Coding is essentially the underpinning to our lives, from the Internet of Things (IoT) spanning smart appliances to wearables, business and lifestyle apps, and toys that teach kids how to code, build, and interact with technology from an early age. With programming jobs steadily growing in demand, how do aspiring developers get the right training? There are plenty of boot camps and tools to help them build tactical development skills. But formal training isn’t enough. What many don’t know is that some of life’s most basic skills can help programmers be uber successful, and you don’t even need to go to school to get them.
Communication
Communication will always be the No. 1 soft skill for almost every profession. Having good communication skills is essential to help others understand what you’re doing. If you’re working with a team of other developers, this means the ability to explain to them what you are doing, whether it’s through documentation or oral communication. Being able to defend your own decisions also will solidify your understanding of programming concepts and prove you know what you are doing. This type of communication skill is usually what employers look for during technical interviews. Communication skills also include being able to give feedback and listen to others, as well as making sure everyone is on the same page. Having good communication skills is a must if you’re looking to advance your career and become a lead developer.
Furthermore, if you’re talking to a non-programmer client, being able to understand their needs and get your point across without being overly technical is a core skill to master, especially if you’re looking to be a freelancer, eventually launch your own startup, or become a chief technology officer (CTO).
Empathy
Empathy is another important soft skill for developers. This means you have to suppress your ego and work as a team, as no one wants to work with someone who is difficult to get along with. Even if you’re a skilled developer, if you only criticize others and refuse to give feedback, you’re not helping anyone or the project. Using your strengths to support others’ weaknesses will greatly improve your team’s efficiency, and also makes it easier for you to receive help as well if you need it. No one is perfect, and your employer likely hired you to maintain a good balance in terms of strengths and weaknesses.
Having empathy also includes being a team player, and this means you should get into the habit of keeping others updated about your situation so other people won’t accidentally build something that won’t integrate well with your work. Keeping a positive attitude and helping maintain a good working atmosphere—even a simple “thank you” —will make a big difference. Being responsible and owning up to your own mistakes instead of playing the blame game or making excuses are also important traits that will facilitate teamwork.
Overall, empathy is important for you to have an idea of what your teammates are good at and not so good at, since this will greatly help a team function efficiently. Empathy becomes even more crucial if you’re looking to fill a management role
Mentoring
You won’t always be a junior developer. As you become more experienced, you’ll likely specialize in several skills and tools, thanks to the tasks you work on, things that others in the team might not be as familiar with. Can you eventually mentor other people and share your knowledge?
Being able to mentor others is an important soft skill that will make you a valuable asset to a team. If you’ve been mentored before, doubtless you’ll know that having a mentor will greatly speed up learning progress.
Other team members likely will be working on different tasks, but sometimes they also need to understand what you’re doing in order to integrate their work with whatever tools you’re creating or using, and you’ll need to share your knowledge to facilitate this process. In addition, the developer community is a fast-pace environment that constantly changes with new tools. If you can pick up the tools quickly, your ability to mentor others will build trust in your skill between you and the developers you’ve mentored, boosting your reputation.
As developers often are hired based on merit, your ability to mentor others will serve to advance your career, especially if you’re looking to take on a managerial role. If you’ve mentored others before, they are more likely to be communicative and open about their problems, thanks to the trusting relationship between you. In the long run, this will benefit a company, so employers are likely going to take note of whether you are willing or able to share your knowledge.
Weiting Liu is the founder and CEO of Codementor, a live 1:1 mentorship marketplace for software developers. Weiting is a serial entrepreneur and an alumnus of both Y Combinator and Techstars. For more information, visit https://www.codementor.io/
