Soft Skills Engineering
Episodes
Episode 207: Unclear career goals and garbage code
27 Apr 2020
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 206: Micromanaging WFH and vaguely tech lead
20 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Due to corona virus, we had to work from home. But the manager, is checking up on u...
Episode 205: Old code outage and questions leaking
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Ever since I graduated from college, I’ve been working in a rising tech company f...
Episode 204: Remote work and ghosting your employer
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My whole team recently transitioned to working from home. How do I handle this? The...
Episode 203: Downturns and conflict
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I am worried it is only a matter of time before the growing pandemic impacts the jo...
Episode 202: Can't stand up and new team, new me
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey Dave and Jamison. Due to a chronic joint problem, I find it uncomfortable to st...
Episode 201: Too soon for a raise and management, masters, maybe?
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I started a new job 6 months back and a lot has happened since then. I signed on as...
Episode 200: Crazy work work stories
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
🎉🎉🎉 Celebrating 200 episodes! 🎉🎉🎉 In this special episode, Dave and Jamison share crazy work stories contributed by listeners to ce...
Episode 199: Offshore team influence and time zone fun
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work at a large public company. Two years ago, they hired a new CEO who immediate...
Episode 198: Stinky manager and VP overhaul
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My manager smells really bad! Sometimes so bad that I can’t bear to be in his pro...
Episode 197: Rambling co-worker and awkward resume leak
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Help! I have a co-worker who can’t get to the point. They keep rambling, throwing...
Episode 196: "Offshore resources" and ageist layoffs
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi, thank you for the great podcast! I work for a software consultancy as a se...
Episode 195: Ad-hoc promotion and quitting a huge company with Charity Majors
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’re excited to have special guest Charity Majors on the show! Charity is the CTO and former CEO of Honeycomb. She has worked at Second Life, Parse...
Episode 194: Leveling up through speaking and negativity
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey friends, thanks for such an entertaining show, I look forward to it every week....
Episode 193: Playing the field and paying for speaking
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’ve been recently looking for summer internships and I have had a couple of vide...
Episode 192: Giving feedback and messaging a team change
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hey, want to use Dropbox as your app’s production database? Well, check here. In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: He...
Episode 191: Overshadowed and demos and credit
06 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m an introverted person but am not afraid to present my work and have strong 1-...
Episode 190: Disorganized startup and leveling up the team
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My company is a startup and they’re super unorganized. I’m a junior-mid level e...
Episode 189: Building relationships and handling negative feedback with speical guest Jeff Leiken
23 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi, I’m a software engineer who’s recently been promoted to a technical lead. I...
Episode 188: Drama overload and agile ouroboroses
16 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work in a charity as an iOS developer and there is so much drama in the office ab...
Episode 187: Interview insanity and making up for lost time
09 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hello there! To say things pretty directly, I hate the recruiting process in s...
Episode 186: First job negotiation and am I a senior engineer?
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi! I am 29 years old and a couple of years ago I decided to turn my career around ...
Episode 185: Fragile coworkers and soft demotion
25 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hello! I am the only principal architect in my department. In addition to technical...
Episode 184: Indispensable and IT cold war
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How do you quit when you’re indispensable to the team? I am the lead develop...
Episode 183: Terrible boss code and peer-to-peer mentorship
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work in a small team under 10 people on a new project that should be shipping soo...
Episode 182: Lunch and switching to product management
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My team often goes out to lunch; I almost always bring a lunch from home. They invi...
Episode 181: Blocked by back-end and tired of coding
28 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I recently took a job at a start-up as the only front-end developer. The distinctio...
Episode 180: Inspiring attention to detail and moving
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How do I inspire attention to detail in my co-workers? I’ve been frustrated ...
Episode 179: Pushing preemptive promotion and de-motivated by promotion
14 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hello! I love listening to your show. I often relisten to old episodes. I’m a Fro...
Episode 178: Procrastinating colleague and working remotely for an on-site company
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: One of my co-workers never does their job in time and always postpones things. We a...
Episode 177: Work life vertigo and work life interviews
30 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I started working at a big fintech company doing cutting edge work. I was given a t...
Episode 176: Afraid to disappoint and tech co-founder advice
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I am a junior developer with a low salary but I’m happy with my job. Recentl...
Episode 175: Famous devs at conferences and becoming obsolete
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi Dave and Jamison, thanks for the awesome show. How should I conduct myself ...
Episode 174: Bottleneck manager and how to tech lead
09 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: “I’m into my second job of leading a team of software engineers and want to lev...
Episode 173: Newbie burden and getting a 25% raise
02 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hello! Love the show ❤️ I’m 6 months into my career as a software engine...
Episode 172: Contracting and American email etiquette
26 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m a Full Stack Developer. I feel undervalued at my current job and I am looking...
Episode 171: Unwilling mentorship and tortoise vs hare DevOps
19 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey guys, love the show. I’m starting to realize that our QA engineer lacks some ...
Episode 170: Code rage and code review etiquette
12 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Vote for Soft Skills Engineering on the Hackernoon Noonies awards for best Dev Podcast! In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: ...
Episode 169: Conspiracy theories and flexible schedules
05 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Vote for Soft Skills Engineering on the Hackernoon Noonies awards for best Dev Podcast! In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: ...
Episode 168: Self-snooping and work from home jeopardy
29 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey there. I don’t program I administrate in IT but you’re my favorite pod...
Episode 167: Foosball culture and giving feedback to geniuses
22 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: We’ve all been on that tour of that local startup that is showing you around thei...
Episode 166: Not the intern and fighting at work
15 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m so glad I discovered your podcast last week! You guys are hilarious (I laugh ...
Episode 165: I don't play videogames and quarter-career burnout
08 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I recently joined a startup. After joining I realized most of the engineers are gam...
Episode 164: Fear of firing and disengaged teammates
01 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hello, First of all, I love the show, thank you so much for the amazing work! ...
Episode 163: Sounding a warning and negative Glassdoor reviews
24 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I recently joined a new team to help rewrite a batch job whose source code has long...
Episode 162 (rerun of episode 113): Quitting Your First Job and Too Many Responsibilities
17 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How do I quit my first job if I’m working with a manager I love? I started m...
Episode 161: Trapped as a QA engineer and trapped as a generalist
10 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey guys, I’ve graduated with a CS degree 8 years ago, but due to circumstances I...
Episode 160: Non-manager 1:1s and throwing away dev learning
03 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Is it weird to have 1-1s but not with my ‘manager’? Management is planning...
Episode 159: Rejecting candidates and corporate image obsession
27 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m a hiring manager and sometimes have to say no to candidates who interview wit...
Episode 158: I accepted a counter-offer and stayed and dealing with engineers who exaggerate their contributions
20 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by the O’Reilly Velocity conference. Register today and use discount code SKILLS for a 20% discount: http://velocityconf.c...
Episode 157: How to deal with a consistent low performer and my architect wants me to switch from Ruby to Java
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by the O’Reilly Velocity conference. Register today and use discount code SKILLS for a 20% discount: http://velocityconf.c...
Episode 156: How to move from web development into other software engineering roles and dealing with slow code review processes
06 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by the O’Reilly Velocity conference. Register today and use discount code SKILLS for a 20% discount: http://velocityconf.c...
Episode 155: What do you think about employee monitoring software and how do I get un-demotivated after losing interest in software dev?
29 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by the O’Reilly Velocity conference. Register today and use discount code SKILLS for a 20% discount: http://velocityconf.c...
Episode 154: Why am I terrible at picking candidates and how soon can I quit my job?
22 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by the O’Reilly Velocity conference. Register today and use discount code SKILLS for a 20% discount: http://velocityconf.c...
Episode 153: Informal Leadership and Dealing With Burnout (rerun of episode 71)
15 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a rerun of episode 71 from August 2017. In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m sometimes an informal lea...
Episode 152: How to pair program as an introvert and being mistreated as a contractor?
08 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi guys! Big fan of the show. Here’s a question: What to do if I hate working in ...
Episode 151: Where are all the old developers and Do I not ask enough questions?
01 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I have a lot of software developer colleagues who are 20 - 35 years old but none 50...
Episode 150: How to fight imposter syndrome as a technical lead and Getting in to meetups
25 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I worked for four years doing web development for a company while I got my degree, ...
Episode 149: How to get my engineering career back on track and how to thrive in a heavy process environment
18 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Joining us this episode is special guest Nedda Amini! In this episode, Nedda, Dave, and Jamison answer these questions: My engineering caree...
Episode 148: In the orbit of a Rock Star Programmer and Should I share my salary with my coworkers?
11 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’ve been an engineer for about 5 years and in the last two jobs, rock-star progr...
Episode 147: How to grow in a flat organization and how to get references when job hunting in stealth mode?
04 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work in a flat organization. There aren’t really any titles, and very few manag...
Episode 146: What to do with sick co-workers who come into the office and dealing with weird performance review feedback
25 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi guys! I was faced with quite a dilemma recently. A few days ago one of my c...
Episode 145: What to do with a bad manager who is loved by upper management and should I include detecting major security vulnerabilities on my resume?
18 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How do I deal with the manager on my team who is both not very technical and positi...
Episode 144: Job hunting while employed and how to start my first technical lead role
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions along with special guest Jonathan Cutrell:: I’ve been job hunting while employed (...
Episode 143: Dealing with meeting interrupters and setting work limits
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I have noticed one of my coworkers, a fellow senior software engineer, often interr...
Episode 142: Can I get hired above my level even though I look inexperienced on paper and should I be brutally honest in peer performance reviews
28 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: On Episode 66 you attempted to answer my question: ‘How bad can a Junior Front En...
Episode 141: A Rampant Rewriter and Dealing with an Overexplainer (rerun of episode 73)
21 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is a re-broadcast of episode 73 from August 2017. We’ll be back next week with a new episode! In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these q...
Episode 140: Should I apologize for my bugs after I quit and should I become a project manager
14 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Shan writes: “Awesome podcast! I’ve used your advice to better communicate...
Episode 139: How to deal with badmouthing and how to survive in a loud open office
07 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: My boss is fairly new to management and has recently made some decisions which had ...
Episode 138: Should I ask for a raise before my annual review and how to keep up with young, single, overtime-working co-workers
31 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hi Dave and Jamison, love the show and your advice, there’s no podcast quite like...
Episode 137: How to get answers to technical questions and Should managers also be technical
24 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: What’s the best approach to connecting with people who know about specific techno...
Episode 136: My family thinks I'm over paid and Is a 10% raise good
17 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I am a software developer and as such, i get paid nicely. My family doesn’t think...
Episode 135: Publicly Correcting Speakers and Forced Into a Dev Role as a Product Manager
10 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I went to an internal company developer meetup recently. The speaker was really new...
Episode 134: Boredom vs Money and Agile vs Long-Term Schedules
03 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by Pluralsight. Pluralsight is hiring data scientists, machine learning engineers, and software engineers. Check out the job...
Episode 133: Herding Linter Cats and Surviving Until Severance Time
19 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How can I make my team be more proactive and go out of their comfort zone more? ...
Episode 132: Should I tell my boss I'm planning to quit and keeping tech talks going
12 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Recently I was approached by a manager and informed that I needed to decide if I wa...
Episode 131: Coworkers with stinky feet and Was my salary expectation too high
05 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I have a question - I sit in a desk with 3 other people. One of those people does a...
Episode 130 (rerun of episode 87): Stand up and fight! and Metrics
29 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This is a rerun of episode 87 from December 14, 2017. In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: ‘I’ve been working on a ...
Episode 129: Office romance and What to say during one-on-ones
22 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I recently started working at a small dev shop. Somewhere along the way I may or ma...
Episode 128: Finish The Degree In Poverty? and Hiring Insecurity
15 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I’m working for minimum wage as a full Systems Administrator at a State Universit...
Episode 127: Leaving a Job I Love and My Role Is Being Eroded
08 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey guys, I love the show! Thanks so much for keeping episodes coming every week. ...
Episode 126: I'm underpaid and Game Industry Bonuses
01 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: One of my friends recently was hired at a salary 20k more than my own, even though ...
Episode 125: Brainstorming sessions and Slack Ettiquette
24 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey guys! Do you have any tips for making ““brain storming sessions”” more ...
Episode 124: Pair Programming Pain and Side Hustle CEO
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I joined a new team that has a different way of working, which has exposed a lot of...
Episode 123: Salary Promise Fail and Slacker Coworkers
10 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Great podcast! Love what you guys are doing and very happy that you are doing this ...
Episode 122: Too Much Process and Negotiating Salaries with Multiple Companies
03 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Is it just me or does systems like Jira and TFS get managers to go crazy on process...
Episode 121: Working Remotely Without Hating It and Managing Rotating Engineers
27 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I used to work totally remote, but found myself absolutely hating it. The lack of o...
Episode 120: Layoff Decisions and Overworking Peers
20 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How do managers make firing decision during company wide cuts? Recently our company...
Episode 119 (rerun of episode 77): My boss wants me to speak at conferences and how to get better than a 2% raise
13 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I started my first job as a developer 2 months ago. My boss wants me to give talks ...
Episode 118: Asking For Help and Speaking Up
30 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: What is the right balance between asking for help and figuring things out on my own...
Episode 117: Defense Industry Stigma and Responding to Negative Feedback
23 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Will working as a defense contractor hurt my future employability in private indust...
Episode 116: Weekend Warrioring and Reaching the End of the Career Ladder
17 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I work at a growing start up, and while I was hired as a web dev, I have started wo...
Episode 115: Sharing Your Salary When You Leave and Hiring Decisions Overruled
10 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Let say you accepted an offer from another company and you turned in your 2 weeks n...
Episode 114: Story Point Commitments and Measuring Productivity (Episode 79 Rerun)
02 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this re-run of episode 79, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: It seems like my teams always miss their story point commitments. Is this n...
Episode 113: Quitting Your First Job and Too Many Responsibilities
25 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How do I quit my first job if I’m working with a manager I love? I started m...
Episode 112: Disinterested Interviewing and Layoff Fallout
18 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Is it common for developers to take an interview without real interest in a job? ...
Episode 111: Dogma Rehab and Getting a Co-worker Fired
12 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hello Jamison and Dave. 💕 your show! 👏 I have been a C# dev for 7 years....
Episode 110: Team Spirit and Half-hearted Recruiting
04 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: How do I help foster team spirit in a newly created team? I work for small startu...
Episode 109: Critical Junior Dev and Introducing New Tools
29 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: I run a small dev team. One junior developer constantly openly challenges things that do...
(Rerun) Episode 35: Attracting Talent and Quitting Responsibly
20 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve got another re-run this week, as Jamison and Dave both recover from being sick. We’ll be back with a new episode next week. In this episode...