The great challenge of the engineer lies not in his or her technical craft but in being able to successfully navigate the social sphere. Pragmatism demands that the team be prioritized over the individual. To that end, raw technical ability is a poor substitute for collaboration and communication.

Prior to my attending Hack Reactor, I thought of programming as existing within a social vacuum. Experience has told me otherwise; a close examination of the topic at hand would reveal that most problems as faced by engineers are primarily social, as opposed to being technical, in nature. As such, the most valuable toolsets an engineer may possess is his or her affability and social adroitness.