Soft Skills Engineering

Episode 372: Equity and getting interrupted in Zoom meetings

Episode 371: After Mary Poppins and credit denied

This podcast episode explores the challenges of selecting a framework for software development and discusses avoiding comparisons to one's predecessors at work. The speakers emphasize the importance of focusing on one's own contributions and skills rather than trying to emulate others. They also delve into the importan...

Episode 370: Fake imposter syndrome and opposite ends

This podcast episode delves into the challenges and strategies for overcoming imposter syndrome, a common experience among tech professionals. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy, and highlights the value of seeking support from mentors and colleagues, as wel...

Episode 369: Staying at a sinking ship and behavioral interview questions

This podcast episode focuses on various aspects of working in a startup, from assessing financial health and dealing with layoffs to preparing for behavioral interviews and using effective response methods like SAR and STAR. It highlights the significance of understanding metrics like burn rate and runway and encourage...

Episode 368: Manager in crisis and cutting costs

This podcast episode primarily explores the challenges faced when supporting colleagues or managers experiencing personal struggles or issues, and how to navigate these situations while maintaining productivity and well-being. It also delves into modern software engineering practices, especially in relation to financia...

Episode 367: Hybrid denier and recovering from crying

This podcast episode delves into the complexities of managing employees in the wake of resistance to return-to-office mandates. It explores strategies for motivating remote employees, balancing flexibility and accountability, and dealing with emotional responses in the workplace.

Episode 366: No FE work and my co-worker is a parrot

This podcast episode addresses challenges faced by developers in various work environments, from dealing with workload imbalances to maintaining productivity during slow periods. It delves into ethical considerations surrounding outsourcing work and emphasizes the importance of effective communication and collaboration...

Episode 365: Rerun of 307, side hustles and telling me when you are stuck

This podcast episode addresses the challenges faced by individuals seeking higher-paying jobs while juggling multiple commitments such as a startup, job interviews, and personal life, particularly during uncertain economic times. The speakers offer practical advice on managing time and resources, prioritizing tasks, an...

Episode 364: EMs doing technical tasks and too soft?

This podcast episode delves into the role and expertise of engineering managers, discussing the debate over whether they should solely focus on management tasks or possess technical knowledge. The hosts explore the changing expectations for engineering managers in the software development industry, emphasizing the grow...

Episode 363: Future impact of tech stacks and async communication

This podcast episode discusses the impact of tech stack choices on career advancement, biases associated with specialization in certain areas of software development, the importance of diverse skills and experiences for leadership and management roles, the challenges of synchronous and asynchronous communication in a m...

Episode 362: Running the clock down and updating linkedin without freaking people out

This podcast episode provides insights into common challenges and experiences in the workplace, including imposter syndrome, cultural expectations regarding productivity, and the effective use of waiting time during long-running tasks. It also explores strategies for optimizing image testing processes through queuing t...

Episode 361: Get git and non-tech ramping up

This podcast episode emphasizes the importance of addressing root causes of problems in software development teams, investing in individuals' technical competence, and nurturing soft skills for effective collaboration. It also highlights the challenges of onboarding new developers onto a new tech stack, managing perfor...

Episode 360: Mixing up names and improving without feedback

This podcast episode discusses the importance of recognizing when it's time to quit a job that's stagnant or unfulfilling, the challenges of mixing up names and strategies for recalling names, the significance of names and memories, how to navigate name-related awkwardness, the importance of receiving feedback for pers...

Episode 359: Competition and awkward in person

This podcast episode dives into various challenges faced by individuals in tech industry, including dealing with imposter syndrome, managing competitive teammates, addressing unwanted mentoring, communicating effectively in challenging situations, and navigating remote work dynamics. The episode emphasizes the importan...

Episode 358: Sticky Note Scandal and startup appeal

This podcast episode dives into various topics related to workplace dynamics, HR, work-life balance, and the contrasting environments of startups versus big tech companies. It highlights the importance of maintaining professionalism and mindfulness in the workplace, as well as the role of HR departments in navigating s...

Episode 357: Waiting to be paid and survivor's guilt

This podcast episode explores various topics, including unconventional workouts, the challenges of unpaid salary work, the concept of sweat equity, equity negotiation during startup financial difficulties, the impact of missed payrolls on equity value, survivors' guilt in mass layoffs, and strategies for avoiding layof...

Episode 356: Ummmmmmmmm and failed spikes

This podcast episode explores the various aspects of filler words and techniques to reduce or eliminate them in presentations. It delves into strategies for overcoming self-consciousness and relying less on filler words, emphasizes the significance of believing in the value of one's words, and discusses the concept of ...

Episode 355: Driving kids instead of team and jk i quit

This podcast episode explores various challenges and solutions related to unplanned absences, PIPs, and performance management in the software development workplace, offering insights and advice to managers and employees.

Episode 354: Good at circuits, bad at git and ghosts of team members past

This podcast episode touches on various topics related to software engineering, including the ethics of treating AI as an animate entity, navigating conversations with experienced professionals, dealing with technical misunderstandings, addressing disagreements with senior developers, managing conversations with bosses...

Episode 353: Easter outage and unethical things

This episode of the podcast discusses the importance of carefully executing software development practices, the ethical implications of handling credit card data, and strategies to manage conflicts and defensive reactions within teams.