Being Well Rounded

Being a well rounded developer is an important tribute. Being able to know multiple languages, API's, and technologies in general can make you a huge asset to any company.
In fact, the more well rounded you are, the better your salary and job security (usually).

This thought and tribute carries over harshly to soft skills. Soft skills are something that we all must work on regularly. We as a society change over time and our interactions change along with it. The interpersonal communication skills we had even so little as 10 years ago is drastically different. Ironically the advances in technology is partially what brought us to this.
There is also something to be said about societal norms that we have allowed and changed over the years, some for better and some for worse. I'll leave that for another time/post though.

I find that the more diversified I become in skills, the easier other things come to me. Imagine a world where everyone could learn easily. We could spend a week learning to paint, a week learning to code, and be masters of both inside of a month. This is not so though, developing skills takes time and effort. Some skills take a life time to even come close to comprehending the basics of. Others take near no time at all to gain a bountiful understanding of.

Diversified doesn't mean master of all the skills you'll ever need. Usually it means something like you can dabble in several different technologies, not that you are at a senior level of understanding. I like to try my hand at different things. I have a wide range of skills that include everything from programming, to working on cars. I have a degree in Automotive Service Technology, Business Administration, and Computer Programming. I'm all over the place basically.

What does one have to do with the other? How does me replacing struts on my fiances Explorer, or trekking back into a river bed to go fishing, or writing JavaScript code relate? They are all beneficial and circle back around to each other in a couple of different ways.

First off, having all of these skills makes me more of a well rounded person. This means on an interpersonal level I have more connections with every single person I encounter. Having a connection can be imperative to make someone feel comfortable. Being comfortable breeds trust and honesty. If you are timid around someone, you will naturally feel less inclined to be honest as you trust the person less.

Secondly, each skill you learn will use a different part of your brain. I'm not implying this will make you smarter, though that may be a side effect. Using a different part of your brain naturally will make you a better learner.

When learning its easier to relate to new skills from ones you already have. Take drawing. If you draw constantly and are good at it, lets say even mastered it, you should have a good skill of holding the pencil and drawing curved lines.
I would be willing to bet if you were already a master of drawing and you wanted to learn a new skill that requires similar attributes, it would be much easier to learn. Something like calligraphy should be fairly easily picked up.

Remember that there are hundreds of facets to the thought of being well rounded. Its not everyday that you need to be, but when its needed and counts, it can separate you heavily from the others around you.

I do have a book to recommend for ALL programmers out there titled Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual. Lets face it, most of us cannot cope with the thought of looking through the new set of eyes that we so lovingly have named "soft skills". This book is written by John Sonmez, I have watched hours of his videos for advice, and information. This is a great book for anyone, even those of us who have acquired some of the skills necessary to check off "soft skills" on the list of items needed to get a job, or progress in the one you already have.