Rephonic
Artwork for Soft Skills Engineering

Soft Skills Engineering

Jamison Dance and Dave Smith
Software Development
Software Engineering
Team Dynamics
Career Development
Artificial Intelligence
Work-Life Balance
Remote Work
Job Market
Engineering Management
Workplace Culture
Workplace Dynamics
Productivity
Salary Negotiation
Project Management
Career Transition
Layoffs
Scrum
Startups
Big Tech
Technical Skills

It takes more than great code to be a great engineer. Soft Skills Engineering is a weekly advice podcast for software developers about the non-technical stuff that goes into being a great software developer.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes536Founded11 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TechnologyBusiness

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Soft Skills Engineering

Latest Episodes

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

*

Listener Random Listener asks,

You guys talk a lot about externalities, which helped me understand a lot about how my manager works. He wants to do things fast, but he does not follo... more

YouTube

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

*

Hi Soft Skills Engineering, I’m a senior software engineer with over 20 years of experience. I’m hoping you can help with with a problem where I’m dumb, weird and bad at my job!

Ther... more

YouTube

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

*

Hey Dave and Jamison.

I don’t know what to do with the amount of the AI slop I have to review and I’m getting close to burnout.

I have a lot of context on my project, so my colleag... more

YouTube

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

*

Hi Dave and Jamison,

I’ve been a Java backend dev for over 10 years. After getting laid off from a job I loved, I spent 3 tough months job hunting. I eventually landed a full-stack r... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

The Stack Overflow Podcast
The Stack Overflow PodcastThe Stack Overflow Podcast
Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats
Syntax - Tasty Web Development TreatsWes Bos & Scott Tolinski - Full Stack JavaScript Web Developers
Software Engineering Daily
Software Engineering DailySoftware Engineering Daily

Recent Guests

Dr. Strangecode
Senior developer at a mega corp (guest on the episode's Q&A segment)
Mega corporate employer
Episode: Episode 502: Management keeps leaving and I hate using AI to code

Hosts

Jamison Dance
Co-host focused on engineering culture, career guidance, and practical soft-skill strategies.
Dave Smith
Co-host who adds practical engineering workflow insights and leadership perspectives.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 1.5k ratings
  • Soft Skills Engineering is my number one most listened to comedy podcast.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Tomfried
    2 months ago
  • Ethics is a soft skill too

    Multiple discussions of LLMs but no mention of the catostrophic social and ecological impacts of their widespread use.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Ghostbrite
    United States8 months ago
  • Wow

    I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about sound but the sound is perfect. The content is amazing given I’m a kid and this explains my dream job so well. Keep it up please.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Edawgg44
    United Statesa year ago
  • The missing puzzle piece for a worrier entering (or growing in) the career field

    For someone who likes to be prepared and wants to be prepared to make the BEST decisions, this podcast is the (formerly) missing puzzle piece. As important as technical know-how is social know-how and this podcast covers that topic fantastically.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    DimensionlessDave
    United States2 years ago
  • Worthwhile topics but excessive time-wasting

    E.g. in the episode titled “Dark patterns…”, it took more than 5m:30s to actually address the question

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Noffica
    Canada2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Positive reception of actionable career advice and balance of humor with real-world guidance.
Some listeners cite audio quality issues but continue to value the content and its usefulness for career planning and workplace dynamics.
Strong praise for engaging hosts who discuss topics beyond pure tech, with helpful insights for managers and individual contributors alike.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#225
United States/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#151
United Kingdom/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#208
Germany/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#25
Mexico/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#46
United Arab Emirates/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#49
Saudi Arabia/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 534: I'm so bad at my job and I've inherited a huge slop pile
Q: How do I approach a massive AI-written codebase with no human engineer having validated it, and still make it actionable for the team?
Shift from line-by-line reading to defining stable contracts and tests, talk with the PM to align on intended behavior, and gradually build interfaces and adapters to integrate safely, while documenting understanding for future reference.
Episode 534: I'm so bad at my job and I've inherited a huge slop pile
Q: I'm hoping you can help me with a problem where I'm dumb, weird, and bad at my job.
Acknowledge memory gaps and focus on concrete process changes: write things down, involve a conscientious reviewer, and use automated tests to cement understanding and flag gaps early.
Episode 533: I'm drowning in AI slop from lazy coworkers
Q: What can I do about the burnout from constantly reviewing AI-generated slop and the pressure to move faster?
Set clear boundaries with your team and leadership, insist on reviewing for acceptance criteria, advocate for explicit signaling of human effort, and push for process changes (e.g., review norms, architecture-centric understanding, and honest discussions about what AI is good at). If your workload remains unhealthy, consider positioning your value and sanity to justify a change, including the possibility that the business may be better off if you step back from the most draining tasks.
Episode 529: Zoom calls on my open floor plan and laconic staff engineer
Q: What is a good approach to getting a stubborn engineer to explain why two variables are named differently and whether changing names would lose meaning?
Frame the question as a collaborative problem-solving exercise: propose named changes, explain what you would change and why, and ask whether the changes would impact meaning in the larger system. This invites the senior engineer to teach rather than simply answer, increasing the likelihood of a productive mentoring moment.
Episode 529: Zoom calls on my open floor plan and laconic staff engineer
Q: Hi Jamison and Dave, what should I do when a staff engineer answers with very short, laconic responses that don't seem to mentor juniors?
Try to model constructive communication by showing your effort, propose specific changes, and ask targeted questions about the underlying system. If possible, reach out to someone else who might be more willing to engage and explain why the issue matters in terms of a concrete business or project outcome. Demonstrating effort and asking for a specific, testable change can prompt a more helpful response and improve the mentorship dynamic.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Soft Skills Engineering

What is Soft Skills Engineering about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on the human side of software development, pairing practical career guidance with relatable workplace anecdotes. Episodes frequently explore topics like AI's impact on engineering culture, team dynamics, leadership, negotiating for growth, and maintaining learning and morale in fast-changing environments. Listeners often highlight how the hosts balance humor with concrete advice, making complex topics approachable for engineers at various career stages and company sizes. A standout is the consistent emphasis on soft skills—communication, collaboration, and career strategy—as essential complements to technical ability. The format tends to mix real-world questions, personal stories, and pragmatic frameworks, which can help l... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Soft Skills Engineering?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Soft Skills Engineering. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Soft Skills Engineering and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Soft Skills Engineering get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Soft Skills Engineering, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Soft Skills Engineering?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Soft Skills Engineering, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Soft Skills Engineering have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Soft Skills Engineering has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Soft Skills Engineering?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Soft Skills Engineering:

1. The Stack Overflow Podcast
2. Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats
3. Software Engineering Daily
4. The Pragmatic Engineer
5. Software Engineering Radio - the podcast for professional software developers

How many episodes of Soft Skills Engineering are there?

Soft Skills Engineering launched 11 years ago and published 536 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Soft Skills Engineering?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Soft Skills Engineering?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Soft Skills Engineering from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Soft Skills Engineering?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Soft Skills Engineering. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Soft Skills Engineering?

Recent guests on Soft Skills Engineering include:

1. Dr. Strangecode

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days