Soft Skills Quotes

“I’d prefer not to say what my current salary is because if it’s higher than what you expect to pay for this job, I wouldn’t want that to eliminate me from being considered for this job—because I might be willing to accept less for the right position—and, if it’s lower than what this job would pay, I wouldn’t want to sell myself short either— I’m sure you can understand.”
― John Sonmez, Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual

“all companies have their own individual cultures that can have a dramatic impact on your overall happiness and how much you feel that you fit in and belong where you’re at.”
― John Z. Sonmez, Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual

“Every step you take without a clear direction is a wasted step. Don’t randomly walk through life without a purpose for your career. Remember, not making a decision IS a decision, it’s just a decision to do nothing—and it’s usually the worst decision you can make.”
― John Z. Sonmez, Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual

“The service you provide is to create software. Just thinking about what you offer as a business in this way has a profound impact on how you view your career. Businesses are constantly revising their products and improving them. You should too. The service you provide as a software developer has a tangible value, and it’s your job to communicate not only what that value is, but what makes it different than the offerings of thousands of other software developers out there.”
― John Z. Sonmez, Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual

“It’s better to think of an employer as a customer for your business of developing software.”
― John Z. Sonmez, Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual

“Most software developers starting out in their careers make a few huge mistakes. The biggest of those mistakes, by far, is not treating their software development career as a business. Don’t be fooled; when you set out into the world to write code for a living, you’re no different than the blacksmith of old times setting up shop in a medieval town. Times may have changed, and most of us work for a company, but our skills and our trade belong to us and we can always choose to set up shop somewhere else.”
― John Z. Sonmez, Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual

“The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career! —Earl Nightingale”
― John Z. Sonmez, Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual