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It is just as difficult to learn how communicate technical material to peers and lay audiences as it is to learn the technical material itself. Before becoming a dev I spent almost a decade training and involved in Christian ministry, a surprisingly technical field. It's hammered into your head you need to balance technical excellence and impactful communication to lay-audiences. You can't sacrifice either. I don't think devs are given that perspective. Some observations I've had
- 'Dev in a cave' do exist though, are more prevalent in software/engineering that elsewhere. They aren't the majority, but you will interact with them if you interact with developers/engineers.
- Computer science and engineerings curriculums absolutely do not prioritize good communication. Even if devs come from informal backgrounds, they are in the same boat of needing to learn how to communicate technical material.
- Even if most devs understand communication is important, they don't seem to appreciate how much work it takes, and are not likely aware of the ways to develop those skills.
- The only real exceptions I've found to the above are people like myself who've come into development from some humanities discipline (philosophy, history, english, etc). Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and maybe a bit of German is the baseline for a theologian worth their salt. Include with that a working knowledge of history (Greco-Roman, Ancient Near Eastern, Mediaval, Reformation/Renaissance era, and Modern), philsophy, linguistics, and literature. These are of course extras on top of the primary area of study in biblical studies, systematic theology, pastoral theology, and historical theology. |