Can you explain it without the tech words?

Alex, Samuel, and I were in a meeting with engineers from Trio. We wanted to hear from our team and talk about their questions. One topic was how to grow at work: keep building software, or start leading a team?

That brought me back to something I had to learn myself. I learned about software in Portuguese. Later, I had to explain it in English. Often, the person I was talking to didn’t write code.

So I had two jobs. Find the English words. Then make the idea clear enough that the other person could follow it.

I can know how something works and still leave someone lost. Knowing more tech words won’t fix that. I have to slow down and think about what the person needs to understand.

When we talked about leading a team, I asked people to think about helping others. Do you like teaching a teammate? Do you enjoy helping someone work through a problem? Those are things worth paying attention to if you’re thinking about becoming a manager.

You can also keep growing as an engineer. You don’t have to become a manager. Your skill can help our Trio team spot a problem or make a better choice. And being able to explain what you see helps other people use that knowledge.

I still get excited about learning how new tools work. I want to practice the next part too: sit with someone, explain the idea, and see if it helps them. I know from learning to do this in English that finding the words is only the start.