Main Repo with all of the Prompts
1. When you've worked towards a goal in the past, what systems or tools have been helpful for you in accomplishing that goal? How could you adapt those same systems/tools to use while at Turing?
- I heard somewhere that a goal without a plan is a dream and that really stuck with me.
- I make sure that I am very active in my Google Drive every day.
- For every goal that I have I create a separate folder within my Drive and I have a list within that folder where I break my goal down into milestones and I break those milestones down into steps.
- I know that this will be helpful as there will be a lot for me to learn and trying to take everything on at one time will be overwhelming but organizing and "chunking" will ensure that the task will not get out of hand
2. As you start this new career, what is one of your strengths and how do you know?
- I believe that I have very strong: organizational skills, creative thinking, and communication skills.
- Organizational skills will help me take on big projects and focus on tasks one by one.
- Creative thinking I believe is critical to troubleshooting and finding solutions to problems.
- Communication skills will be essential to understanding client/leadership's needs and working with a team.
3. Describe how you work best (conditions, environment, preferences, etc.):
- I find that I work best when communication is clear meaning both directions from leadership and communication with peers.
- I think of a good team as a human body; everyday activities like walking and eating are simple right now but without the nervous system these things would not be possible.
- Good communication is really the only thing that I prefer but even without that I can still get the job done.
- After high school I served four years in the Navy and in the Navy you're expected to adapt to many different types of environments so it's hard to pinpoint a certain type of ideal working condition because in the military having an environment or working condition preference is looked at as a bad thing.
4. As you start this new career, what is your greatest area of improvement when it comes to your professional skills?
- The first thing that comes to mind would be time management.
- In the Navy and also as an insurance adjuster you're very rarely given tasks that you're supposed to complete over a certain amount of time, normally the tasks that you are given are to be done at that moment
- During my short time in Mod 0 I have learned to get around this issue by utilizing my Google Drive and I plan on using the rest of the modules to implement and expand on the time management techniques that I have created.
- Apart from organizing in my Drive I have found that prioritization is the biggest thing that can help. Now when I'm given something to do I get it done as soon as possible.
5. How will developing a deeper understanding of your strengths and working preferences benefit you as a software developer?
- I think strengths are like a good product on the shelf at Wal-Mart. If you manage a Wal-Mart store and you want to be effective and efficient you take the data from the registers and use that data to your benefit.
- If a product sells a lot you want to expand on those sales and order more volume, put it in a better position on the shelf so people can see it easier, and maybe even find a product next to it that's not selling so you can order less of that and have more room for the in-demand item.
- This is what I think everyone should be doing with their strengths and working preferences. I believe that I'm really strong at organizing so I'm going to organize as much as possible when performing tasks like taking notes and adding code comments
- Working preferences work in the same way; I will eliminate anything that distracts me or does not help me perform tasks.
6. Describe the vision you currently have for your career after Turing:
- After Turing I want to become a software developer and move my way up from software developer to a leadership position
- I enjoy problem solving which is one of the reasons why I want to get into software development
- As a developer I know that I would have a lot to contribute but I also feel that my leadership, communication, and organizational skills plus some experience developing would be better suited leading a team of developers to victory
1. Describe one of your strengths
- What is something you have learned to do well (list a skill)?
- I have great communication skills
- What is something you know about (list some knowledge/expertise you have)?
- Geography
- What is something you have a natural ability to do well (list a talent)?
- Exercise
- How could you combine these to describe a specific strength?
- I don't know if they really go together
2. Read through your Top 4 results from Pairin
- In your own words, what do these top 4 qualities tell you about yourself?
- My pairin results reaffirm my ideas of who I am as a person.
- Do they resonate with you? Why/why not?
- Yes because I have worked very hard on self improvement over the last few years and I this kind of shows me the progress that I have made
- How do they relate to the strength you wrote about in Prompt #1?
- Two of the four results are "friend" and "self-confident; I think these relate very well to communication skills because you can not have communication skills without being self-condifent and friendliness
3. Challenges with strengths
- What can make it challenging to recognize your strengths? How can you work through those challenges?
- Definitely a low self esteem
- Focusing on the positive aspects of yourself and life while avoiding negativity
- Do you ever see yourself overusing certain strengths? In what circumstances would you want to use them less and amplify other strengths? How could you adjust your approach in those instances?
- I think I have a pretty good memory but I tend to rely on it too much. I'm going to work on taking more notes in class
4. Strengths in action
- Write 1-2 sentences describing how you like to work (i.e., Do you pre-plan? Do you talk through your ideas first? Do you work better with deadlines? How do you stay organized?)
- I prefer taking a moment before I begin to create a flow or structure for what I am about to do and then I'll make a small bullet point list detailing the goals that I have. From there my goal is just to extrapolate from that list and maybe edit it if needed
- How could you describe these working preferences to your project teammates? Your mentor? Your instructors?
- I would say "Let's make an outline first"
- What would you need to be aware of when working with people who have different strengths from you?
- I would definitely need to be aware of their strengths and how we can take advantage of each other's positive attributes
- How could your Pairin results help you better understand your everyday working preferences?
- I could look at my Top 4 and find out what it is environment-wise that could help me use my Top 4 more often
5. Continued growth
- Is there any particular strength you'd like to sharpen while you're at Turing? Any area you consider a weakness that you'd like to strengthen?
- I'm not very good at asking for help
- What are some steps you could take here?
- I can be more vocal about what it is that I'm struggling with in class
- How could you be aware of progress you're making?
- I can keep track of how often I request assistance when needed.
1. Power of self-reflection
- What is challenging about self-reflection?
- It's never convenient or comfortable to look at your flaws
- How can you continue to build the habit of self-reflection at Turing?
- I can schedule time, maybe half an hour per week, to think about who I am as a student.
2. Social identity mapping First, create you own social identity map on a piece of paper (or print this out):
- Outer ring: write words that describe your given identity
- Middle ring: list aspects of your chosen identity
- Center: write your core attributes—traits, behaviors, beliefs, values, characteristics, and skills that you think make you unique as an individual. Select things that are enduring and key to who you are.
After you complete your map:
- Underline the items that are important to you
- Put a + beside the items that you believe clearly demonstrate that you fit into the tech industry
- Put a - beside the items that you believe do not demonstrate that you fit into the tech industry
- Put a ? beside the items that you're unsure how they could show your ability to contribute to the tech industry
Reflect:
- What does your social identity tell you about what you already bring to the tech industry?
- I bring motivation, determination, and empathy to the tech industry.
- What would it look like for some of your minuses or question marks to turn into pluses? In other words, how could some of these traits be assets for the tech industry?
- I think that after working on my lack of not being able to ask for help I will become much more knowledgable and also it will help me when I'm stuck in certain situations at work
3. Values mapping Pull out 5 values for each bullet below from this list:
- Always valued:
- Excellence
- Equality
- Knowledge
- Challenge
- Job Security
- Often valued:
- Forward looking
- Fun
- Connection
- Family
- Generosity
- Sometimes valued:
- Physical vitality
- Pressure
- Problem Solving
- Recognition
- Leadership
- Seldom valued:
- Location
- Risk taking
- Inspiring others
- Joy
- Experiencing pleasure
Reflect:
- What do these values tell you about yourself?
- Not much only because I already knew a lot about who I am as a person
4. Workview & Lifeview
- Summarize what good, worthwhile work means to you (Tip: this is NOT about what work you want to do but about why work matters to you):
- Anything that has a meaning, a purpose, or at least a good challenge. I've done too many "Groundhog day" type of jobs and I'm ready to do something that not only keeps me engaged and excited but also allows me to give back in some way.
- Lifeview: summarize what you value in life; what matters to you?
- Family, financial stability, purpose
- Where do your views on work and life complement each other?
- Financial stability and work go hand in hand, purpose is a rare commodity in a job these days that many people are seeking.
- Where do they clash?
- Working doesn't do much to give you time with your family. This is one reason why I want to become a successful tech entrepreneur.
- Does one drive the other? How?
- They all drive each other. In order to have family time or time to find my purpose I have to have financial stability.
Ideas here are adapted from Atomic Habits by James Clear
Habits of a Software Developer
- What do you think are the traits of a good software developer? What are they like in the workplace? What would you as a co-worker think of this person?
- Focused and patient
- Professional and hard-working
- I wo uld respect them as my peers
- What are the habits that this person demonstrates to embody the identity of a software developer?
- Come in on time, focus, work hard
- Who do you want to be as a software developer? What kind of behaviors do you already have in place to be that person? What behaviors would you need to put into place? How will you do that?
- I want to be a solid/dependable developer and seen as a leader and a strond resource of knowledge in the field
Working on the 1st Law of Behavior Change: Make it Obvious
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Bring self-awareness to your current habits by making a Habits Scorecard. Make a list of your daily habits (examples: wake up, turn off alarm, check phone, etc.) as a way to bring awareness to what you do. Then, decide how effective that habit is for you and your goal of becoming a software developer. Put a + next to habits that are effective; put a - next to habits that are not effective; put a = next to habits that are neutral.
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Pick 1 new habit you'd like to build and create an implementation intention following this template: "I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]." Then, stack the habit onto something you already do: "After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]." (Hint: make this highly specific and immediately actionable)
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Design your environment for success: what changes could you make in your space to better implement your habit? How could you remove any triggers for bad habits? How will you implement these changes?
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Respond after a few days of this implementation: What are your results? How do you feel about this method? How will you move forward with this habit?
Additional Optional Reading: The Five Triggers That Make New Habits Stick
1. Habits Reflection:
- How have you seen yourself become more aware of your habits? Have you tried implementing anything new? What have the results been?
2. Start Where You Are (Empathize with the user -- you)
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Health: how you answer “how are you”; intersection of physical, mental, and emotional health
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How would you rate your overall health on a scale of 1-5? How do you currently make time for activities associated with your health? What is a small change you could make here to readjust your health ratings?
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4 - I feel very healthy but the pace of Turing is a little demanding, I think I just need to be a little more strict with keeping up with my poms outside of class.
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Work: what you do
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Make a short list of all the ways you work right now; How much value do each of those things bring to your life? How are those activities purposeful for you?
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Play: what brings you joy? Think about joy just for the pure sake of doing it; everyone benefits from this kind of play
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What activities do you do that bring you joy throughout an average week? In what ways could you make a small change to bring more joy into your life?
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Family time.
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I think I'm doing everything I can at the moment, I try to do my schoolwork as soon as possible.
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Love: sense of connection; who are the people who matter in your life and how is love flowing to and from you and them?
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How does love currently show up in your life? How do you show love to others right now? What adjustments would you like to make in this area?
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My wife.
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We spend time together, that to me is the most important thing because time is the most valuable thing anybody has.
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We do our best to give each other as much time as possible
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Looking back at the 4 areas, do any problems emerge that you want to begin designing solutions for?
- I think finishing my shoolwork as soon as possible is a good solution
3. Define your needs, problem, and insights:
Based on what you wrote about above and your group conversation, what problems have you identified that you'd like to design solutions for? What do you already about what you want for your career? What do you still need to find out? Who or what do you want to grow into by the end of the Turing program?
4. Ideate -- challenge assumptions
When you discussed software developers with your small group on Monday, what assumptions came up about what software developers actually do? What steps could you take to challenge those assumptions and find more facts to answer the question of what developers do? In addition to what a typical software developer life could look like, what do you want yours to include?
5. Prototype -- start creating solutions
What is the basic threshold that your new career must meet after Turing? What would you hope WILL NOT happen in your future after Turing? What is your absolute, no-holds-barred, ideal dream for your future after Turing?
5. Test –- solutions
Based on this week of reflections, write out your initial vision statement for your career:
1. Habits Reflection:
- How have you seen yourself become more aware of your habits? Have you tried implementing anything new? What have the results been?
- Yes; I noticed that when I am working on something and I get stuck I tend to go off and do something else but I have since then began to put my phone aside and focus on my work
2. Design Thinking Reflection: Cultivating Beginner's Mind
- How can beginner's mind be helpful when it comes to thinking about your career and job search? What are some habits you could put into place to cultivate beginner's mind regularly?
- Beginner's mind can be helpful when it comes to thinking about my career and job search by allowing me to remove any assumptions about the job search process that come from searching for non-tech jobs.
- I like the idea of breaking concepts down into chunks; when we assume that we know something we tend to ignore the details but breaking ideas down to their smallest levels would force me to focus on the things that I would otherwise glance over.
Optional additional reading: How to Cultivate Beginner's Mind to Become a True Expert
3. Go through the Flower Exercise brainstorming worksheets linked here. Then complete your Flower Exercise final worksheet here and link that finished worksheet here.
https://careerdev.turing.io/module_one/week_5_career_vision_part_ii https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pLe95AA3y8rxnU-MDnyAVeoqWCxE9__KMDhmPgcd_7c/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ETSoRT-BxMH-cTWzbk1inRESmYHGnpbz0DgBHgmAJ-4/edit https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1deRT1-Beel6ZMCnzaZ1umZCRZbMvEUYn1bSCQdqVHmQ/edit#slide=id.g778d2b9a43_0_249
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4. Write out your top 5 strengths that you've seen in action this module; then write out the strengths of a software developer. Where do you see these lists overlapping? Where are they different?
- Time saving, concise, I pay attention to detail, I have a positive attitude, I am great at multitasking
- I honestly think a good developer has all of these skills. Being a developer seems to be very similar to being an insurance adjuster as both require you to value time and solve problems.
5. Write a refined vision statement here (what new things have you discovered this week to incorporate into your vision statement?):
- Be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be at all possible times
Week 1: Mod 2 Week 1 Gist
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Answer the below questions in a separate gist and link them into your career journal using this template:
Week 2: Gist Link
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Week 3: Gist
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Week 4: Gist
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Week 5: Gist
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Week 1: Link to gist
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Week 2: Link here to your gist
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Week 3: Link here to your gist
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Week 4: Link here to your gist
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Week 5: Link here to your gist
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Week 1: [Link here to your gist]
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If you will not be able to complete your journal this week, please provide an update for the Career Dev team on when you'll have it completed here:
Week 2: [Link here to your gist]
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Week 3: [Link here to your gist]
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Week 4: [Link here to your gist]
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If you will not be able to complete your journal this week, please provide an update for the Career Dev team on when you'll have it completed here:
Week 5: [Link here to your gist]
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If you will not be able to complete your journal this week, please provide an update for the Career Dev team on when you'll have it completed here:
Hi Christopher, I don't see all the updates from Week 5. Can you let me know your status on that? Thanks!