communicate that much with others but I am completely wrong.
Communication skill is really important regardless of your profession.
Thanks again!
This is more how to climb the corporate ladder than being a good software developer. A good software developer can make complex problems look easy and at the same time cooperate with many people at the same time to come up with the final implementation.
Thank you very much. This is really helpful. Please make a video about how beginners start their programming journey in 2024 . Please
Solid advice, Thanks bgo! Never knew soft skills are underrated.
I have 10+ years as a software engineer, you summed up everything perfectly. Well done 👏🏻
You are very correct! What coders lack is Communication and Marketing Forte. This video is brilliant. Thanks guy!
Bingo! You hit the nail on the head. I have 15 years of experience in this field. Everything you said is true. It helps not only experienced individuals but also those coming into this field. Thanks for this video!
It's so true that communication skills are important for software engineers... There is a project at the company I work for, that is doomed to fail, not because the tech people are not talented, but because they lack the skills to syncronize with the end users and understand the business needs. They didn't consult the right people in the design phase, they didn't communicate how the project is going, they didn't properly explain how the tool will work, everyone is confused, the tool has horrible user experience, and it will be a mess when launched. It's such a shame, a lot of work and money thrown out the window.
Excellent advice bro: communication and marketing
someone once said, why you're articulate you become 10x better at what you do
Very valuable video!
I’m just starting out on my computer science journey, and this video provided tangible steps, I can start implementing now.
I’ve been solving problems for various businesses for years being a business consultant. Now that I’ve started programming, coding, and understanding more of the technical side of the strategy. I’m realizing that if I had the computer science skills that I’m learning now, I could’ve created the solutions myself.
I will say, once I started learning how to code, my mind immediately expanded into the possibilities I now can do.
This video really hits home. I’m surprised how little content about this subject can be found out there. Communication is the single most important aspect that might be holding us back as SDE. Please more videos about this sir.
All of this is true. I want to add an anecdote here. The problems and solutions mentioned in this video makes it very hard for introverts to grow. They see their less technical, well spoken, extroverts peers rise up on lucrative positions like PM, marketing, business associates etc, while they are stuck on development and engineering. It is a guiltfull crushing feeling.
Great advice! Thanks Bgo for sharing. 👏
Key takeaways:
1) improve communication skills
2) learn to market yourself
3) be productive and focused in moving to the next level
It is simple and easy to be an extreme "specialist," focusing solely on one field/topic/subject. Hide in the lab and be a nobel prize winner. It's difficult to be a wholesome person. That balancing art is difficult; however, with willingness, you may archive it. and succeed in all areas of life. All that remains is to build those muscles. Yes, it will be difficult because you are not using the most recent framework or library. It is better to be a wholesome person than a master of one.
"Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one".
The quote means that someone with a wide range of skills can be more resourceful than a specialist in a specific area. It's often used to imply that being a generalist is a good thing
I'm in my final year at my uni, focusing on CS. This video come to me just on time. Thank you Bgo!!!!
One thing I noticed is. If a swe is super talented and does it all from code to architecture. Management feels threatened… they immediately look for ways to build redundancy to replace you. That’s why I started my own AI consulting firm. Rather than giving my best for wretches who get to keep the IP might as well own it all and get paid directly by my customers/clients.
Not to mention every project solved adds to intellectual capital that can be used to build a big product for subscription based revenue later into the game.
very good vid. good advice for my son who's becoming a sw engineer by these days (linked from his parent who is a 60 sw/tech pro.) Neverthless, I think you might well need another 7 yrs of experience to look back to your own developments and achivements and analyze them in perspective (hopefully you don't regret on anyone) , and maybe some 7 more or even more years of plain life, to really improve on answering the "why?'s" as this question is key to make the difference on your hapiness and in what you will eventually leave behind when you are gone.
communication skills and focus growing your own business if you want to maximise your value as a software engineer, that is what I learned from your video. To do so I will improve my English skills as English is not my first language. Also I will start to do something while learning coding as basically, your own business is way more important than landing a job and work for someone. Thank you so much for your video!
I 100 percent agree with your sentiment that programming skills take takes a back seat to communication skills. I have seen many foreign developers get let go because they cannot communicate well verbally or nonverbally. So it pays to improve your communication skills.
Love your video, very informative. But the fact is lately no one cares about communication or soft skills. All the interviews I have had recently start with 15-30 minute online code challenge; they don't even ask my name. Been doing software development for over 30 years, but no one seems to care about my experience, accomplishments and skill sets. Industry kind of sucks.
I am actually thinking the same my comrade. Good to see someone think the same. When you said some engineers even can't write documentation, this was just "I know that fell bro".
Asking Why first is crucial not only in software engineering but just about everything. It is really among the most important things to ask at any time.
I have Barely started it bro, learnt basics of Python and also learning Artifical Intellegence.
The ability to communicate well about a problem or solution, requires not only pure communication skills but also domain knowledge and professional skills. When I moved from one industrial domain into another, much of my ability as a great communicator was undercut by the lack of substance in my conversation. I was able to grasp the higher level concepts, which are often very similar across the domains, but when it came to the intricate aspects of a problem, I was not nearly as effective in the new domain as before. Likewise, the art of coding and software engineering has evolved a lot since I last performed the action. My understanding of such art is more abstract and alas more superficial than it used to be.
That's not to say you have to continue doing everything yourself. But the move to management (or "communication") comes with losses that you should not ignore, so that you can actively minimize those.
This channel will have 50k, 100k subscribers soon. Keep on creating great content! Thank you!
whatever things you tought us in this video , values a lot for me i will definitly implement these things in my life thanks a lot
Thank you so much Bgo, this is helpful for me in my software development career.
Applying this asap!
Yes, a specific video on improving commutation skills will go a long way
While i agree software engineers need to improve there soft skills ( Communication etc). But if the person stops coding & looses that hands on coding experience, They are more of People/Product/Program Manager.
My opinion : People who love coding, should continue to code & work on soft skills ( Communication, Marketing & Sales ) on there Free time. That will help them in getting promoted, find new job, write commercial grade applications for fun, get traction, Start a company & eventually get Rich. Getting rich is a Marathon, No shortcuts. So Please don't stop coding.
Hi Kannadigan,
100% - as I always say "All good software engineering are good programmers, but not all good programmers are good software Engineers"
Once you have the proper coding fundemantals, there is more ROI in soft skills than technical skills. You don't ignore coding all together - you simply invest more into other skills, giving you more leverage.
Learnt something great just now would love a deep dive into communicating better and marketing yourself I'm an entry level beginner programmer I really appreciate you doing this
Thanks man i have being in the field for the last 4 years failing leetcode interview over and over ,this companies makes someone feel wasted
I cant pass all the leetcode questions
i need real life exposure and projects in the field. now am just a freelancer
Can you make more videos about how to get into entrepreneurship as a software engineer and how you do business instead of being an employee?
Can I also do it on the side next to my job until it works out then quit or do I really have to quit and do this fully asap?
You can outsource whole projects for cheap if you can communicate.
Even better if you can use Figma for example. Design or have someone design the UI and document every function you want the UI to do.
Oursourcing programming companies will love to work with you, since you know what you want.
It will be cheap and fast.
Im a physician and just started to learn python 2 months ago since chatgpt 4 came out. I see that the cognitive reframing of programers is directly oriented to solve problems and that is a skill that us get after years of experience. 😮