5 Reasons Why You Should Write Every Day as a Software Engineer (To Get a Competitive Advantage)

Plus, the best resources on the internet to start writing right now.

Every software engineer should be writing online.

Writing is a skill as valuable as learning how to code or mastering a new framework. Every software engineer out there sharing their ideas and experiences with the world, collecting feedback, and improving their writing is increasing their “career capital”—by adding a new skill to their skill set. They are increasingly making themselves stand out from the crowd because the average software engineer restricts himself to just the technical aspects of this industry.

There are 5 reasons why you should write every day as a software engineer to get a competitive advantage.

• You will solidify your knowledge.

• You will create valuable connections.

• You will create your knowledge library.

• You will diversify your sources of income.

• You will add new projects to your portfolio.

Let’s dive in.

You will solidify your knowledge.

If you put effort into explaining ideas concisely and clearly, you will understand the topics you care about more.

Explaining something to someone else is the best way to understand it better. The best software engineers are also the best mentors, educators, and leaders because they have deep mastery over the topics they work on regularly. They achieve that level of mastery by dedicating time to explaining things to others and caring about every word and detail to get their message across in the best way possible.

Writing is the best way you can start educating people on the topics you care about at scale right now.

You will create valuable connections.

The best side effect of sharing your thoughts with the world is that the people who resonate with them will become powerful allies.

There will always be a group of people out there who share your opinions, are on your same journey, or relate to something from your past. Software engineers who understand this use the power of writing online as a tool to strengthen their network of connections. More connections mean more opportunities.

These allies, these core followers, can unlock many possibilities for your future—they can lead to beneficial collaborations, landing a better job, or becoming your customers for a service you provide.

You will create your knowledge library.

Next time someone asks you about a topic you have written about before, you can refer them to your blog, your book, or your LinkedIn profile without repeating yourself.

Once you start writing, you start creating your own library of knowledge. Software engineers who have spent years writing now have an autopilot way of referring readers to their work without wasting time—a link on their bio or a reference to their post at the end of a Twitter thread. The more you write, the more omnipresent you become and the more accessible your writing becomes to more people.

The more you have written, the more you can show that to future customers—showcasing that you are a professional in your field who cares about educating others as part of your work.

You will diversify your sources of income.

Writing is a way to boost your income in the digital age.

Making money from your writing has never been easier. Software engineers who leverage the power of reaching thousands, potentially millions, of people with their ideas benefit by leading customers to SaaS products, newsletters, courses, or eBooks, to name a few options. Why depend on a salary if you can take matters into your own hands?

Just because you decided to code for a living doesn’t mean that’s the only thing you can do for a living—keep coding, keep working your 9-5 job, but care enough about your financial independence to take writing as a serious business.

You will add new projects to your portfolio.

A new written piece is no different from creating a new software product.

Crafting any post or article requires the same focus, research, effort, and attention to detail as any new feature you add to a Python project. Software engineers who treat their writing similar to how they treat their coding projects are doubling the size of their portfolio. The more they write, the more they add to it—and the more they can showcase to future employers.

Using writing as a way to gain experience and show “completed work” to anyone who finds your CV will only increase your chances of getting noticed—whether that is a job offer, a promotion, or a business opportunity.

Start writing now.

Now you understand how beneficial writing can be to anyone involved in software engineering.

You have the potential to:

• Achieve financial independence.

• Connect with like-minded people.

• Build a library of knowledge with your personal touch.

Here are 6 resources to get you started: newsletters, an online writing community and platform, and the GOAT of online writing.