Ask HN: What are the most important skills for an engineer to develop?

Basic business knowledge and "soft" interpersonal/social skills.

You'll need these for your future career change --- once you reach middle age and find your engineering employment restricted by ageism.

Don't take my word for it --- just look at your own workplace. What percentage of engineers are middle age or older?

Wake up and smell the coffee --- this is where your current "career" is headed.

Highest priority:

- Public speaking

- Solid writing

Second-tier:

- Speaking to the business use case / ROI of whatever they are (or want to be) working on

If you can not tell others what you are working on, or about an idea (writing & speaking), you will be capped early in your career

If you do not know the value whatever you are (or want to be) working on brings, you will be capped between early and mid career

But if you can explain it to others in a way they can see the value to themselves, you will go far