Lift-off

Hi everyone, I'm Alex, and welcome to the first edition of my weekly newsletter.

I decided to start my newsletter because of my problems with consistency and accountability. Being a software engineer gives you lots of ideas to put in place. But, I push them back to my "backlog" and unfortunately, rarely come back to filter them.

Last time I spent lots of time surfing and consuming info but never or rarely filtered it or tried to put it into work. It is not good and I decided to take care of this problem. The newsletter is one of the solutions.

My curiosities split across different domains: software engineering, cybersecurity, mindset and motivation, and sport. And I will be sharing my stories, projects, findings, and thoughts weekly here.

I hope you will join me and my stories will motivate you and teach you something new. If you don’t feel up for it, you can unsubscribe anytime.

Today I want to discuss

Top Non-technical skill each Software Engineer should have 

I thought it was non-necessary for tech people for some time, but then my mind changed. No matter how strange it sounded, communication is crucial for software engineers. Do not hesitate to talk to your colleagues:

• asking questions / asking for help

• express your opinion

• sharing your knowledge

By the way, it is the very first thing I learned it was at my first job 😊

Asking for help is not bad and usually is much better than sitting down self-enclosed. Especially while the deadline is behind you. The faster you discuss the problem with others, the quicker you solve it.

Your task as a software engineer is to solve business problems. The faster you solve it the better your state is, and the bigger chance your client will continue work with you.

And what is remarkable is that communication helped me to make my very first commitment to an Android project 😎

If I started over again I would start doing my public activity sooner. Sharing your knowledge with others is a great thing. It is even crucial for you as a creator. Software engineering is in some parts creative work.

"Building in public" - is not hype meta but the actual formula that works. The more people you have who know you the more opportunities they bring to you. It is probability and chances - increase your luck by leveraging this factor. Today it is easier with social media.

By doing this, you are in sight which is also vital for you as a creator. Whatever your domain interests are, you should share your knowledge. If you are interested in something, be sure, there are other people who also like this topic.

You may get more opportunities, find like-minded people or even build something great together. Writing and storytelling are your best friend on this journey.

Remember your school years? These hateful essays and speeches are in public. Such boring things from schools are crucial things that ups you upon others, use them, and show off your knowledge.

You have your experience, use your writing skills and create stories and share with others Even if you do not know where to start: start with basics, learn a new skill, and share your pitfalls and discoveries.

Let's sum up:

• Communication is crucial

• Sharing your experience is great

• Writing and storytelling is not boring things from school but a great tool for you brand

I am not really sure how to properly conclude this. Still, I decided to share my current plans for the nearest time: I am going to refresh my domain technical skills - it is primary cybersecurity but I also want to dive into some essentials of CS so maybe there will be some lists of courses and books. For now, I am starting with

But How Do It Know? - The Basic Principles of Computers for Everyone

I like low-level things and this is one good starting point for learning the internals of your PC

Thank you for your time and see you next week 😉

Sincerely,

Alex