Soft skills in IT fields

Cyb0rgdilly · December 2021

So step #1 is to load up on hard knowledge (classes, courses, books, certs) and then land a cool job that you love to do.

But what about soft skills like dealing with people and personalities in the workplace and even online or telephone communications.

I have noticed a few younger people that seem to lack real life communication skills and I am uncertain how exactly to describe it. They seem to know how to code but have no personality and everything is very straight forward and stiff and nervous in the socializing department.

And you know what, it could be just plain old age discrimination because I am middle aged and not 20 years old anymore and I have heard younger people are more narrow today about who they associate with. I could imagine some IT departments are one age bracket like 22-24 year olds because they simply do not want to associate with people outside their rigid social circles? Who knows where I get this stuff from but I am just putting it out there!

Maybe IT people tend to be introverted and quiet and cautious about social interactions?

What about others that are more outgoing or more extroverted and willing to chat organically?

I guess this is just about how well do you get along with people at your jobs? These computers are not exactly driving themselves on their own! So what makes things tick for you at the workplace and with your interactions with colleagues?

UnixGuy · December 2021

Cyb0rgdilly said:

And you know what, it could be just plain old age discrimination because I am middle aged and not 20 years old anymore and I have heard younger people are more narrow today about who they associate with. I could imagine some IT departments are one age bracket like 22-24 year olds because they simply do not want to associate with people outside their rigid social circles? Who knows where I get this stuff from but I am just putting it out there!

you answered your own rant.

It's you, not them.

UnixGuy · December 2021

@Cyb0rgdilly

I didn't mean to be abrupt, but you're making a sweeping generalisation about people in IT, which is basically all of us in this forum

I'll try to answer your question (if I understand it correctly). I didn't find IT people to be extra introverted or lacking in social skills, it also hasn't been my experience that (quoting you): " some IT departments are one age bracket like 22-24 year olds because they simply do not want to associate with people outside their rigid social circles".

I'm not sure what gave you this impression, but if you give people benefit of the doubt, they're not all bad. It's a misconception that people in IT are social outcasts and that people in other departments are better. It's not the 1980s anymore, the world has changed and "IT" is such a broad field with so much demand that you will meet all sorts of people in the field if you keep an open mind and are sociable yourself.

Hope this helps

JDMurray · December 2021

Cyb0rgdilly said:

I could imagine some IT departments are one age bracket like 22-24 year olds because they simply do not want to associate with people outside their rigid social circles? Who knows where I get this stuff from but I am just putting it out there!

Age discrimination can work to your benefit too. If you are a worker aged 40-60, you might not want to work in an IT shop that is filled with 20-year-olds because you will never fit into their cliques. The hiring managers know this and tacitly pass on hiring you for that reason and is actually doing you a favor. This is an example of considering how well a job candidate will fit into an existing team based on their personality and attitude. For myself, I only enjoy working with much younger people who also enjoy working with me. I really don't have time at work to be a babysitter or a therapist for anyone.

E Double U · December 2021

Cyb0rgdilly said:

I have noticed a few younger people that seem to lack real life communication skills and I am uncertain how exactly to describe it. They seem to know how to code but have no personality and everything is very straight forward and stiff and nervous in the socializing department.

And you know what, it could be just plain old age discrimination because I am middle aged and not 20 years old anymore and I have heard younger people are more narrow today about who they associate with. I could imagine some IT departments are one age bracket like 22-24 year olds because they simply do not want to associate with people outside their rigid social circles? Who knows where I get this stuff from but I am just putting it out there!

Maybe IT people tend to be introverted and quiet and cautious about social interactions?

What about others that are more outgoing or more extroverted and willing to chat organically?

Lacking communication skills is not age specific. People at all ages can be that way. What you call 'no personality' can be applied to any age group. In my opinion, outgoing youth remain outgoing as adults and the same can be said of the not-so outgoing in a lot of cases. Based on you mentioning what you have "heard" about today's youth makes me think you have very little to no dealings with them so you resort to generalizations. My entire IT career has had a mix of all age brackets on every single team and I have not seen this phenomenom that you speak of. I have seen young/middle-aged/old introverts and young/middle-aged/old extroverts. None of my real-world experience makes me think certain ages or "IT people" are a certain way.

Honestly, based on this post and several others you have made I wonder about your own soft skills. Regarding your statement "who knows where I get this stuff from", I wonder the same on most of the threads you have started.

P.S. I am 41 if it matters

JDMurray · December 2021

There is no single reason why people do or don't get hired. Attempting to pin a possible outcome on a single factor is not useful in determining how best to get a job. Ultimately, you are at the mercy of the job description, HR department, interview committee, and the other candidate(s) applying for the same position as yourself. In other words, there are a lot of factors involved that you have absolutely no control over. If you are worried about what may result then you will never roll the dice.

E Double U · December 2021

mildr said:

I can highlight some important soft skills in IT:
Communication
Creativity and flexibility
Self-discipline
Critical thinking
Attentiveness
Proactivity
Adaptability

Seems like important soft skills for life in general. That is why soft-skills are so crucial because they need to be applied in both our personal and professional lives. Not only to one specific job sector.

FluffyBunny · January 2022

E Double U said:

Based on you mentioning what you have "heard" about today's youth makes me think you have very little to no dealings with them so you resort to generalizations. My entire IT career has had a mix of all age brackets on every single team and I have not seen this phenomenom that you speak of. I have seen young/middle-aged/old introverts and young/middle-aged/old extroverts. None of my real-world experience makes me think certain ages or "IT people" are a certain way.

I can only agree with you, E.

At the office, I generally work with people between 22 and 68, they come in all shapes, sizes and personalities. Outgoing, quiet, lazy, enthusiastic, nerdy, sporty. I mean, there's bound to be variety in large groups, no?

I also teach young adults, ranging from 16 to 30. Even with the very strict audience demographic (they are all on the autistic spectrum) there are huge differences in personality and social interactions. Some are quiet, some are eager to show off their skills, some are open about hobbies, some are very open about their personal lives and their fears and dreams, while others are more reserved.

As has been said: OP makes broad generalizations which have little to no basis in reality.

Soft skills in IT fields

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