I'm a software engineer
You're not getting anywhere above entry level in this industry without social skills
this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2024
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I'm also a software engineer (at least in title). I agree with the social skills but a different thing came to mind. The ability to actually watch and understand what people are trying to do. I'm lucky as all my software is internal to my company. I don't make what we sell, I make what tests the products we sell. And yes I test the tests and also test the test's tests 😭.
I'll give an example. I have an operation where the operator is to scan a number off a paper before testing. That number is for traceability we need to know which test results are for which unit. Previous engineer said since it's scanned off the unit it will never be incorrect as long on the printed barcode is correct(separately validated) so no need to verify format.
I ran into an issue where units had an extra zero either before or after the number. So if number was 12345 sometimes it would be 012345 or 123450.
I went to watch the process. The operator scanned the unit( I watched them work all day, this was 1 unit out of a whole days work) and when they put the scanner down the scanner's corner was on the 0 button of the keypad.
We did a 2 phase remiduation. Stage 1. Operator instructed to log in and then place keyboard on shelf away from workplace. Stage 2. Verify the number is in correct format in code. Yes the code update is simple but in our field needs weeks of work to test, validate, and release.
Actually watching the operator closely identified the problem. The code was not the issue, the code passed all requirements and tests. The issue was the tests and requirements did not match the user's experience but if I stayed in my cube as for weeks I would not of been able to find the bug.
Designer brain goes a long way in this industry. Being able to understand UX is very important as any kind of IT worker. It's why I think more programmers should read Don Norman's "The Design of Everyday Things". It's a simple book and isn't about programming, but it'll make you far more effective as a dev than any coding book.
Correct. They don’t pay you to code. They pay you to solve problems, which normally ARE solved by code, but they really don’t care how.
Why is that?
Upward mobility in any corporate environment involves social interaction. If you expect to just do 'really good' work and be automatically promoted all you'll get is... more work.
I'll add to the other person who replied:
Most work in this industry is done in teams, if you can't effectively communicate and get on with your team members, you're gonna have a bad time.
It's even baked into the hiring process everywhere I've worked, most of the time an organisation would prefer to take a lower skill candidate if they seem like they'd get on well with everyone Vs a highly skilled candidate that would rub people up the wrong way.
It's a lot easier to fill gaps in engineering ability compared to coaching someone how to behave around people
I’m a software developer and I’m not sure how this is for all companies, and I’m only a year in but I have calls with clients all the time.
Clients will not be able to put into words what they want, it’s on us to get that information from them and read between the lines. You have to be able to converse freely and push back when required.
I’m a software engineer
You’re not getting anywhere above entry level in this industry if you're not fun
same here and fixed it for you
Maybe it’s not surprising but as an X-ray tech we wear a badge that records our radiation exposure. Every quarter it gets read and if our exposure is too high I can’t work anymore. Maybe for the rest of the year, maybe forever. I’ve never heard of that actually happening though.
Similar story where I work, manufacturing a type of x ray emitting tool. Never seen anyone having problematic readings on the dosimeter badges, but when I was hired I did get told that they had only once had an incident, where one of the engineers had been for some reason repeatedly testing a prototype by directly holding the sample the x ray was firing at in his hand. Not sure what happened to him
Mutant Powers? Yeah, I'm gonna go with Mutant Powers....
Being willing to do manual labor.
I’m a sound engineer, all I need to do is push faders right?
How do you think those speakers got there? Or the cables that are ran to them, or the stage getting setup, or the truck getting unloaded and reloaded? My job is 80% manual labor, 10% pulling random fixes out of my ass, 5% bullshitting, and only 5% actually pushing faders. As a sound engineer I’m only actually behind the console for 2-4 hours a week the rest is all the work required to sit behind the console.
That's why I chose to work at a dubbing studio instead of doing live shows, I don't have to setup anything lol.
I'm not opposed to setting things up, but I'd rather make the routing work than manually raise the speakers.
Still important work. Position the speakers where they look best and you'll have a memorable show, not for the good reasons.
Being about to keep your mouth shut. My god. I hear so much office gossip. It's always best to keep it to yourself.
Mental endurance. The documents I write are very long, and very technical. My role is to integrate reports from numerous environmental and engineering disciplines into one big report. In that regard, everything has to be accurate. Because I integrate, I have to read all of these reports. Every day. All day. All year. Then I have to fit the pieces of the puzzle together and tell the story of the site.
The ability to think, very rare one in industry
Handyman: Charisma. Being personable means not going bankrupt by competing on a race to the bottom on price.
Strong mono-tasking skills.