It's a question I have been asking myself for a long time, to be honest. It seems beneficial, but I could put my finger on a real reason that made it feel like it aligned with my goals.
Last year, I got laid off for the first time. The economy turned and made the tech job landscape much more difficult than what it had been for two decades prior from what I had heard. With that came lots of layoffs from FAANG and startups alike, leaving tens of thousands of engineers in a scarce job market. In the midst of that, despite being very confident my own skills and ability to hit the ground running in wherever would take me, I wasn't sure how to communicate that. How do I make my resume stand out among stacks of hundreds, and how do I build intrigue in a cover letter that needs to be relatively concise or risk the reader's lost interest? In the end, I was very fortunate to have landed an opportunity through people I had worked with before.
When I look back on that though, I can't help but wonder if writing would have been helpful. Particularly, having been in the practice of writing.
Writing offers others an opportunity to see into your mind. More than that, it offers an opportunity for the writer to organize their thoughts so the readers can see what is hopefully the best version. Too often, I look back on discussions and wish I had said something I didn't, or wish I hadn't said something I did. Writing enables that level of thought _before_ it comes to light. Had I started writing a year ago, I would have had a year of "thoughts" out in the open that I could share to give others an idea of what I think about different topics, what interests me, and what my goals are.
Writing is relatively inevitable, so it is helpful to be good at it. It's a part of most jobs. Even as a developer, documentation is part of my job. That means writing in plain English what technical decisions were made based on what requirements. Being good at writing will prevent rewrites and will even make the initial process go faster. Like most things, being good at it will make you faster. It also makes the process more painful. Having the skill of writing would have also made writing better resumes and cover letters easier. Starting this writing process was difficult at first, but every time I write, it gets a little bit easier to get what is in my head into my editor.
Writing is an act of sharing experiences, ideas, and perspectives. Everyone has something they get excited to talk about - something they feel would be helpful or inspiring to whoever might be willing to listen. Writing transforms that passion into a tangible form, offering value that can be accessed at any time.
So, why write? It's not always necessary, especially with language tools like Chat GPT. But it's a personal opportunity to share with others. It's a vehicle for personal growth, professional success, and the endless cycle of learning and sharing. As we write down our thoughts, we contribute to the endless collection of ideas and , leaving a mark that transcends time.