Answer the below questions in a separate gist and link them into your career journal using this template:
Review your habit tracker: how did you monitor your habit(s)? What does this tell you about your overall progress becoming the person you want to be? In general, how satisfied are you with how you spent your time this module? What could be improved next module?
My habit was trying to go for a small walk everyday during my lunchtime period. To visually track this I can placed my shoes/boots on the ground near my front door in the morning, and if I go for a walk, put my shoes back on the shoe rack. Then replace my shoes in front of the door each morning. Implementing this habit tracking I was able to successfully go for a walk each day last week! This reassures me that I can successfully build habits and follow through will them.
Reflecting on this module, I feel like I was fairly successful in how I spent my time working on concepts, lessons, practice problems, and projects. Moving forward I could do a better job of scheduling out my work time for the week into certain blocks, so things such as jsFun/practice probelms don't get pushed to another day or time. Basically time blocking my work time and sticking to it.
Mind Maps:
- i. Engagement. What did you reflect on last week in regards to when you're engaged in your work at Turing? Pull out an idea that resonates with you most (e.g., "Talking through a problem with a partner," "The moment when I solve a problem that I previously didn't know how to do," "Setting up a successful project management process for my team") and break that idea down into parts and make a list (what are all the steps that go into that moment? When do you get to use your strengths? What is fun about this?). "The moment when I solve a problem that I previously didn't know how to do."
- pseudo code out the problem
- break problem into smaller steps
- research any pieces I don't understand/ know how to do
- write out basic soultion
- get soultion to work
- refactor soultion
- ii. Energy. What did you reflect on last week in regards to when you feel most energized in your work at Turing? Pull out an idea that resonates with you most and break that idea down into parts and make a list (what are all the steps that go into that moment? When do you get to use your strengths? What is fun about this?). I feel energized when a new problem needs to be solved.
- problem solving (fun)
- identify problem
- thrill of a challenge
- potential use of new concept
- possibility of different soultions
- iii. Flow. When have you had an experience recently in which you were in a state of flow? You can also think about this as "joy" or "play." Pull out an idea that resonates with you most and break that idea down into parts and make a list (what are all the steps that go into that moment? When do you get to use your strengths? What is fun about this?). Understanding a concept that I previously didn't understand.
- frustration from not understanding concept
- practicing concept
- reaching out for help to better understand
- going back to practicing concept
- gaining confidence in the concept
- better understanding of concept
Prototype your mind maps: what do these mind maps tell you about what's important to you as a software developer? What questions do they bring up about what you still want to learn about this career?
Prototype your outreach: (Be prepared to share this in your small group discussion)
- Who comes to mind as a person you can reach out to? Why that person? What questions would you ask them? Come up with 2-3 people here to serve as prototypes
- Person from my job shadow.
- My mentor.
- My friend/about to graduate from Turing.
- How would this outreach help you further your job search strategy?
This would help me gain a better understanding of the job search experience and how he went from a bartender (like me) to a Front End Engineer.
Outreach & Networking Plan: Based on your reflections above, create a concrete plan for your outreach:
- Who is the right person for you to reach out to?
My mentor. He's had a few different jobs as a Front End Engineer, and I already know him.
- How will you find them? How do you know they’re the right person?
I already am connected with him on multiple platforms. He is right person because I already know him, and we share many commonalities including Turing.
- How will you reach out?
I will reach out via Slack to schedule a video call.
- What questions do you need to ask them?
Ask them about the job search, the companies they have worked for, how the interview process went.
- How will you use this information to further your solution?
This will help me to move forward with my job search and networking process to see what was successful for my mentor and what wasn't successful, build a better roadmap.
- How will you follow up?
Follow up on Slack afterward.
Execute your plan:
- Reach out to your contact THIS WEEK. If possible, reach out to more than one person OR find a meetup to attend also. What happened? What other next steps should you take? If this is a person connected to a company you're interested in, be sure to add it to your Huntr card.
I reached out to my mentor this week. It ended up being a super productive hour long video call on his job search and networking proccess experience. He highlighted things that worked and didn't work for him. I need to follow up with him weekly and run ideas and strategies by him.