Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and how to develop them?
Empathy is the key skill. Yes, it's learned.<p>The ability to walk in somebody else's shoes for a while makes you a better developer. Why?<p>* You acquire the habit of imagining what it's like to use the stuff you develop.<p>* You have a feel for the daily experience of your colleagues, suppliers, executives and other stakeholders.<p>These things give you the sort of spidey-sense that lets you function independently. They also give you the ability to enlist other people to get things done.<p>How can you learn empathy? Like any skill, it takes practice.<p>--Listen to strangers. The question "what are you doing this afternoon" asked at lunch will usually get an interesting response.  Interject "wow" - like sounds to keep them talking.<p>--Seek opportunities to meet end-users of your stuff. (Ask sales people to take you along on calls if that's appropriate). Observe their work.<p>--Ask your executives and project managers questions like, "what keeps you awake at night?" And listen to the answers.<p>--Teach. It doesn't matter whether you teach short courses or get a night job as an adjunct professor at your local CoCo. Your interactions with students will help develop your empathy.<p>People love to talk about themselves. You can take advantage of that to practice empathy.