This is the English version of Soft Skills para Devs, the original blog where I publish my articles in Spanish. The contents of this blog will be populated gradually as I work to translate my original articles.

My name is Oscar Swanros (blog, LinkedIn), and I am the creator of Soft Skills for Devs. The goal of this site is to create a resource for software developers to strengthen their Soft Skills – something I firmly believe is lacking in the industry.

During my 12-year career developing software professionally, I realized that what helped me to advance was not the quality of the code I wrote. It certainly helped that I tried to do things well and took care of my output. But my code was not what got me a place to speak at international conferences. My code also did not negotiate my professional growth opportunities, nor my salary increases. I am 100% sure that the systems I have designed have not been the ones that have given me the opportunity to refer to many former colleagues as ‘friends’ today.

Yes, writing good code is important. But my ‘good code’ only got me a job. Having good Soft Skills got me a career

What are Soft Skills?

As software developers, it is common to tend to believe that what gives us value is only the code we write. We have focused so much on learning new technologies, frameworks, architectures, and programming languages, that we have neglected a fundamental aspect: that we are people, and we work with people.

Soft Skills enhance your technical abilities. One thing is knowing how to program. Another is knowing how to function in a collaborative environment.

These are some of the Soft Skills that every professional should develop:

• Effective communication
• Teamwork
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Critical thinking
• Decision-making ability.

Why should I strengthen my Soft Skills?

Developing software is about solving problems. It doesn’t matter if you’re working on a video game or a medical application. Your software will be used by people, and those people will benefit from your contribution.

Being a technically good software developer is already something good. If you have good Soft Skills, it’s as if you had superpowers. You will not only do excellent technical work, but you will also know how to work in a team. And even better, it will be a joy to work with you.

Having good Soft Skills is essential for your professional career in this industry. Don’t let your great potential go to waste.