Soft skills like communication and empathy are constantly praised as essential for career success, but after interviewing for a dozen jobs, I've seen hiring managers prioritize bulletproof technical skills over a candidate's ability to collaborate. In my last performance review, my manager highlighted my code quality but never mentioned my teamwork, which made me question if employers actually value these interpersonal traits in real decisions. Can soft skills be genuinely taught and developed outside of natural upbringing, or are they just nice-to-have qualities that don't move the needle when it comes to promotions and pay raises?