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Why soft skills are just as important as hard skills

Author:
Vandana Sudhir
January 9, 2023

Hiring is an ever changing process that demands companies to create a priority list of necessary qualities for the candidates. Hard tech skills are of course important, but you also need to make sure you have a happy and efficient team. And for that you need soft skills like communication, adaptability and good work ethics. Knowing that, how can you be sure to hire the best possible candidate for the position?

The answer is simple: Hire on culture fit and teach the tech skills. This way, not only do you close the skill gap, you also get to build a cohesive and united group that is going to be in sync.

And how do you teach tech skills in a short amount of time? Bootcamps. Short intensive training can bring a person from zero to hero fast. And after that, being surrounded by other developers will take these people to new levels of expertise. Put a newly graduated bootcamper with an experienced medior/senior, and watch the magic happen.

With this in mind, I can’t help but mention myself as one example. After 10 years as an English teacher, I fell in love with coding and decided to switch into technology. Having no technical background, I was afraid it would be impossible. But I took the Codaisseur bootcamp and it changed my life. I was able to quickly find a job and start a new career from scratch using all those years in the classroom to my advantage. Being a teacher made me a better communicator and team player. I learned to express my ideas in a clear and sharp manner without being abrasive or obnoxious, all while managing to keep heterogeneous groups connected and happy.  

Another win from my prior career is that I got to spend a decade with all kinds of people from the most diverse backgrounds, which made me more creative and empathetic. I can now approach problems in a unique and innovative way, creating solutions that are more efficient, effective, and user-friendly, simply by changing my point of view and allowing myself to see the problem from another perspective. 

 

After some time of working as a Software Developer, I decided to come back to Codaisseur, but this time as a teacher. Finally I was able to combine my 2 passions: Coding and teaching. Can you imagine how happy that made me? I could help all these amazing people who had all different kinds of experiences find their way in a new field. Flight attendants, waiters, nurses, public relation specialists, professors, soldiers, hotel managers. Everyone had a chance to change fields and go into a new career! And even though Codaisseur no longer exists, I keep my passion to teach in Techmongers. Here we also help people change fields and upscale their knowledge. 

To make a stronger case for career switchers, we can also talk about another example of successful career change: Maicon de Morais. He contacted me some time ago on Linkedin asking for references regarding Codaisseur. We went out for coffee and ever since we’ve been friends. He used to be a chemistry researcher in Academia, but decided to take the Codaisseur bootcamp and go into tech. He says that his background gave him a vision of how to seek solutions to problems in a broader way, always keeping in mind how things connect and how every part of the system will be affected by changes. He adds that the academic environment made him aware of how important it is to stay up to date, always reading articles and looking for new tools to deal with different situations.  All these things combined certainly made him able to think outside of the box. 

Not only that, but his soft skills have also been improved. Working in groups, being assertive, solving problems and sharing knowledge are all actions a researcher like him has to do on a daily basis, and he brought all those things to his new career as a developer. 

Maicon goes on to summarize the whole changing careers situation very well, saying:  “The world is heterogeneous and that's what makes big companies move forward. When the mindset is expanded, there are different ways of thinking, acting, innovating. Technical knowledge is taught, but the way of thinking, acting and achieving goals, this is part of each individual and if you did it once, I believe you can do it again. In addition to that, the opportunity given to someone who had the courage to migrate to another field and bring all that background knowledge with them will certainly be valued by the market.” 

Bootcampers bring a unique set of soft skills and experiences to the table. They have proven their ability to learn quickly and adapt to new technologies, which is extremely valuable to a company. They are highly motivated and driven to succeed, and they are willing to put in the hard work and dedication necessary to succeed in their roles. Additionally, their diverse backgrounds and perspectives can bring fresh ideas and insights to the company. Overall, career switchers can be a valuable asset to any company and can contribute significantly to its success.

Grow your team.
Techmongers allows you to offer your own tech academy with boot camps or internships and continued learning. You hire on culture and we give your new hires the skills they need to work best in your company.
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