Professional Skills for Software Engineers • Charles Humble & Trisha Gee • GOTO 2025

This interview was recorded for the GOTO Book Club. #GOTOcon #GOTObookclub http://gotopia.tech/bookclub Read the full transcription of the interview here: https://gotopia.tech/episodes/373 Charles Humble - Freelance Techie, Podcaster, Editor, Author & Consultant Trisha Gee - Lead Developer Evangelist at Gradle, Java Champion & Co-Author of "Getting to Know IntelliJ IDEA" @TrishaGee RESOURCES Charles https://bsky.app/profile/charleshumble.bsky.social https://linkedin.com/in/charleshumble https://mastodon.social/@charleshumble https://conissaunce.com Trisha https://bsky.app/profile/trishagee.bsky.social https://twitter.com/trisha_gee https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishagee https://trishagee.com https://github.com/trishagee Links https://www.conissaunce.com/professional-skills-shortcut.html https://www.jeanettewinterson.com https://youtu.be/hIwVqt6qtc4 https://youtu.be/m7cWdYVAzX0 https://youtu.be/LTFe7Zj-hzQ https://youtu.be/wNT2qkusVrA https://youtu.be/acqcyX-tpf4 https://youtu.be/vol72ZnAQqI https://youtu.be/5lRgYrYHB8k https://youtu.be/LlAn452X4Lc https://youtu.be/H0EK0B1QvVA https://youtu.be/k2acwYoz3w8 https://youtu.be/DxO6IxPKRPY https://youtu.be/RtMmxqkPVug https://youtu.be/4wH-BI2YeX4 https://youtu.be/sQOHhoCSfak https://youtu.be/JB87qJGSvuk https://youtu.be/7bvQXb3Nv0E https://youtu.be/RNdspOqbBEk https://youtu.be/o8I0M5vjdyE https://youtu.be/dU_WHead0oY https://youtu.be/xI5qEJ39KMc https://youtu.be/Pv0cfsastFs https://youtu.be/xtmc-gTSPeA https://youtu.be/dzvTlhPXvfE https://youtu.be/pfinplXtrkA https://youtu.be/xsMUuOwv7IA https://youtu.be/yiGAfjGrrVs https://youtu.be/K2mx9ZaNDyE https://youtu.be/7oIs4kNH65Y https://youtu.be/T47k2tHXmOA DESCRIPTION Trisha Gee interviews Charles Humble on his project "Professional Skills for Software Engineers", a collection of 14 articles organized into four categories: • communication • critical thinking • documentation • networking Charles argues that career success in software engineering oftentimes depends more on non-programming skills than technical ability. Both Charles and Trisha emphasize that these skills are learnable and essential, despite being undervalued in the industry as mere "soft skills". The conversation covers how intentional communication improves product development, the value of networking and public speaking for career advancement, and ways engineers can generate ideas for content creation while taking ownership of their career development. The interview makes a compelling case that developing these professional skills benefits both individual engineers and the industry as a whole. TIMECODES 00:00 Intro 00:20 Non-technical skills that drive tech careers 05:58 Why soft skills aren't soft 12:24 Gaining visibility without compromising your authenticity 15:59 Communication varies by medium & career stage 25:55 Communication as a core engineering competency 29:22 Presenting opens unexpected career doors 32:28 Ethical voices can influence tech future 42:20 Career advancement through visibility & voice 55:47 Outro RECOMMENDED BOOKS Charles Humble • Professional Skills for Software Engineers • https://www.conissaunce.com/professional-skills-shortcut Trisha Gee & Helen Scott • Getting to Know IntelliJ IDEA • https://amzn.to/3ZBgnGc Kevlin Henney & Trisha Gee • 97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know • https://amzn.to/3kiTwJJ Trisha Gee, Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates • Head First Java • https://amzn.to/3k59BJ6 Anne Currie, Sarah Hsu, & Sara Bergman • Building Green Software • https://amzn.to/3IKopW5 Ioannis Kolaxis • 101 Green Software • https://www.kolaxis.dev/book-green-software Cal Newport • Deep Work • https://amzn.to/3RlicEx Martin Fowler • UML Distilled • https://amzn.to/3GdBObf Cathy O'Neil • Weapons of Math Destruction • https://amzn.to/42jYkba https://bsky.app/profile/gotocon.com https://twitter.com/GOTOcon https://www.linkedin.com/company/goto- https://www.instagram.com/goto_con https://www.facebook.com/GOTOConferences #ProfessionalSkills #CriticalThinking #Communication #SystemsThinking #Documentation #SoftSkills #TechLead #CareerAdvice #TodayInTech #SoftwareDevelopment #SoftwareEngineering #Programming #TodayInTech #CharlesHumble #TrishaGee #BookClub CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUS Join this channel to get early access to videos & other perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/join Looking for a unique learning experience? Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket at https://gotopia.tech Sign up for updates and specials at https://gotopia.tech/newsletter SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL - new videos posted almost daily. https://www.youtube.com/user/GotoConferences/?sub_confirmation=1