One day while sitting in a Waterstones bookshop by Trafalgar square, I noticed this mini book series called Lessons Learned by the Harvard Business school press. I picked up the one titled ‘Making your career’ and in it, a lady named Gill Rider describes that “If you are competent in something, you will feel and exude confidence”.

Specifically, in her case study she describes how she worked on a large client project that had gone wrong at the last minute and the negative impact it had on her confidence.  The cycle between confidence and competence works both ways. If you are not confident, then people perceive you as lacking competence.

One of the most inspiring blog posts I have read in a while is Brent Ozar’s Rock Stars, Normal People, and You, where he describes his process, struggles and efforts to get him where he is today. I believe that lots of Software Engineers, Web Developers etc could learn to invest in their soft skills, networking on LinkedIn or contributing to their community of choice.