Habits of a Software Developer
- Habits Reflection:
- How have you seen yourself become more aware of your habits? Have you tried implementing anything new? What have the results been?
I've seen myself starting to reach out for help when I get stuck for longer than 30 minutes. I used to be afraid or think that I could figure it out on my own, but now realize that it's just a waste of time to struggle. The results have been wasting less time struggling and spending more time actually learning, and getting to know my peers better by reaching out for help.
- Start Where You Are (Empathize with the user -- you)
-
Health: how you answer “how are you”; intersection of physical, mental, and emotional health
- 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?
My current health is about a 4. I try to make time for exercise for at least an hour, 4 times a week at the minimum. I call my mother and friends during my daily lunch walk, helps me get outside and recharge between morning and afternoon lessons and stay connected with family and friends.
-
Work: what you do
- 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? I work from 6:30am to around 9:30-10:00pm everyday during the week. I try to take frequent breaks, but it's a long, hard day. I know I need to put the work in to learn new skills and concepts so I have the desire to learn and work on my own.
-
Play: what brings you joy? Think about joy just for the pure sake of doing it; everyone benefits from this kind of play
- 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?
Being outside and recreating outside brings me pure joy. I need to start reserving a half day on the weekends for prolonged periods outside. Also aim for 3-4 times where I can get outside and exercise during the week. Start scheduling time for outside exercise and taking with friends and family.
-
Love: sense of connection; who are the people who matter in your life and how is love flowing to and from you and them?
- 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?
My parents, partner, and friends are the people who matter most to me in my life. The pandemic/quarantine life makes it hard to stay physically in touch with family and friends. I need to be better about reaching out more often to them and letting them know I care about them.
-
Looking back at the 4 areas, do any problems emerge that you want to begin designing solutions for?
I think a majority of the root of my problems is that there is a pandemic going on, so that makes connecting/seeing family very hard at the moment.
- 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?
I want to understand more about a day-in-the-life of a software developer, such as solo vs. group work, hours a day spent on the job, functionality vs product release. Also the dynamic between coworkers and how norms are set, or are they even set at all? I want to know what type of role I'm looking for, and feel confident about by skill set.
- 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?
We didn't really have an assumptions, mostly just had questions, specially what a day-in-the-life actually looks like. I could start asking my mentor and other peers that I meet what their experience is like working as a software developer. I would like mine to include a healthy work-life balance, where once my day is over, I don't need to spend the rest of the night continuing to work. Once my 'clock-out' hour is reached, I want to be able to transition over to non-work life and be able to do the things I enjoy without having to think about work.
- 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?
I hope that I don't join a company who doesn't share the same values and norms that I and Turing does. I hope to join an inclusive team, with a healthy work culture. I also hope that I have a good separation between work and my personal life, and that work doesn't consume all of my free time. My dream is a healthy, inclusive, work culture, where everyone works together and they all work hard, then at the end of the day having the ability to pursue non-work interests and relax without having to think about work.
- Test –- solutions
Based on this week of reflections, write out your initial vision statement for your career:
My dream vision statement is a healthy, inclusive, work culture where everyone works together and they all work hard. No one is judged for their work and everyone feels like they belong to the team. Then at the end of the day having the ability to pursue non-work interests and relax without having to think about work.