If I Were Breaking Into Software in 2026
Someone recently asked me what I would do if I were trying to break into the software industry today.
It sounds like one of those LinkedIn hot take setups, but it genuinely came up in conversation.
My answer surprised them a bit. I did not say learn Rust, or grind LeetCode, or pick the hottest framework. I said something much simpler.
Make yourself as well rounded as possible.
Writing Code Is Now the Baseline
There was a time when being able to write clean, working code was enough to stand out. If you could build something that worked reliably, you were already ahead of the curve. That is no longer the case.
Tools like Claude, GPT and Copilot can now generate solid boilerplate in seconds. They can scaffold applications, write tests, explain stack traces and refactor functions. They are not perfect, but they are capable enough that simply being able to write code is no longer rare.
The bar has shifted.
What is harder to automate is judgement, taste, ownership and communication. The ability to decide what to build and why it matters is far more valuable than the ability to type it quickly.
Become a One Person Startup Machine
If I were starting again, I would focus on becoming someone who can take an idea from zero to something real without waiting for permission.
That means building side projects and actually shipping them. It means learning the basics of infrastructure such as deployments, DNS, containers and monitoring. It means developing product thinking and asking who this is for and what problem it solves. It means caring about user experience and whether something feels intuitive and polished.
It also means speaking to users and handling feedback properly.
In short, I would try to become a one person startup machine.
Even if you never intend to found a company, that skillset compounds. You stop being a pair of hands and start being someone who can move things forward independently. That makes you valuable in any team.
The 80 20 Rule of Growth
A manager once told me that 80 percent of your role should be doing the job you are hired to do, and 20 percent should be doing your manager’s job in a small way, freeing them up to grow as well.
At the time I thought it sounded slightly unfair. Looking back, it is some of the best advice I was given.
If you are a junior engineer, that might mean running a small project, improving documentation, tightening up a messy process or helping to unblock others. Not because you are trying to climb the ladder, but because you are expanding your capability and perspective.
Those softer skills such as communication, prioritisation and ownership are exactly the ones that become more important as AI takes on more of the mechanical typing.
The narrative around AI tends to swing between extremes. Either it replaces developers entirely or it changes nothing at all. I think the reality is more nuanced. AI compresses the mechanical part of the job. The gap between idea and first draft becomes much smaller. When that happens, the competitive edge moves up the stack.
The engineers who thrive will be the ones who understand trade offs, who see systems rather than individual files, who think commercially and who communicate clearly. They will be the people who can ship something end to end, not just write a good function in isolation.
Make It Easy for People to Understand You
One final piece of advice is to make it easy for people to understand what you are about.
Do not just say you are passionate about technology. Show what you have built. Show how you think. Show how you explain things. Demonstrate your judgement.
The easier you are to evaluate, the more opportunities tend to come your way.
If you are job hunting, that might mean sharing a clear, structured professional profile that highlights your thinking as well as your experience. The goal is not to shout louder than everyone else. It is to make it effortless for someone to see the value you bring.
Oh and of course, generate a profile on https://askmy.cv ;)