Networking tips for software developers

Yes, we are talking about people-to-people networking

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

As much as we value technical competencies as software developers, we have to acknowledge that soft skills are equally as important, if not more important. We can be stubborn enough to ignore this reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences. If we do, our career progress and satisfaction will be unnecessarily impeded.

“Reality continues to ruin my life.”

— Bill Watterson, cartoonist of Calvin and Hobbes

There is a multitude of benefits when you have healthy relationships in the industry. These include:

• more pleasant daily work
• more chance of skirting around the unnecessary corporate bureaucracy
• easier to get a new job you want, as opposed to the “apply and hope” approach
• access to information before it becomes available via official channels
• easier to get help from people even if they are not officially obligated to help you

I’m sure there is some official all-encompassing definition of the term “networking”. To me, networking means establishing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships.