But much of the work you do during your career will be planning, reviewing, strategizing, collaborating, and many other things that don’t involve coding. To excel in your career as a programmer requires soft skills that are different from your technical abilities. As you’ll learn throughout this book and throughout your career, the soft skills are often what set you apart from other programmers and increase the impact of your work. They will factor into your manager’s decisions when it comes time for a promotion. And the best part is that almost none of them will be outdated in a few years, even as the industry evolves.