jdursema/JDursema_GearUp1

## JDursema_GearUp1
What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?
  It's stopped me from being a comeplete sociopath... I'm not sure if that's helpful though because some of the top CEOs are said to be sociopaths... but, at the end of the day I think I'd rather be an empathetic person than a millionaire sociopath... even if that meant I could get a yacht.
  My high school wasn't very diverse and when I went to college, I met people with very different backgrounds which also meant people had very differing opinions than me, unlike high school. Being empathetic and trying to understand where they were coming from, helped me understand their differing opinions and broaden my world veiw.

How does empathy help you build better software?
  Empathy helps a programer understand their client/user, allowing them to create a better product that is easy to use. One of the reasons people like iphones so much is because the software is intuitive. Also, empathy helps programsers work together, share ideas, and understand each other to eventually create a better product.

Why is empathy important for working on a team?
  Empathy is essensial to teamwork. If helps you understand different people's perspectives which in turn, helps you problem solve together.

Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.


When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
I think it's most difficult to be empathetic when I'm frustrated. Lots of things can make me frustraited like if I'm rushing against a deadline, somethings going wrong that I didn't expect, I feel like someone isnt listening to me, or I don't understand something. I tend to focus on myself and get tunnel vision to try and fix the problem which isn't always helpful. These kind of event come up often in a work environment. For me, I think the most important thing is to be mindful of when I'm frustrated and not to put that frustration onto other people. For example, if something goes wrong, I should take a moment and realize being empathetic while working as a team is probably the best way to solve the problem.
	What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?
	It's stopped me from being a comeplete sociopath... I'm not sure if that's helpful though because some of the top CEOs are said to be sociopaths... but, at the end of the day I think I'd rather be an empathetic person than a millionaire sociopath... even if that meant I could get a yacht.
	My high school wasn't very diverse and when I went to college, I met people with very different backgrounds which also meant people had very differing opinions than me, unlike high school. Being empathetic and trying to understand where they were coming from, helped me understand their differing opinions and broaden my world veiw.

	How does empathy help you build better software?
	Empathy helps a programer understand their client/user, allowing them to create a better product that is easy to use. One of the reasons people like iphones so much is because the software is intuitive. Also, empathy helps programsers work together, share ideas, and understand each other to eventually create a better product.

	Why is empathy important for working on a team?
	Empathy is essensial to teamwork. If helps you understand different people's perspectives which in turn, helps you problem solve together.

	Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.


	When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
	I think it's most difficult to be empathetic when I'm frustrated. Lots of things can make me frustraited like if I'm rushing against a deadline, somethings going wrong that I didn't expect, I feel like someone isnt listening to me, or I don't understand something. I tend to focus on myself and get tunnel vision to try and fix the problem which isn't always helpful. These kind of event come up often in a work environment. For me, I think the most important thing is to be mindful of when I'm frustrated and not to put that frustration onto other people. For example, if something goes wrong, I should take a moment and realize being empathetic while working as a team is probably the best way to solve the problem.