Turn Words into Opportunities
The way to stand out is simple. Yet, 99% of engineers won't do it.
If you're a software engineer, building an audience is one of the best things you can do for your career. Seriously.
It’s the fastest way to stand out, build credibility, and open doors to new opportunities. And it doesn’t matter if you work at a FAANG company or not.
Just 30 minutes a day of strategic writing can have a significant impact.
John from Coding Challenges, in today’s guest appearance, dives into the power of a daily writing habit, and I’ll show you how to use feedback from that process to supercharge your career.
Take it away, John!
Why Do I Write Daily?
Before I answer this question, I want to give you a quick overview of my growth. In just 12 months (2023-2024), my audience grew from 3K to 130K, and now it’s over 190K.
Here’s why this even happened…
In March 2022, I accepted a new job. They found me through LinkedIn
I’ve been on LinkedIn since May 2003, and it’s been a great way to network and keep in touch with past colleagues, but this was the first time a recruiter had found me, and it looked like I’d landed a dream job.
The dream didn’t last long. By the time the layoffs sweeping through the Tech Industry, had affected me, as a recent hire, my network was strong enough that I already had my next role lined up.
That’s when I knew I needed to take LinkedIn more seriously. And I committed.
I started checking it every few days and making the odd post and a few comments.
But by February 2023, I noticed something: posting led to attention. Facing the end of my contract, I doubled down. In March 2023, I committed to writing daily.
One year later, I turned my 3k followers into 130,000!
And while a few posts went viral, it wasn’t virality that fueled my growth. It was consistency.
I started by sharing Coding Challenges — projects that help engineers learn new technologies. People found them useful. That visibility led to speaking gigs, consulting offers, and, ultimately, a full-fledged training business.
Now, I get to do what I love and have the time for what matters to me.
None of this happened by accident. It started with a simple daily writing habit.
Why Every Software Engineer Should Write Daily
You and I write tons of words. In code. This is our craft. But I want to encourage you to not treat writing and posting daily as an afterthought, even though it probably feels like one right now.
But here’s the thing: code doesn’t speak for itself — people do.
If you want to have access to opportunities and be seen as the valuable professional you are, you have to talk about what you do.
Great engineers aren’t just problem-solvers. They’re great communicators. They can explain complex ideas, document their thought processes, and articulate the value of their work. Writing daily forces you to:
Clarify your thinking. If you can’t explain something simply, you don’t fully understand it. Writing helps you refine your thoughts, just like refactoring helps optimize code.
Stand out in a crowded job market. Recruiters and hiring managers notice engineers who share insights and articulate their expertise.
Build a reputation beyond your current role. Writing makes you more than just an employee — it turns you into a recognized expert.
I can tell you from first-hand experience that if you want to stand out, advance your career, and unlock new opportunities, writing and posting it online is one of the most valuable skills you can develop.
How to Get Started (Even If You Don’t Know What to Write About)
The biggest barrier to writing? Not knowing where to start. But you don’t need to be an expert to write. You just need to document your journey.
Try this:
Write about what you’re learning. Solved a tricky bug? Figured out a new framework? Share it.
Talk about your challenges. Struggling with imposter syndrome? Burnout? Debugging a tough issue? Others can relate.
Share insights from your work. Architecture decisions, best practices, or even mistakes — these are all valuable.
You don’t need to go viral.
You just need to show up.
And if you do, the right people will start noticing.
And as you post, you’ll start receiving feedback. That’s where the magic happens, right, Dagna?
How Feedback Supercharges Your Growth
That’s exactly right, John!
Most engineers think of writing as a one-way street — you put ideas out, and that’s it. But the real magic happens when you start receiving feedback.
Feedback is like a debugging tool for your thinking. It reveals:
What resonates (so you can double down on it)
What’s unclear (so you can refine your message)
What gaps exist in your knowledge (so you can grow faster)
But to use feedback effectively, you need to do something most people don’t: process it instead of dismissing it.
Why We Dismiss Feedback (And How to Stop)
Still, the reality is that humans naturally dislike feedback — especially when it’s negative. We crave acceptance, belonging, and appreciation, and we fear rejection or criticism.
Why? Because, for most of human history, rejection wasn’t just uncomfortable — it was dangerous.
Our brains evolved in tiny tribal societies where being cast out meant losing access to food, protection, and community. In that environment, social rejection could be a literal death sentence.
So, if receiving negative feedback — like being ignored online — makes you uncomfortable, defensive, or even anxious… You’re not alone. In fact, it’s your brain acting like a perfectly normal human brain.
How to Use Feedback to Improve (Instead of Feeling Discouraged)
Many engineers hesitate to share their thoughts publicly because they fear criticism. But think of feedback the same way you think about code reviews — neither one is personal. In fact, it’s an opportunity to improve.
Here’s how to leverage feedback effectively:
Engage with comments and discussions. If someone challenges your perspective, consider their point — maybe they’re right, or maybe you just need to clarify your argument.
Treat every post like an iteration. Just like you wouldn’t ship perfect code on the first commit, your writing will improve with each iteration.
Use feedback to shape your thinking. The best engineers aren’t the ones who always get things right; they’re the ones who iterate the fastest.
When you shift your mindset from fearing feedback to using it as a tool for iteration, writing online becomes less about proving yourself and more about refining your ideas. Just think of it as user testing. Where the product is your content, and getting interactions — or their lack — is a form of "user testing" that shows you what resonates with your audience, helping you optimize your content.
The Best Opportunities Come from Visibility
Just like John alluded in the beginning of this article:
The best opportunities in your career won’t come from just writing great code.
They’ll come from showing the world how you think and what you stand for.
You don’t need to be an expert.
You don’t need to go viral.
You just need to start.
Want to Build a Writing Habit That Attracts Opportunities?
Writing daily is a game-changer for software engineers. It helps you:
Think more clearly
Attract new opportunities
Leverage feedback for rapid growth
The best part? You don’t need to be an expert or work a FAANG job — you just need a system and support that will get you started.
That’s what John and I have in store for you today. We’re launching a live cohort course From Invisible to In-Demand: LinkedIn for Engineers.
The first session is tomorrow (Tuesday, March 25th).
John will give you the exact system he used to grow to 190K followers on LinkedIn.
And I’ll coach you through imposter syndrome and mindset barriers to ensure you actually take action instead of just accruing new information. I’ll be using the same coaching methods that have helped my clients land skip-level promotions and significant raises in just a few months.
Want to work with us directly?
Sign up for the workshop here (https://maven.com/coding-challenges/linkedin-for-engineers)
And we’ll see you inside tomorrow!