Soft Skills Engineering

Episode 407: I'm too territorial and should I quiet quit?

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I am a data scientist and have been at my company for 2 years. Each of the data sci...

Episode 406: Acquired taste and limited mentorship

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Brad asks, I am currently a Senior Engineer with a small software com...

Episode 405: Scaled agile pain and top-heavy team

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: One and a half year ago, I joined my current team as a tech lead, in an organisatio...

Episode 404: Interview comedy and talking pay while new

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: “Hello, Is it considered ok to be a bit funny during an interview? To give more c...

Episode 403: Massaging the software and career never-never-land

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m a bootcamp graduate working on a career shift from massage to software develo...

Episode 402: It's all on fire and title inflation

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Happy Birthday Dave and congrats on the 400 episode milestone! Last year I was...

Episode 401: I AM the superstar and pro-rated raise

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: A listener named Metal Mario asks, A few weeks back in Episode 395 you talked ...

Episode 400: Underperforming intern and upskilling

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m a junior software engineer who has been placed in charge of a handful of grad...

Episode 399: Higher paid than my boss and crossing over to management

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Jim asks, I am currently a senior software engineer in a well funded ...

Episode 398: Tech lead for contractors and how to detach my ego from my work

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How do you mentor a junior-level contractor? My company has been hiring a lot ...

Episode 397: Skunkworks and too much work/life balance

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Davide says, I have a lot of ideas for significantly improving manufa...

Episode 396: Enthusiastic scope creep and human search engine

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’ve recently started a new Gig as a Senior Developer/Tech Lead at a company wher...

Episode 395: Super star teammate and Getting better with no financial incentives

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Bobby ForgedRequest asks One of my coworker, who is the nicest, most ...

Episode 394: Scrum master, weapons master and minimum tenure to not look bad

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My team are about 4 months into transitioning from a scrum/kanban way of working to...

Episode 393: Soft skills for interns and intern to QA

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: NK: Hi, I am starting a SWE internship at big tech company in a few weeks. Giv...

Episode 392: Old code and choosing my annual reviewers

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: We are a team of under 10 people who provide technical services to other department...

Episode 391: Post-staff and direct or a jerk

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey guys! I’m a young engineer in a specialized area of infrastructure. I’m pr...

Episode 390: Fixing typos and Cassandra

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m a backend engineer at a large non-public company. I noticed a bunch of our em...

Episode 389: Sleepy and bureaucracy

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: The Sleepy Engineer says, Hey SSE, how do you deal with drowsiness? I notice t...

Episode 388: Money not compliments and principal engineer coding guidelines

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey guys, love the show. Not sure if its really a question or more of a confession....

Episode 387: No juniors and manager forced to return to office

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hello Dave and Jamison, I wanted to say thank you for your podcast. It’s been a g...

Episode 386: Stuck with toil and how to get a dev job as a self-taught career-switcher in 2023

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I feel like I’m stuck. I’m in a senior/lead position technically called an SRE,...

Episode 385: Attention to detail and sabbatical

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hello! Thank you for your podcast, I definitely find the episodes to be helpful. La...

Episode 384: EM missing code and non-location pay

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: A listener named Jay asks, Over the past eight years I’ve been promoted from...

Episode 383: In the trenches without writing code and how to close a social skill gap

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I recently started the interviewing for a senior engineering manager role at a fair...

Episode 382: Mentors for managers and mob programming

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: There aren’t a lot of engineering management growth resources in my company. It’...

Episode 381: Doing less and bad reference

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My company is doing performance reviews. While writing my self-review, I was shocke...

Episode 380: Overruled by non-technical manager and describing technical stuff to non-technical people

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Ashleigh asks, I’m a mid-level developer at a small company with a ...

Episode 379: Someone fixed my ticket and is tech debt bad for my career

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: “Hi! Love the show, long time listener. So an architect noticed an issue wit...

Episode 378: Too much leadership and awkward zoom silence

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’ve managed an ML team in a small company for ~2 years now. I created an 8 perso...

Episode 377: Short Tenure Promotion and too much free time at work

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi, I’m a senior software engineer at a big tech company, where I’ve been emplo...

Episode 376: Return to office and quitting tech

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I applied and was hired for a 100% telecommute position. Recently, the company has ...

Episode 375: visa woes and Bob does everything wrong

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work as a Software Engineering Manager at the European office of a US company. Re...

Episode 374: Secret burnout and no room for failure

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is sposored by OneSchema, the best way to build CSV import into your product. Check OneSchema out at https://oneschema.co/softskills In...

Episode 373: I have no vision and not-so-positive environment

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Love the show, you guys have saved my bacon more times than I can count! I int...

Episode 372: Equity and getting interrupted in Zoom meetings

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is sposored by OneSchema, the best way to build CSV import into your product. Check OneSchema out at https://oneschema.co/softskills In...

Episode 371: After Mary Poppins and credit denied

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Kate asks, Hi Dave and Jamison! I’m in a situation where my predecessor...

Episode 370: Fake imposter syndrome and opposite ends

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is sposored by OneSchema, the best way to build CSV import into your product. Check OneSchema out at https://oneschema.co/softskills In...

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

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is sposored by OneSchema, the best way to build CSV import into your product. Check OneSchema out at https://oneschema.co/softskills In...

Episode 368: Manager in crisis and cutting costs

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I am a senior engineer working in a team of 7. My team lead went through a pretty r...

Episode 367: Hybrid denier and recovering from crying

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: We’ve recently switched to mandatory 2 days of in-person work a week but my emplo...

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

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’ve been working with this fintech company for the past year as the only FE deve...

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

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a rerun of episode 307. Enjoy! In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work for a big bank. I recently found out...

Episode 364: EMs doing technical tasks and too soft?

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Do you think an EM should only be involved with management tasks, and let the membe...

Episode 363: Future impact of tech stacks and async communication

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Thor asks, Is there a chance the tech stack I choose throughout my ca...

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

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Greetings from Germany! My job is creating a customized Windows installation image ...

Episode 361: Get git and non-tech ramping up

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Schtolteheim Reinbach III asks, Hey soft skills engineering, love you...

Episode 360: Mixing up names and improving without feedback

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: At work, I occasionally mix names of people in my team when I refer to them in meet...

Episode 359: Competition and awkward in person

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi Dave and Jamison! What do you do when one of your immediate teammates is co...

Episode 358: Sticky Note Scandal and startup appeal

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: During our next team meeting I jokingly gave a status report on the state of my des...

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

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: A listener Steve asks, How long is too long to wait to be paid? I’ve wo...

Episode 356: Ummmmmmmmm and failed spikes

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I recently started listening to your podcast from the very start of the show! One o...

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

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My architect is too busy with his kids! His kids have had a lot of school and medic...

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

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work at a startup that makes embedded devices and the software that runs on them....

Episode 353: Easter outage and unethical things

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work for a startup with a distributed team. Recently one of our clients experienc...

Episode 352: Exploding manager and I hate computers

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My manager finally exploded. They screamed and insulted our whole team because one ...

Episode 351: Senior hoarding and layabout lead dev

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m not a software engineer, so you can stop reading here if you like ;-). I list...

Episode 350: Bombing a technical interview and background vetting

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi, have you ever been through a technical interview and bombed a question? I did, ...

Episode 349: Performance review dissonance and being a remote manager

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I am a senior engineer looking to make staff. Every week at my one on one I ask my ...

Episode 348: Making too many mistakes and low code career risk

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey Dave and Jamison, long time listener of the show. looking to get your advice on...

Episode 347: New untrusting manager and crappy project management

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Our small team where I work as a senior software engineer has a new engineering man...

Episode 346: Changing jobs with no raise and wrangling a cowboy coder

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I recently applied for a job for a great company. The interview went well until we ...

Episode 345: Head of Engineering vs writing code and Voluntary Severance

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I have around 14 years of experience and was recently promoted to a Head of Enginee...

Episode 344: Showing impact without hiring and over over over engineering

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m a senior front end engineer at a medium sized tech company. During the g...

Episode 343: Tech lead/manager and discouraging seniors

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: A listener named Mike asks, I’ve been offered an Engineering Management posi...

Episode 342: Losing my job to AI and bad review season

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hello Dave and Jamison, thanks for your great work. Your podcast has the bizarre ma...

Episode 341: Offer rescinded and layoff stuff

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I am an American student finishing my undergraduate degree in computer science in t...

Episode 340: Productivity lulls and code review showdown

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: A listener Daniel asks, How do I handle periods of time where I am just not pr...

Episode 339: Coworker double-dipping and building toxic community

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I think the new hire on my team is juggling multiple jobs. On several screen s...

Episode 338: I am the golden handcuffs and Staying in management

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Mattoosh asks,‌ I’m the last remaining support specialist on a re...

Episode 337: Helping the principal and Manager conflict

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I am a mid-level engineer with ~5 years of experience (1 year at my current company...

Episode 336: Roadmap roadkill and returning to office

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Dear Dave and Jamison, I work for a medium sized startup, and our planning pro...

Episode 335: Senior questions and overly optimistic

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Greetings Jamison and Dave, love the show and all your shenanigans! I’m a mid-lev...

Episode 334: Personal brand and awkward silence

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Long time question asker, first time listener. I recently started to go back throug...

Episode 333: Unsure about management and I shall decline the offer

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I have been at my job for 5 years since I graduated college. I love who I work with...

Episode 332: Layoff + baby survival and 18-year-old CS graduate

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My company recently had a big layoff - about 40% of engineers are gone. My job is s...

Episode 331: Prickly ticket and title downgrade

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener ninjamonkey says, I am a new grad who is half a year into the role no...

Episode 330: Mixed signals and not ready for senior

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Dan asks, Hey friends! How do you get ahead when your manager gives you mixed ...

Episode 329: Falling behind and can't get a management job

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m a few months into my first full time job, and the learning curve is immense. ...

Episode 328: Fear of sudden firing and reducing the lottery factor

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’ve joined a team at a small startup and our team lead has mentioned in passing ...

Episode 327: Remote with onsite team and undercover refactor

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I have recently joined a team as a fully remote member, with majority of my team ma...

Episode 326: Good perks, bad code and paper shredder suggestion box

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: ‌About a year ago I joined what it seemed to be the best company ever. It’...

Episode 325: Surprise PIP and salary leak

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: ‌ I had a boss once who I was intimidated by. I did not know I was poor perf...

Episode 324: Understanding accents and mega soft skills

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m currently a junior engineer. I often struggle to understand speakers with acc...

Episode 323: Shopping offers and returning equipment

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m planning to leave my job purely because of low compensation. I like my growth...

Episode 322: Cover blown and no one cares

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Olexander asks, I was a tech lead on some relatively known project si...

Episode 321: Politely, no and participation at scale

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How do you politely tell a reviewer politely, “Your suggestion is stupid. I will ...

Episode 320: Hot and less hot and no privileges

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I seem to be very hot and cold about how I feel about my job. Some days I hate it a...

Episode 319: Steve's babysitter and these uncertain times

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My company wants several complex applications rewritten. “Steve” wrote the orig...

Episode 318: Staff and part time dev

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Listener Albert Camus asks, Hello Team. I am a long time listener of the show,...

Episode 317: Process renegades and hiding my disgrunteledness

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work at a small company that has recently grown from a couple of engineers to 40+...

Episode 316: Skills reboot and quitting the perfect job

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi! I have been a software engineer at a very small company for 10 years. We write ...

Episode 315: Poor feedback recipient and rubber duck

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Do you have any advice on how to give feedback to people who don’t take critical ...

Episode 314: "That guy" and how to skip level

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi! Love the podcast and have been listening for a while. I have a question ab...

Episode 313: Parents are fighting and hat-removal

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: After six years at my first job out of college, I took the foolproof SSE advice and...

Episode 312: Nit-picking and Promo raises

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m on a team of two. My manager/teammate is young (under 30, less than 5 years t...

Episode 311: (rerun of 207) Unclear career goals and garbage code

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m a senior software engineer at a fast growing software startup. In the past ye...

Episode 310: Flip flop and architecture astronaut

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey guys! Love the show! I’ve worked for 8 years as a Software Engineer for ...

Episode 309: Missing boss support and new manager, who dis

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I am working on a devops team building the shared services that our engineers depen...

Episode 308: FAANG to startup and Google interview prep

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m currently working at a FAANG in Europe, and seriously underpaid. I recently g...