

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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 2, 2017 • 42min
Episode 58: Dropping Out and Interview Prep (Rerun)
Dave and Jamison were out this week, so we have a re-run of a DEEP CUT for you.
This originally aired as episode 18. We answer these two questions:
I have a part-time job as a developer while I’m still in school. Should I drop out and just work full time?
How do I prepare for a job interview?

Apr 25, 2017 • 35min
Episode 57: Disliking Management and Difficult Co-workers
I’ve been pushed in to doing management tasks I really don’t enjoy. What do I do?
How do I handle a co-worker who I really struggle to get along with?
Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

Apr 18, 2017 • 31min
Episode 56: Keeping Meetings On Track and Designer-centric Culture
How do I keep meetings on track?
I work in an agency with a designer-centric culture. How do I make myself heard?
Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

Apr 11, 2017 • 34min
Episode 55: Ng-Conf Live Episode
It’s a special ng-conf live episode! Dave and Jamison answer these questions in front of a live audience:
When you go freelancing, do your coding skills atrophy?
What is something you wish you knew about freelancing before you started?
I met all my aggressive career goals. What next?
Here is the Khan Academy Engineering Ladder Jamison mentioned towards the end of the show.

Apr 4, 2017 • 42min
Episode 54: Sneaky Contractors and Job Titles
Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
Our codebase is really bad, and management hired a contractor behind our backs to rewrite it. What should I do?
How important are job titles when looking for a new job?
Here is the Khan Academy Engineering Ladder Jamison mentioned towards the end of the show.

Mar 29, 2017 • 30min
Episode 53: Bait and Switch and Informing Your Manager
Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
I was hired for one thing, but ended up doing something very different that I don’t enjoy. What do I do?
How do I tell my manager that I’m moving into management on another team?

Mar 21, 2017 • 26min
Episode 52: Slowness Guilt and I Have No Side Projects
Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
I feel guilty about how slow I’m working. What should I do?
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?

Mar 15, 2017 • 31min
Episode 51: Junior Scrum Master In Trouble And Jamison Has No Degree
Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
I’m a junior developer on a team of seniors, and I’m also the Scrum Master. Our team has lots of problems. What do I do?
Jamison openly talks about not finishing his degree. How did he put it on his resume or explain it to potential employers?
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 SOFT SKILLS ENGINEERING.

Mar 7, 2017 • 25min
Episode 50: I Didn't Quit and Manager of Zero People
Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
I didn’t quit my job. Did I mess up?
I was hired to manage a team, but it is actually just me. What do I do?

Feb 28, 2017 • 28min
Episode 49: Candidate Plagiarism and a Tightwad Employer
Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
What do I do if I suspect my co-worker plagiarized my homework assignment in their own interview?
My employer is making me provide my own laptop. Is this normal?
We mention The Joel Test. Also remember to tweet about the show for endorsements from Dave and Jamison for completely serious and relevant skills like doomsday-bunker-building and yodeling.