Coding Is Not Enough Anymore! (3 THINGS TO STAND OUT)

Summary

The video script addresses the challenges faced by tech workers in the current job market, emphasizing the importance of standing out. It offers three key pieces of advice: conducting thorough research on stakeholders before presentations, focusing on reading and writing documentation effectively, and prioritizing personal projects to showcase problem-solving skills. These strategies aim to enhance a tech professional's career prospects and marketability in a competitive industry.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The tech industry is facing challenges with mass layoffs, underscoring the importance of standing out in a competitive job market.
• 👩‍💻 Being a skilled coder is no longer sufficient; differentiation and additional skills are increasingly critical.
• 🎯 One strategy to stand out is to conduct research (or 'Recon') on your audience before presentations, understanding their roles and interests to tailor your communication.
• 🎨 Tailoring demos and presentations requires understanding the 'Three Ws': Why the audience cares, What is the essential information, and Where the demo should take place.
• 📚 Emphasizing reading and writing documentation can vastly improve understanding and use of tools, libraries, and frameworks.
• ✍️ Writing documentation enhances your ability to articulate and sell both your system and yourself, providing a significant career advantage.
• 🚀 Prioritizing personal projects can distinguish job candidates in the tech industry, showcasing creativity and problem-solving skills.
• 💡 Personal projects offer a practical demonstration of your skills beyond traditional coding challenges or interviews.
• 📈 Investing time in writing and personal projects not only aids in job searches but also fosters creativity and problem-solving skills.
• 🌱 These pieces of advice are aimed at helping tech professionals navigate their careers during uncertain times and emphasize the importance of adaptability and continuous learning.

Q & A

Why is the beginning of the year considered challenging for workers in the tech industry?

The beginning of the year is challenging due to mass layoffs at some of the country's largest tech companies, as noted in forums like Reddit and LinkedIn, where there are many 'open to work' badges and discussions about unemployment.

What is emphasized as a key factor for standing out in the tech industry?

The key factor for standing out in the tech industry is not just being a good coder, but also tailoring communication to your audience, understanding business roles, and engaging in personal projects.

What is one major piece of advice given for improving presentations or demos?

One major piece of advice is to do recon on your audience to understand their roles and interests better, thereby tailoring your demo to align with their perspective and business needs.

What are the three W's mentioned as a guide to tailor demos for the target audience?

The three W's are: Why the audience should care, What is the minimum amount of information they need, and Where the demo should take place (in-person, Zoom, etc.).

Why is reading and writing documentation highlighted as important?

Reading and writing documentation is important because it ensures accurate use of tools and libraries, helps avoid reliance on inaccurate prompts from tools like ChatGPT, and improves communication and understanding of systems.

How can personal projects impact one's chances of getting hired in the tech industry?

Personal projects showcase problem-solving skills and creativity, making a candidate more appealing to employers over those with just technical interview skills, like solving LeetCode problems.

Why might personal projects be considered more valuable than expertise in technical interview tasks?

Personal projects demonstrate real-world problem solving and the ability to ideate, decompose, and implement solutions, providing tangible evidence of skills that are directly applicable in professional settings.

What misconception about side projects is addressed?

The misconception addressed is that working on side projects outside of regular working hours is unnecessary; however, these projects are seen as beneficial for fostering creativity and demonstrating skills.

How does the script suggest approaching the use of ChatGPT and other AI tools during coding?

The script suggests that before turning to ChatGPT or similar AI tools, one should first consult the API documentation of the tool or library being used to ensure accurate and up-to-date information.

What general advice is given for improving one's prospects in the tech industry?

The advice includes understanding your audience, reading and writing documentation, and prioritizing personal projects to showcase creativity and problem-solving skills.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Standing Out in the Tech Industry

The paragraph discusses the challenges faced by tech workers in the current job market, emphasizing that being a good coder is not sufficient to stand out. It offers three key pieces of advice for professionals looking to make a change. The first advice is to conduct thorough research on the audience before presenting a demo, understanding their roles and how the project benefits them. The speaker shares a personal realization about the importance of tailoring presentations to the audience's perspective and understanding. The advice also includes using the '3Ws' (Why, What, Where) to effectively communicate and deliver demos that resonate with the target audience.

05:00

📚 Emphasizing Documentation and Personal Projects

This paragraph highlights the importance of focusing on reading and writing documentation. It suggests that engineers should start their coding sessions by reviewing API documentation, which can prevent common issues arising from outdated or incorrect information. The speaker regrets not spending more time on writing documentation, as it not only improves one's writing skills but also aids in selling the system and oneself. Lastly, the paragraph emphasizes the value of personal projects in showcasing problem-solving skills and fostering creativity, which can significantly improve one's chances of getting hired in the competitive tech industry.

Keywords

💡Mass layoffs

Mass layoffs refer to the large-scale termination of employees within a company or industry. In the context of the video, it highlights the challenging job market and the need for individuals to adapt and stand out in the tech world. The script mentions layoffs at major tech companies, indicating a broader issue affecting the industry and prompting the need for the advice that follows.

💡Recon

Recon, short for reconnaissance, is the act of gathering information about an individual or group before an interaction. In the video, it is used to emphasize the importance of understanding the roles and interests of stakeholders before presenting or discussing projects. This strategy helps in tailoring presentations to the audience's needs and concerns, thereby improving communication and outcomes.

💡Demo

A demo, or demonstration, is a presentation that showcases a product, service, or project. In the tech industry, this often involves showing off software features or design elements. The video stresses the importance of tailoring demos to the audience's level of interest and understanding, focusing on what matters most to them in the context of the business.

💡API documentation

API documentation refers to the written instructions and descriptions that explain how to use an Application Programming Interface (API). It is a critical component for developers as it provides guidance on the functionality and usage of the API. The video highlights the importance of not only reading but also writing clear and comprehensive API documentation to improve one's coding skills and ability to communicate effectively with others.

💡Personal projects

Personal projects are individual endeavors outside of one's primary job or employment. These projects allow individuals to explore their creativity, solve problems, and demonstrate their technical skills and initiative. In the tech industry, having personal projects can significantly improve one's chances of being hired, as they showcase a candidate's ability to independently identify and address real-world problems.

💡3Ws

The 3Ws is a communication strategy that focuses on the questions 'Why,' 'What,' and 'Where.' In the context of the video, these questions are used to tailor demos to a specific audience by understanding why they care about the information, what minimum information they need, and where the demo should take place. This approach helps in delivering a focused and effective message that resonates with the audience.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders are individuals or groups who have an interest or concern in a project, business, or industry. They can be internal team members, managers, or external parties. Understanding stakeholders is crucial for effective communication and project management because it helps in aligning the work with their expectations and goals. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of knowing the stakeholders' roles and interests to better communicate and succeed in the tech industry.

💡Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving skills refer to the ability to identify, analyze, and solve problems effectively. In the tech industry, these skills are highly valued as they demonstrate a candidate's capacity to tackle challenges and come up with innovative solutions. The video highlights that personal projects are an excellent way to showcase these skills, as they allow individuals to present real-world problems they've identified and solved.

💡Career development

Career development involves the process of improving one's professional skills, knowledge, and experience to advance in their career. The video provides advice on how to enhance one's career in the tech industry by focusing on communication, documentation, and personal projects. These strategies are aimed at standing out in a competitive job market and increasing one's value to potential employers.

💡Communication

Communication is the process of exchanging information, ideas, or feelings. In the context of the video, effective communication is emphasized as a key skill for tech professionals to convey their ideas and work to different stakeholders. This includes understanding the audience's perspective and delivering messages in a way that resonates with their interests and roles.

Highlights

The tech industry is facing a challenging start to the new year with layoffs and high unemployment rates.

Being a good coder is no longer sufficient to stand out in the tech industry.

To stand out, it's important to understand the roles and responsibilities of the people you're working with and presenting to.

Tailoring your communication and presentations to your audience's level of understanding and relevance can greatly improve your effectiveness.

The '3Ws' method (Why, What, Where) can help in customizing your demos for different audiences.

Focusing on the 'Why' helps to understand the audience's interest and how your work benefits them.

Determining the 'What' involves providing the minimum necessary information to convey your message effectively.

The 'Where' considers the platform and environment where the demo will take place, which can impact the delivery and reception of your message.

High-quality engineers know the value of thoroughly reading and understanding API documentation.

Starting coding sessions with API documentation can prevent common issues and misunderstandings.

Writing documentation is crucial for not only explaining your work but also for selling your system and yourself.

Emphasizing personal projects can significantly improve your chances of getting hired in the tech industry.

Personal projects foster creativity and provide a platform to showcase your problem-solving skills.

Employers prefer candidates who can demonstrate real-world problem-solving through personal projects over theoretical coding expertise.

The speaker shares their personal journey and advice through regular updates on their YouTube channel.

Transcripts

look at the state of the tech world the

new year is not starting off on a happy

note for workers at some of the

country's largest tech companies with

more layoffs just announced Mass layoffs

forums and Reddit and Linkedin

absolutely full of open to work badges

cries for help and conversations of

longtime unemployment it just goes to

say that being a good coder is not

enough anymore and if you really want to

stand out if you really are finding

yourself in a spot where you want to

make a change here are three pieces of

advice that I wish I had when I was

coming up that you can take with and run

at whatever level you see fit let's talk

about it like you we're all trying to

work 40 hours and I get it some of you

are cranking 100 plus hour weeks and

some of you are part-time Heroes I'm

pretty

tired I think I'll go home now and one

of my biggest pieces of advice that I've

realized over the last 2 years and

something that will really help you

stand out is to do a little Recon

whether it be on workday talking to

colleagues creeping their LinkedIn and

really figure out who your you're

talking to when you're going to give a

demo and I don't mean just understanding

their name you should know that but what

I'm talking about is having a real

understanding of what their role in the

business is and what their role on your

project is here's a silly example you're

a designer and you're going to give a

demo to your design lead they probably

care that the button is blue and not red

they're going to have an interest in

that but if you were to give that exact

same demo to your boss's boss the truth

is they probably don't give a what

color the button is and they just care

that that button happens to be the

finalized checkout which is going to

make the business money and it's not

that they don't care that you worked

super hard to fight CSS or that you made

the backend API to support the button

it's just that their role is all about

making money dealing with Staffing and

contracts and finding additional

business leads to bring in a bigger

market for the company do yourself a

favor help yourself by helping them

understand the tools that you're

providing but in their world and in

their terminology and if you're asking

how how the hell you can do that here

are three W's that I like to use when

I'm trying to tailor My Demo to my

target audience first and foremost you

need to answer why they care what is

their role in the business why do they

care that you added this button how is

it going to help them the second of the

three WS what is the minimum amount of

information that you can give them based

off of why they care and this isn't to

hide information but this is to

streamline and put a spotlight on the

bits of information and the overall

message that you're trying to deliver to

them once again help yourself by helping

them and the last W may seem a bit

strange but this last W is where should

this demo take place is it in person is

it over Zoom Microsoft teams is it in

the cloud or is it locally deployed on

your machine this is one of those like

doesn't seem like it quite fits with the

others but I promise you if you can nail

this one you're going to have a much

better delivered message they're going

to probably think a little higher of you

and you're going to get a lot less

questions and instead receive some

proper feedback back that we're all

actually trying to get out of our bosses

I put this pillar first because in my

opinion this is the biggest secret that

really highquality Engineers just know

how to take advantage of if nothing else

in this video consider those 3ws and

start tailoring your demos for the

target audience in their language I

promise you it'll make a huge difference

on how you are received and perceived

from the people that control your money

the second piece of advice that I wish I

had when I was coming up was really

putting emphasis on reading but more

importantly writing documentation rather

than starting your coding session with

chat GPT on one screen and your intellig

or vs code on the other screen I really

encourage you to start making the API

documentation of whatever tool or

Library you're using your very first

place to look I can't count the amount

of times I've helped another engineer

and truthfully myself included where the

issue with the snippet of code is that

the chat GPT prompt they use just wasn't

good enough you're trying to use methods

that don't exist anymore options that

just flat out never existed or even

smaller more subtle things things like

you're on version 5 but Chachi BT is

giving you answers and responses to

version 3 so what do you do in this

scenario you start riffing back and

forth with chat GPT just trying to brute

force your way through this and this

type of prompt hell hole I think you can

completely avoid if you just start

reading the API docs first more

importantly I wish I would have spent

way more time actually writing

documentation and it's not that I didn't

write docs but quite honestly the docs

that I did write were quite

spending more time writing in general

will not only help you write better

documentation but also help you better

sell the system and yourself think about

it your documentation is kind of like

this rushing nesting doll you have

function or method level docs which roll

up to your class level docs which roll

up to your service or API docs which

rolls up to your microservice which

rolls up to your architecture which

rolls up to the product line as you grow

in your career and spend different

amount of time in all of these different

levels writing documentation I promise

you that you will have a huge jump start

if you just start putting more emphasis

on writing now I remember being asked my

very first time to help identify

components of a product line for a

proposal we were working on I had never

done that before had no clue where I

should even start and it really

highlighted how terrible of a writer I

was so now I just spend more time

writing I actually find that I enjoy

writing it's peaceful it's relaxing it

energizes me but also are great

additions to my resume so that in the

future I can go ahead and better sell

myself the last piece of advice I wish I

had when I was coming up was to spend

more moretime prioritizing personal

project as I mentioned in the beginning

the tech world right now is kind of a

show it's damn hard to get a job in

Tech right now and based off of all of

the data that I've seen and interviews

that I've been a part of the people

getting hired fast are the ones that

have personal projects that they can

show off and talk

[Music]

about in full transparency for a very

long time I was one of those people that

thought it was absolute to work

on side projects like I write code 9 to5

why am I going to write more code

outside of work but the real kicker of

prioritizing personal projects is not

only helps you Foster creativity but

allows you and gives you an Avenue to

show off your problem solving skills

sure you might have to solve a leak code

problem or two during your interview

process but it is really cool

when you can show off that you found a

problem in the world and you solved it

and I'm personally not a leak code

fanatic you just don't use that in the

real world so if you can show me some

real soft Ware and how you ideated the

problem decomposed all the features and

tasks and implemented it I would pick

you 10 times out of 10 to join my team

over the elite code expert and there you

have it that's three actionable

practical pieces of advice I wish I had

when I was coming up and practice what

I'm preaching check out the card over

here or the link down below where I'm

prioritizing my personal project and to

take you along the entire Journey The

Good the Bad the Ugly the success the

failures all of it right here on YouTube

so subscribe if you're a Dev or if

you're interested in that sash journey I

post a new video every week and with

that I will see you next week

peace