What is the difference between abilities vs. skills?

An example is driving. Driving is considered a skill, but being able to drive is an ability. If a driver is capable, they are able to operate a car or truck, have a good view of roads, and comprehend the various laws and rules that come with driving.

Here are some additional examples of abilities:

• Hearing

• Lifting heavy items

• Working and collaborating with a team

• Being able to use memory, or remembering

• Learning through visual cues

Skills can come in the form of soft skills or hard skills. Soft skills relate to general skills for professionals such as communication, time management, interpersonal, and many others. Hard skills relate to a specific role, technical knowledge, or ability concerning tools or software.

For illustrative purposes, here are some hard and soft skills associated with the profession of software engineering:

Hard skills include:

• Knowledge of front-end coding and back-end coding

• A strong comprehension of agile development methods

• The ability to skillfully test and debug code that you write

• Knowledge about how to write clean code containing clear comments

Soft skills include:

• Excel at communicating technical information, in both written and verbal form

• Time management

• Team collaboration

• Analysis

• Problem-solving

• Attention to detail