- Write 1-2 paragraphs about your StrengthsFinder themes: How have you seen yourself using these strengths at Turing? Has your understanding of these strengths changed since you first reflected on them? If so, how?
I wasn't surprised by four out of the five themes: strategic, input, adapatability, and arranger (okay, maybe a little on this one because of the odd term). As someone who's turning 30 in a month, I think I've had enough life experiences to have an understanding of where I'm strong and where I'm weak. So I would say that my understanding of these strengths has changed little, if none since my first reflection. I was, however, surprised by "connectedness" being my second most prominent theme. The description sounded almost religious - that someone with this trait believes everything happens for a reason and people are where they at because that is where they belong.
In a way, I think this is appliciable to my being here at Turing. I believe the Navy did not work out for a reason, and the Tech industry does have a natural feel. My strenghts in strategic and adaptive thinking are put to good use here, mostly in making smaller decisions of how I approach problems. I've absorbed a lot of information, and even the arranger in me has come out by making an efficient schedule for myself and following through.
- Write a story about your Turing experience so far: When have you struggled? How have you dealt with struggle? When have you succeeded at Turing? How did you accomplish those successes?
To be honest, I haven't struggled in Turing. I came in prepared, was very disciplined with my work schedule, and always stayed ahead of the curve. I'm not concerned about being able to deal with difficulty or uncertainty: I've dealt with it for years in flight school and I know how to handle it if it comes up. I've succeeded strongly in Mod1 and again I owe it to proper mindset, preparation, and discipline.
- What dreams do you envision for yourself? Where does your Turing story end?
I'm at Turing because I want a lifestyle that suits my personality and a job that fits my strengths and passions. I think this school and software engineering is a good bridge to these goals. I've flown for the Navy, which is a career where creative problem-solving isn't always appreciated (not to badmouth the Navy - its a great org and I really, really appreciate what its done for me). Right now, its too soon to tell where my Turing story ends.
- What was particularly easy or difficult about telling your story? What are 1-2 steps that you can take to continue to improve your abilities to tell your story, talk about yourself with ease, and examine your strengths?
I think being a good storyteller is directly related to being able to connect with your audience. If you have an idea of what may be particularly captiviating to your audience before telling the story, and emphasize/deemphasize certain points according to your audience reaction, you can be a phenominal storyteller. For me, a one-on-one situation is where I'm naturally strong because I can often read the person's reaction and go from there. A group is much more difficult for me, purely because of nerves and lack of experience. I do a decent job because I can guess what may be interesting to them ahead of time, but in the moment I'm so focused on delivering and not saying something dumb that I don't adapt to reactions (if I'm even looking out there). I think the solution is to put myself out there often enough so that I feel its okay to make mistakes, and that I can relax enough to think on the spot.