Here's how you can cultivate assertiveness skills as a software engineer beyond the workplace.

Yes volunteering work such as contributing to tech events, mentoring and providing help to folks, sharing specialised content can help you substantially. This helps you in multiple ways, grow your technical skills, build assertiveness and also bringing you the much required visibility. Being part of vetted communities and being mentors there further add on to the visibility and branding part of it. Since although substance is required but substance without visibility isn’t of much use.

In my opinion, engaging in volunteer work is a fantastic way to build assertiveness. Leading projects, coordinating teams, or teaching others can enhance your confidence and communication skills.

Volunteering provides a low-pressure environment to practice assertiveness. Engaging in community projects or contributing to causes allows you to communicate effectively, voice your opinions, and make decisions without the fear of workplace repercussions. Taking on leadership roles or being proactive in group activities can refine your assertiveness skills, which will be beneficial in your professional life.

Pursuing social hobbies like team sports, book clubs, or public speaking groups such as Toastmasters can significantly boost your assertiveness. These activities encourage you to express your ideas clearly and confidently in a supportive environment.

Participating in social hobbies like team sports, book clubs, or hobbyist groups creates a relaxed setting to assert yourself. These activities require clear communication, negotiation, and compromise, which mirror the dynamics of software development teams. By actively participating and expressing your viewpoints, you can build the confidence to do the same in technical debates or sprint planning sessions at work.

Engaging in online forums related to technology or software development can help you practice assertiveness in a virtual environment. By contributing to discussions, providing feedback, and defending your viewpoints, you can develop the ability to communicate your ideas clearly and confidently.

Thats really true, building personal projects is quite essential. For me personally doing freelancing gigs over the weekends, building an end to end app for one of my hustle helped me a lot in gaining that confidence and building assertiveness within the team. As software engineers imposter syndrome and lack of confidence is quite common, but the above mentioned things help substantially in overcoming that and gaining that much needed confidence.

Working on personal projects allows you to take complete ownership, make decisions, and stand by them. This autonomy helps build self-confidence and assertiveness as you navigate challenges and seek out feedback from peers or mentors.

Yes learning groups of like minded folks help a lot. This is based on personal experiences, and thats why building a community of vetted top talent TechX as well and our community members have also seeing great benefit out of it from the collaborations. Our community members constantly DM me as to how the collaborations is being very fruitful and we are learning and growing a lot.

Regularly reflecting on your interactions and experiences can help you understand your assertiveness strengths and areas for improvement. Keeping a journal or discussing experiences with a mentor can provide insights and strategies for becoming more assertive.

Consider taking assertiveness training or communication workshops. These can provide structured environments to practice and receive feedback. Additionally, reading books on assertiveness and communication can offer valuable techniques and insights. Networking with like-minded professionals on platforms like LinkedIn can also give you opportunities to practice assertiveness in various settings.