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?
- Patient, curious, passionate, resilient, open, communicative, resourceful.
What are the habits that this person demonstrates to embody the identity of a software developer?
- Takes the time to actively listen to users, teammates, customers, etc.
- Eager to learn more about coding.
- Maintains a positive attitude when challenged or stuck, and reaches out to resources instead of becoming discouraged.
- Effectively expresses ideas and information to others.
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 am curious and serious about learning. I want to know more and I want to keep praciticing skills until they become familiar and comfortable.
- I am proactive. I do my assignments at the earliest possible opportunity and I do not put my work off. This helps me avoid falling behind and feeling overwhelmed.
- I want to be more confident. I want to have greater confidence in my ability to problem-solve and trouble-shoot. I want to stop becoming frustrated when challenged.
- I am trying to accomplish my goals through reflection on past success and mindfulness.
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.
- (+) Routine oriented: Wake up, exercise, and shower every morning before class.
- (+) Proactive on deadlines. Do daily HW every day right at 4 p.m. On projects, set clear goals for completing chunks and stick to goals.
- (-) Negative self-talk. When stuck or confused on something, I tend to become very negative with myself and feel lost, hopeless, frustrated.
- (-) Hesitant to reach out to others for help. Not wanting to bother people, unsure how to approach in the distance/zoom world. Embarrassed to be confused.
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)
- "After I promptly complete my work, I will reflect on everyting I accomplished at the end of each work day before I leave my desk.
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?
- My workspace is currently set up well for this! It is comfortable and conduscive.
However, I will introduce a new journal just for writing down my success so that I may more easily reflect.
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?
*Regularly reflecting on my growth and learning has been helpful in reducing negative self-talk and frustration.
Additional Optional Reading: The Five Triggers That Make New Habits Stick