I am a big fan of podcasts. I love listening to podcasts while I go for walks, do chores, commute, etc. My podcast library covers a myriad of topics – health, news, politics, media analysis, organizational psychology, etc. Since I am starting my first software engineering role this January, I thought it would be a good idea to find some software engineering podcasts to get me more acquainted with the practicalities of software engineering. I’ve found a few gems that I really enjoy and I would like to share those with you and why I recommend them.
Here are my current top 3 SWE-related podcasts in no particular order:
Tagline: “It takes more than great code to be a great engineer. Soft Skills Engineering is a weekly advice podcast for software developers.”
This is a podcast hosted by two experienced software engineers who, as the name of the podcast suggests, dive into the less technical side of software engineering. I often hear how important soft skills are in software engineering since so much of your job entails dealing with people, whether that’s understanding client requirements, dealing with inner team conflict, empathizing with users, persuading managers to see your point of view, etc.
In each episode, the hosts try to answer two user-submitted questions that pertain to situations they’ve dealt with at work. The questions range from standard (e.g. “how do I stand out as the sole remote worker in an onsite team?”) to pure zany (e.g. “how do I deal with my coworker’s stinky feet?”). It’s helpful to hear the hosts explore their experiences and explain what they might do in that particular situation. It also gets bonus points for all the silly, geeky humor!
Tagline: “A software engineering podcast featuring a panel of Software Engineers from Netflix, Twitch, & Atlassian talking over drinks about Frontend, JavaScript, and career development.”
This podcast is a solid mix of technical and non-technical conversation. The topics are far-reaching; they range from migrations to web performance to allyship and diversity and inclusion. However, the name of the podcast does not lie; it is definitely frontend-oriented. To be honest, I’m not that interested in the frontend. I’m far more interested in backend development but I still really enjoy this podcast. I enjoy listening to senior developers talk about issues they’ve run into, their advice and recommendations, their opinions on the latest trends, etc. I’m sure that there is plenty that backend developers can glean from this podcast. Also, backend developers should probably be keeping tabs on what’s happening in the frontend anyway!
Software engineering is a ridiculously fast-paced industry. Things evolve so fast and it can feel nigh impossible to stay abreast of the latest trends so it’s useful to hear new trends being digested and analyzed through the lens of more experienced software engineers.
Tagline: “CodeNewbie is teaming up with the incredible Vaidehi Joshi to turn her base.cs blog series into an awesome podcast.”
This is the most technical podcast of the bunch since each episode covers a computer science topic like Big O, binary trees, compilers, etc. This might sound a little too technical but the hosts break down the topics in a very light and accessible way. If you’re someone that gets anxious at hearing the word “LeetCode,” this podcast may be for you! Many episodes are centered on the data structures and algorithms that you might see in an interview setting. But again, the information is presented in a non-judgmental, friendly way. You won’t walk away from the podcast ready to ace a Google technical interview but the hosts do a wonderful job of gently introducing the listeners to complex computer science topics. It’s even more impressive that it’s done over audio! If you prefer text and illustrations, you can visit the base.cs blog series that the podcast is based on.
Please let me know if you end up listening to any of the podcasts I recommended and if you enjoyed them. I would also love to hear your podcast recommendations!
