by Michael Lydon
Do you think you can end a piece of writing with a question? How would you do...
When people picture a STEM professional, they might think of someone hunched over a keyboard, buried in lines of code or crunching data—not exactly the type you'd expect to focus on writing. And I get it. Writing doesn’t exactly scream “science, technology, engineering, math.” But after working as a software engineer for a while, I’ve realized how essential writing is in this field.
I’ve been writing for almost as long as I can remember—be it novels or blog posts like this one—and over time, I realized those skills were helping me in my tech career more than I ever imagined. So here’s my take on why writing is something you can’t afford to overlook if you’re pursuing a STEM career.
1. Clear Communication Prevents Chaos
I remember early on, I was in a meeting explaining a feature I had just built for a hackathon project—something I was really excited about. But as I kept talking, I noticed the blank stares from the product manager and designer. They weren’t following. I realized I was using jargon and technical terms that made sense to me. And pretty much just me.
That’s when it hit me—no matter how great my code was, if I couldn’t explain it clearly, it was almost worthless to them. Writing well, especially in a way that’s accessible to different audiences, became just as important as writing efficient code. Since then, I’ve made a habit of thinking about how I explain things in emails, meetings, and documentation. Trust me, it saves a lot of headaches when people actually understand what you're talking about—the first time you say it.
2. Writing is Like Problem-Solving
I’ve always found that writing and coding have more in common than you might think. When I code, I’m organizing my thoughts, coming up with creative ideas, and thinking about future readers. Sound familiar? It’s exactly what we do when we’re writing.
One time, I was stuck on this tricky bug where I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. I was getting nowhere. After about an hour of trying to brute-force a solution and getting nowhere, I physically stepped away from my computer and started writing out an explanation in regular English of how the system should work and what was actually happening. Eventually, the clarity I gained from writing out my process helped me spot the issue. Writing helps organize your thoughts in ways that can directly translate to debugging or problem-solving.
3. Documentation is a Lifesaver
Ah, documentation—everyone’s favorite part of development. Okay, not exactly. But if you’ve ever had to deal with vague or nonexistent documentation, you know how crucial it is. I’ll never forget the time I took over a project from a developer who had left the company. The code was decent, but the documentation was practically nonexistent. It took me ages to figure out what was going on, and I swore I’d try my best to not leave someone else in that situation.
Now, I treat documentation as a core part of my job and take pride in my contributions to it. I try to write in a way that’s clear and helpful, imagining what questions a future developer—or even my future self—might have. Well-written documentation is key to being both a team player and efficient contributor.
4. Collaboration Runs on Writing
A lot of teamwork in STEM happens in writing, whether that’s through emails, Slack messages, or even project updates. I once received a project update that was disorganized and imprecise, and it took a lot more than the usual amount of follow-up questions to understand what the update was actually about.
Reading that update made me more conscious of my own paragraphs-long emails. Now, I slow down when I’m writing something important and try to think from the perspective of the person reading it. What do they need to know? What questions might they have? It’s simple, but it makes a huge difference in keeping projects running smoothly.
5. Making Complex Ideas Click
One of my favorite moments as a software engineer happened while mentoring a student. They had messaged me and said that they were struggling to understand the concept of classes in coding. I could tell they were frustrated and didn’t want to continue the assignment. I decided to switch gears and asked them what their favorite video game was, as I knew they were big into gaming. As soon as they started talking about it, I noticed their excitement, so I used that game to explain a computer science concept called classes.
I told them to think of a class as a blueprint for characters in the game—each character has a name, a health bar, and some statistics like attack or defense, so you can make a blueprint that holds this type of character information. I received a “Woah” that made me smile from my side of the screen. I realized that it wasn’t just about explaining technical concepts—you’re making them relatable.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Overlook Writing
Balancing software engineering with my love of writing has taught me that being good at writing can make you a better communicator, problem-solver, and collaborator.
If you’re in a STEM career, don’t dismiss writing as something that’s just for journalists or authors. It’s a skill that can elevate your work, help your team function more smoothly, and ultimately help you stand out in your career.
As someone who’s passionate about both writing and coding, I can tell you—being able to do both well is a powerful combination.
About the Author:
Jennifer Wang is a software engineer with degrees in Computer Science and Financial Economics from Columbia University. With a passion for writing that started at age 11, she balances her technical career with all of her creative pursuits. In her writing, she often incorporates elements of East Asian culture, using storytelling as a way to explore and connect with her heritage. While her career is rooted in STEM, writing remains a constant and essential part of her life.
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Write the World thanks the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) for providing the resources linked throughout this article! AWIS believes that clear communication is critical in all fields including STEM. If you’re pursuing a career in the sciences, you can check out more of their resources here.
