Hey there, fellow developers!
Remember when you first started coding and thought that was all you needed to know? If you have been in the industry even for a bit now, you're not going to be surprised if I say that as one grows in this industry, they realise that your ability to communicate makes or breaks your career progression.
So, let's chat about how to level up your communication game, from your first "Hello World" to leading a team of rockstar devs. 🤞
Master the Basics, But Make Them Shine
Look, we all know developers need to learn to code. But here's the kicker - make your projects stand out. When I started, I built a simple CRUD app. Boring, right? So I made one that was not boring, it was a Photo Upload app, way before Flickr was on the scene! Each upload got it's own shareable URL and allowed others to comment on it. It was a hit at interviews!
Network Like Your Career Depends on It (Because It Does)
Remember my Impromptu Meetups (https://impromptu.community) ? That's networking gold! You don't need to organise meetups, but make sure you show up to them. Chat with people, share your projects, and listen to theirs. Who knows? Your next job might come from a random conversation over chai.
Speak Human, Not Just Machine
Here's a pro tip: practice explaining your code to your non-tech friends or family. If your dada-ji can understand what your app does, you're on the right track. This skill will save your life in interviews and client meetings.
Climbing the Career Ladder
Team Talk: More Than Just Stand-ups
In my early days at a previous startup, we had this rule: no tech jargon in meetings unless absolutely necessary. It forced us to communicate clearly and helped the non-tech folks understand our challenges. Try it with your team!
Document, Your Future Self Will Thank You
Trust me, future you will be grateful. I once spent a week deciphering my own code from a year ago. Eventually, I started commenting my code like I was explaining it to a junior dev. It saved me countless hours and headaches.
Be the Bridge
As you grow, you'll often find yourself translating between the tech and non-tech worlds. On multiple occasions I've had to explain to a non tech stakeholder on why we couldn't just "add more people to the problem" to get the release out overnight. Use analogies, draw diagrams, whatever it takes to get the point across.
Feedback: Give It, Take It, Love It
During my time at Atlassian, we have a culture of Kudos. Everyone, occasionally shares one thing they appreciated about any teammate's work. It creates a culture of open communication and continuous improvement.
Remote Work: Over-communicate, Don't Overwhelm
When I started working with a distributed team, I made the mistake of bombarding them with messages. With time, I understood, it is important to explain things using low lower level language and ensure metrics shared across are accompanied by the sources and links to the dashboard where it can be drilled deeper into if needed. Learn to balance keeping everyone in the loop without flooding their inboxes. A daily summary works wonders.
Public Speaking: It's Not as Scary as You Think
Start small. Share your learnings in team meetings. Then maybe do a lightning talk at a local meet-up. Before you know it, you might be giving a talk at a major conference. I still get nervous every time before my stage times, but the rush after a good presentation is unbeatable!
Personal Branding: Show Your Work
Remember, in our industry, your work often speaks louder than your words. Start a blog, contribute to open source, or make tutorial videos. It's how I grew TeamShiksha, and it's opened doors I never even knew existed.
The Secret Sauce
Here's the thing - the best communicators in tech are often the ones who can explain complex ideas simply. They're the devs who can chat with the CEO about business impact, then turn around and debug a tricky issue with a junior dev.
As you grow in your career, remember that every line of code you write is a form of communication - with the computer, sure, but also with your fellow developers, your future self, and the users of your product.
So, the next time you're knee-deep in a coding sprint, take a moment to think about how you're communicating:
Are your variable names clear?
Is your code structure logical?
Could someone else pick up where you left off?
Communication isn't just about talking - it's about connecting, understanding, and collaborating. Master this, and you'll not only be a great developer, but a great tech leader.
Now, go forth and communicate! And hey, if you're ever in Bengaluru, drop by one of our Impromptu Meetups. We can chat more about this over some adrak wali chai!
