4 ms·

It's definitely undervalued by engineers themselves. I.e., the majority don't seem to treat this skill as a priority in their professional development. However,

It's definitely undervalued by engineers themselves. I.e., the majority don't seem to treat this skill as a priority in their professional development. However, it's definitely not undervalued by the companies that hire them. Especially as they progress through their careers, where they will experience a glass-ceiling affect if they have not sharpened that skill. EDIT: Fixed stupid autocorrect error (thanks sokoloff). I wish browser inputs had grammar hints as well as spelling correction.

sokoloff 7y ago
Though I was a "pretty good or better" software engineer, it's almost surely the case that I've made more career gains from English-language writing than code-writing during my career. (Normally I'd let this pass without comment, but because of the specific topic of this comment chain, you mean "glass-ceiling effect" not "affect" there.)
sanderjd 7y ago
I think this is true inside a company, but it is another example of how weird our hiring techniques are. Writing plays basically no part in the hiring process. So for those engineers who have progressed by sharpening that skill, it is jarring to find that the barrier to their next job takes absolutely no account of it. You can spend years impacting or entirely setting the technical direction of a project or entire company through your writing (and verbal communication as well), and then find that all you're asked during your interview for your next job is to solve some made up problem using code on a whiteboard. It's bizarre.
- sokoloff 7y ago
  Your comment made me realize that even when we hire execs/senior execs, I can't recall ever specifically evaluating their writing skills. I only recall doing so for dedicated comms people, but it's just as relevant for execs and yet we don't seem to do it there either.

4 ms·

It's definitely undervalued by engineers themselves. I.e., the majority don't seem to treat this skill as a priority in their professional development. However,

by stronglikedan 7y ago

sokoloff 7y ago
Though I was a "pretty good or better" software engineer, it's almost surely the case that I've made more career gains from English-language writing than code-writing during my career. (Normally I'd let this pass without comment, but because of the specific topic of this comment chain, you mean "glass-ceiling effect" not "affect" there.)
sanderjd 7y ago
I think this is true inside a company, but it is another example of how weird our hiring techniques are. Writing plays basically no part in the hiring process. So for those engineers who have progressed by sharpening that skill, it is jarring to find that the barrier to their next job takes absolutely no account of it. You can spend years impacting or entirely setting the technical direction of a project or entire company through your writing (and verbal communication as well), and then find that all you're asked during your interview for your next job is to solve some made up problem using code on a whiteboard. It's bizarre.
- sokoloff 7y ago
  Your comment made me realize that even when we hire execs/senior execs, I can't recall ever specifically evaluating their writing skills. I only recall doing so for dedicated comms people, but it's just as relevant for execs and yet we don't seem to do it there either.