Soft Skills Engineering
Two experienced software engineers answer listener questions about the non-technical side of the job, from office politics to career growth.
This is a Q&A show where two veteran engineers, Dave Smith and Jamison Dance, apply their experience to listener problems. Each episode tackles two or three questions, ranging from navigating a difficult team process to asking for a raise or deciding when to quit. The hosts' advice is practical, empathetic, and often delivered with a dose of humor and self-awareness.
“Unlike many tech podcasts that focus on code and tools, this show is exclusively about the human side of software development. Its listener Q&A format and the hosts' chemistry make the advice feel personal and immediately applicable.”
Who hosts this show
Soft Skills Engineering is a weekly advice podcast for software developers hosted by Jamison Dance and Dave Smith. Both are experienced engineers who have held leadership and management roles at various tech companies. The show's format is centered around answering listener-submitted questions about the non-technical challenges of a software engineering career.
Credentials & credits
- Jamison Dance: Head of Engineering at Droplet
- Jamison Dance: former Director of Software Engineering at Shortcut
- Jamison Dance: former Senior Engineering Manager at Walmart Global Tech
- Dave Smith: 20 years of experience as a software engineer
- Dave Smith: former Director of Engineering at HireVue
- Dave Smith: currently works for Amazon on Alexa
Other ventures
- Jamison Dance: Co-founder of JavaScript Jabber podcast
- Jamison Dance: Co-organizer of React Rally conference
- Jamison Dance: Founder of Fivestack (consultancy)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 02
- 03Episode 516: Not a baby and my product manager doesn't know the productJun 8, 2026 · 37 min
- 04
- 05
- 06Episode 513: Forgotten employee and what skills actually matter in the AI worldMay 18, 2026 · 37 min
- 07Episode 512: Can non-engineers really contribute code with AI and not sharingMay 11, 2026 · 43 min
- 08
Notable episodes
- 01Episode 518: stuck at startup and is my employer mistreating me because I'm on a visa?
Addresses common feelings of being stuck in a long-term job and the specific anxieties related to job security while on a work visa.
- 02Episode 516: Not a baby and my product manager doesn't know the product
Tackles a frequent source of friction for engineers: dealing with inefficient processes and non-technical managers on technical projects.
- 03Episode 513: Forgotten employee and what skills actually matter in the AI world
A timely episode discussing the fear of being left behind by re-orgs and the evolving skill set required in the age of AI.
What you'll be asked on this show
This is a two-host, audio-only podcast with no guests; it is not an interview show. Episodes begin with light banter, followed by a lengthy and humorous reading of pun-based names from their Patreon supporters. The remainder of the show is dedicated to reading and thoroughly discussing two to three listener questions.
Signature segments
- · Humorous reading of Patreon supporter names
Topics covered repeatedly
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The show appears to be primarily listener-supported through Patreon. A recurring signature segment involves the hosts reading supporters' names, some of which are humorous plugs for other companies or projects.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- What are the hosts' names?
- The hosts are Jamison Dance and Dave Smith.
- Is Soft Skills Engineering still being produced?
- Yes, it is a weekly podcast that has been running since 2016.
- What is the format of the show?
- It's a co-hosted Q&A show where the hosts answer listener-submitted questions about the non-technical aspects of software engineering. It is not an interview show.
- How can I ask a question?
- You can submit questions through the 'Ask a Question' form on their official website, softskills.audio.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on their website, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and most other podcast apps.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
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