The software engineering landscape is shifting rapidly. Coding is becoming "cheap" because of tools like Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Cursor etc. Interviews are evolving to focus on system design over syntax. In this Q&A, I break down exactly which skills matter now, how to negotiate the salary you deserve, and how to deal with difficult personalities on your team.
In this episode:
- How juniors can leverage AI tools to reach senior-level output
- Real-world salary negotiation tactics from my experience
- Why coding skills matter less in modern interviews (and what matters more)
- Handling "brilliant jerks" and toxic team culture
Whether you are looking for your first job with no experience or you are a mid-level dev trying to break into a Staff Engineer role, this session is packed with actionable career advice.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:06 - Handling Brilliant Jerks: Toxic Culture vs. High Performance
00:04:13 - How Juniors Can Use AI to Outperform Seniors
00:07:10 - The Future of Coding Interviews: System Design and AI
00:11:20 - The Real Difference Between Good and Great Developers
00:13:00 - One Mistake Mid-Level Developers Make That Stalls Growth
00:15:58 - Salary Negotiation Tactics: How I Got Two Raises in One Year
00:23:44 - Questions You Should Ask to Crush Your Tech Interview
00:27:42 - What Actually Moves the Needle: Side Projects vs. Experience
00:31:05 - Don't Wait for a Perfect Portfolio to Start Applying
00:32:25 - Finding Jobs: Why LinkedIn and Meetups Beat Job Boards
00:35:16 - Should Frontend Developers Worry About Learning Backend Skills?
00:37:39 - Do Tech Certifications Actually Help You Get Hired?
00:39:07 - Mastering Soft Skills: Training Budgets vs. Real Experience
#softwareengineering #careeradvice #techinterviews