What Is Your Most Valuable Life Skill?
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
Translating what the customer says they want ("customer" includes "manager" for those that may remember when TQM / ISO-9000 was all the rage) into what they actually need. This can be generalized to any relationship. ;)
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I'm not really a software guy, I'm an electronics guy who HAS to program. I would say based on this morning 'self control' I had written so embedded code for positioning a servo motor to allow a screw to be fitted and then rotate 90' for a home position. The great Programmers decided that this was wrong (read harder for them, you know having to add 90') So a jig that had been approved wired in need the board updating (like a mug I had blown Read/Write fuses) so had to replace the controller... Xmas is coming must not blot copy book this close to Santa's arrival.:mad:
glennPattonWork3 wrote:
Xmas is coming must not blot copy book this close to Santa's arrival
I'm sure he would understand. The local police, however, probably wouldn't. :)
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
I usually have less lumber left over after building a fence.
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
My training and experience as an engineer is broadly applicable to problem-solving. I'm the Mr. Fix-It and the Mr. Put-It-Together in my family, although my daughter seems to have acquired the knack (despite a B.S. in Biology). The best skill I've developed though is my writing ability. Being able to appreciate your audience, organize your thoughts, and then express them is profoundly useful. It's unbelievable at times when I deal with a smart, well-spoken engineer, and then their email reads like a prepubescent kid with dyslexia on Adderall.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
I think my most valuable skill is spotting patterns, and when they're broken. I've always been able to look at a problem, see how it is meant to work, and identify what needs to be changed to make it work, even as a child. It has been curse many times, and I didn't have a lot of friends growing up, as this is considered to be a bit spooky to some, and being a smartass to others.
Will Rogers never met me.
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My training and experience as an engineer is broadly applicable to problem-solving. I'm the Mr. Fix-It and the Mr. Put-It-Together in my family, although my daughter seems to have acquired the knack (despite a B.S. in Biology). The best skill I've developed though is my writing ability. Being able to appreciate your audience, organize your thoughts, and then express them is profoundly useful. It's unbelievable at times when I deal with a smart, well-spoken engineer, and then their email reads like a prepubescent kid with dyslexia on Adderall.
Software Zen:
delete this;I was told in college to never let an employer know how well I write, because they would assign me to tech writing, and I'd never get to design anything. I know that no one hires tech writers anymore, since Microsoft first introduced the concept of never shipping a manual with any product, but back then there was a real danger of being assigned a technical writing role if one had any ability to compose a readable sentence.
Will Rogers never met me.
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
I was lucky enough to be raised as bilingual English/French. I have not used the French much as an adult and street French itself has changed a bit since the 70s - however I still have the accent, can speak a bit and enjoy watching French documentaries/films. It's been really useful because it's also made it easier for me to pick up and speak other languages as some French phonemes are very different to English phonemes. Once you get a feel for different phonemes it makes speaking other languages easier - I still cringe a lot at how most English speakers pronounce the word "croissant" :laugh: It's opened up a whole other world to me and I am grateful for having this facility.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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I was told in college to never let an employer know how well I write, because they would assign me to tech writing, and I'd never get to design anything. I know that no one hires tech writers anymore, since Microsoft first introduced the concept of never shipping a manual with any product, but back then there was a real danger of being assigned a technical writing role if one had any ability to compose a readable sentence.
Will Rogers never met me.
Roger Wright wrote:
never let an employer know how well I write
That one hit me a few years ago, when they didn't replace the tech writer for the help to go with my application. She was amazingly good at it, too.
Roger Wright wrote:
no one hires tech writers anymore
We still have a couple technical writers (they sit right behind me). Our products are complex with maintenance and service procedures that can be dozens of steps long.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Does breathing count?
I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated. I’m begging you for the benefit of everyone, don’t be STUPID.
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I was lucky enough to be raised as bilingual English/French. I have not used the French much as an adult and street French itself has changed a bit since the 70s - however I still have the accent, can speak a bit and enjoy watching French documentaries/films. It's been really useful because it's also made it easier for me to pick up and speak other languages as some French phonemes are very different to English phonemes. Once you get a feel for different phonemes it makes speaking other languages easier - I still cringe a lot at how most English speakers pronounce the word "croissant" :laugh: It's opened up a whole other world to me and I am grateful for having this facility.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
On lighter side... my first for pay job in US was maintaining "industrial size " sawing machines... their product was variety of plastic and "natural fiber " 50 pounds or smaller bags.. their byproduct was unbelievable oily fiber mess clogging everything... I did learn skills and respect of operators for not being too concerned getting " down to get dirty "... and since I used screwdriver , instead of hammer , as my "teacher " Ernie ... I guess my learned life skill is being able to "look things over " and use the right tool to get the job done. but sometime Mikey mouse wins...
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
Knowing full well that no matter my coding skills there are people with far more knowledge and I can learn from even the junior-est person in the team. Having absolute zero ego about what I can do and ask for help when I don't understand something.
Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf * Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
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I think my most valuable skill is spotting patterns, and when they're broken. I've always been able to look at a problem, see how it is meant to work, and identify what needs to be changed to make it work, even as a child. It has been curse many times, and I didn't have a lot of friends growing up, as this is considered to be a bit spooky to some, and being a smartass to others.
Will Rogers never met me.
Roger Wright wrote:
a bit spooky to some, and being a smartass
A bit 'tetched, eh? :-D
Software Zen:
delete this; -
As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
Being able to laugh at myself.
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
Adapting, improvising, and overcoming obstacles/challenges. I learned and honed this life skill as a Navy nuc, starting at 17 years old. I found it useful in successfully shifting technologies over the years (nuclear power to industrial controls programming/engineering to writing n-tier software to writing cloud native software today). Our line of work as software engineers changes over time because the technologies and tools change, and because where we apply them changes, and the needs of our users changes. The “adapt/improvise/overcome” skill requires a solid base of deductive reasoning. Just solving programming and systems issues or projects with yesterday’s “recipes” is grossly inadequate. Solving software engineering issues and projects for what they uniquely are (as well as what they have in common with other issues and projects) requires the skill set I mentioned. While my instance of that skillset was learned and matured one way, how you, the reader, either obtained that skillset or can acquire it, may be different. I see so many developers, when given a new project, or trying to fix a bug in existing code, just reach into their recipe box to see what most closely fits, then try to hammer that round peg in a square hole. The results of that approach are too often mediocre to a flat failure. By applying this skillset, which any developer of at least average intelligence, from any cultural background can acquire with intent and practice, they can figure out any issue or project in a way that results in quality, performance, reliability, and it “just works well”.
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
Becoming adaptable to ever changing paradigms in life. It's a life skill to stay patient during times of change, and evolve with the change.
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Adapting, improvising, and overcoming obstacles/challenges. I learned and honed this life skill as a Navy nuc, starting at 17 years old. I found it useful in successfully shifting technologies over the years (nuclear power to industrial controls programming/engineering to writing n-tier software to writing cloud native software today). Our line of work as software engineers changes over time because the technologies and tools change, and because where we apply them changes, and the needs of our users changes. The “adapt/improvise/overcome” skill requires a solid base of deductive reasoning. Just solving programming and systems issues or projects with yesterday’s “recipes” is grossly inadequate. Solving software engineering issues and projects for what they uniquely are (as well as what they have in common with other issues and projects) requires the skill set I mentioned. While my instance of that skillset was learned and matured one way, how you, the reader, either obtained that skillset or can acquire it, may be different. I see so many developers, when given a new project, or trying to fix a bug in existing code, just reach into their recipe box to see what most closely fits, then try to hammer that round peg in a square hole. The results of that approach are too often mediocre to a flat failure. By applying this skillset, which any developer of at least average intelligence, from any cultural background can acquire with intent and practice, they can figure out any issue or project in a way that results in quality, performance, reliability, and it “just works well”.
THIS. ☝️💯
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As software developers, I think we can agree that our coding skills are universally applicable. In my experience, there have been more than a few instances where my work has evoked comments from others expressing disbelief. It's funny because you hear the same things over and over again. "Woah, how did you do that?", and "Where did you learn to do that?", and of course the "You suck" comments. Knowing how to code is certainly a very valuable life skill to have. But, what about other skills? In what other areas do you have knowledge or experience with? What are they, and how do you use them? How are they of benefit to you? Is it worthwhile for others to learn these skills? Why, or why not?
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Roger Wright wrote:
a bit spooky to some, and being a smartass
A bit 'tetched, eh? :-D
Software Zen:
delete this;Yep, so it would seem.
Will Rogers never met me.