Soft skills resources for developers

A weekly advice podcast in which two experienced software developers, Dave Smith and Jamison Dance, answer two listener questions an episode about the non-technical side of the job: difficult managers and teammates, promotions, job hunting and interviewing, quitting, and negotiating pay. It has passed 500 episodes. It suits engineers at any stage who want practical, often funny advice on workplace situations they cannot easily discuss at work.

• Career
• Soft skills

Marshall Rosenberg's method for speaking honestly and listening with empathy, built on four steps: observations, feelings, needs and requests. It suits anyone who wants to express hard things without blame and hear others without getting defensive.

• Career
• Soft skills

A step-by-step checklist for the people side of a final year project. It covers choosing teammates and a supervisor, a written team agreement, meeting cadence and notes, splitting work fairly, a Git workflow the whole team follows, keeping evidence of each member's contribution, handling a teammate who does not contribute and the checkpoints that keep the year on schedule.

• Career
• Soft skills

A guide to showing your final year project at its best in the mid evaluation, the final presentation and the viva or defence. It covers what each evaluation looks for, slides that support you, a live demo with a backup plan, answering questions honestly, explaining your own code and design decisions, handling "why didn't you use X", and presenting as a team.

• Career
• Soft skills

A seven-stage path for people who procrastinate, lose hours to their phone or keep restarting routines: why we procrastinate, attention and phones, getting started with if-then plans and Pomodoro, habits that stick, study routines that work, planning a week with deep work, and rest and restarting after a bad week. It suits students and early-career people everywhere. Every stage is open on the public page, and adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Mindset
• Soft skills
• Wellbeing

A seven-stage path to knowing yourself with evidence, not horoscopes: strengths from a free survey and feedback from others, values, naming emotions, energy and when you work best, what you want versus what is expected, blind spots, journaling, and turning it all into choices about courses, careers and jobs. It suits students and early-career people who are unsure what they want. Every stage is open on the public page, and adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Soft skills
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

A seven-stage path for students and early-career people whose family wants a different degree, career, city or life for them: understanding why parents push, naming the exact pressure, building a calm case with evidence, having the conversation, allies and trial periods, boundaries with respect and hard choices. It is written for Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and family-centred cultures everywhere, and is free to add.

• Career
• Soft skills

A seven-stage path for people who stay quiet: asking questions in class and at work, presenting, meetings and online calls, small talk at events, speaking English clearly with your own accent, disagreeing politely, saying no and writing clearly as a backup. It suits students and early-career people held back by nerves, hierarchy or a second language. Every stage is open on the public page, and adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Soft skills

A non-profit network of local clubs where members practise public speaking and leadership in a supportive setting, with speeches, impromptu speaking and evaluations at every meeting. It has more than 13,800 clubs and 260,000 members worldwide, and you can visit a club for free before joining. It suits anyone who wants regular, real-world speaking practice.

• Career
• Soft skills

A seven-stage path through failed exams, a low CGPA, internship and job rejections, failed projects and startups, and feedback that stings: why rejection hurts, the first 48 hours, a blameless post-mortem and a dated plan to start again. It suits students and early-career people who have had a setback or want to be ready for the next one. Every stage is open on the public page, and adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset
• Soft skills

A six-stage path for students and early-career people who doubt themselves: impostor feelings, the inner critic, comparison on LinkedIn and at home, an evidence file of real wins, speaking up in class and meetings, and recovering from setbacks. It treats confidence as a skill built through small actions, using CBT and self-compassion research. Adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Mindset
• Soft skills
• Wellbeing

A practical guide to fear and self-doubt by Russ Harris, a doctor and trainer in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Instead of waiting to feel confident, it shows you how to act on what matters while the fear is still there. It suits students and early-career people held back by self-doubt, impostor feelings or fear of speaking up.

• Career
• Mindset
• Wellbeing
• Soft skills

From the Harvard Negotiation Project, Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen break any hard conversation into three parts: what happened, feelings and identity. The third edition (Penguin, 2023) is updated for culture, power and talking through technology. It suits anyone who dreads a conversation they know they need to have.

• Career
• Soft skills

A practical guide to conversations where opinions differ, stakes are high and emotions run strong, by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler and (in the third edition) Emily Gregory. It suits anyone who either goes quiet or gets heated when a conversation matters, at work, at university or at home.

• Career
• Soft skills

A practical public speaking course from the University of Washington, taught by Dr Matt McGarrity, covering how to plan, structure and deliver a talk and how to manage nerves. It is the first course of the Dynamic Public Speaking specialisation and has over 400,000 learners. It suits students and early-career people who dread presenting.

• Career
• Soft skills

Sound expert Julian Treasure's short TED talk on the habits that make people stop listening, the foundations of speech that people trust, and the vocal tools (register, pace, pitch, volume and more) that make you easier to listen to. Under 10 minutes and useful before any presentation.

• Career
• Soft skills

Susan Cain's widely read book on introversion: what it is, why schools and workplaces often reward the loudest voice, and how quieter people can work and lead in their own way. It suits introverted students and professionals, and anyone who works with them.

• Career
• Mindset
• Soft skills

Dale Carnegie's 1936 classic on getting along with people: showing real interest, remembering names, listening, appreciating others and disagreeing without making enemies. It suits students and early-career people who want to feel more at ease with small talk, networking and teamwork.

• Career
• Soft skills

World debate champion Julia Dhar offers three techniques for disagreeing without fighting: start from common ground, separate ideas from the people who hold them, and be open to being wrong. A 15 minute talk for class discussions, team meetings and family dinners.

• Career
• Soft skills