Mod 1 Week 1: Understanding your strengths
Describe one of your strengths
-I work very, very hard. It is important to me that while at work, I am actually working. I am not a person who likes to pass time doing something unproductive.
What is something you have learned to do well (list a skill)?
-Communicate consistently with others for the sake of productivity.
What is something you know about (list some knowledge/expertise you have)?
-Marketing/Influencing
What is something you have a natural ability to do well (list a talent)?
-Keep calm among others during times of stress.
How do those combine to create a specific strength?
-In a group setting keeping calm and communicating effectively usually leads to good results.
Read through your Top 4 results from Pairin
In your own words, what do these top 4 qualities tell you about yourself?
-I am responsible, calm and respect others boundries. I also can be sensitive, so being able to regulate my emotions is an important part of my make up.
Do they resonate with you? Why/why not?
-Yes. I believe that the results are fairly accurate. On the face of it, "lover of moderation" seems to be uncompatible with how I view myself, but when you dive deeper into what it is beyond a title, the result is definitely correct.
How do they relate to the strength you wrote about in Prompt #1?
-They definitely are inline with my ability to keep calm during times of great stress.
Challenges with strengths
What can make it challenging to recognize your strengths? How can you work through those challenges?
-As humans, I believe that we normally focus on weaknesses instead of strengths. I should begin to celebrate my strengths as much as I take notice with my weaknesses.
Do you ever see yourself overusing certain strengths? In what circumstances would you want to use them less and amplify other strengths? How could you adjust your approach in those instances?
-It is easy to rely on what you are good at. No one really desires to struggle at things. If I put more effort and time into my weaknesses and less on my strengths, I believe that I will improve in my weak areas and overall be better balanced.
Strengths in action
Write 1-2 sentences describing how you like to work (i.e., Do you pre-plan? Do you talk through your ideas first? Do you work better with deadlines? How do you stay organized?)
-I prefer not to jump into a problem right away. I would like to feel prepared coming into solo and group work which often requires some pre planning.
How could you talk about these working preferences with your project teammates? Your mentor? Your instructors?
-Comminication is always key. If you don't communicate regarding your perferred working style how will others know what your working style is?
What would you need to be aware of when working with people who have different strengths from you?
-Often a strength for one person is a weakness of another. Take the time to learn from others knowledge to increase your own.
How could your Pairin results help you better understand your everyday working preferences?
-Being aware of your working styles will help you navigate where you will excell and need improvement inside of a working environment.
Continued growth
Is there any particular strength you'd like to sharpen while you're at Turing? Any area you consider a weakness that you'd like to strengthen?
-Although I am an excellent communicator for work process situations, I sometimes struggle when verbalizing or explaining. I would like to get better at just using my words to describe development content.
What are some steps you could take here?
-I believe that I can improve my verbalization by knowing the correct terms and just practicing talking through my code.
How could you be aware of progress you're making?
-Merely talking through code with others will allow me to realize if I am improving. If they don't have to ask clarifying questions I will know that I am improving.
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Mod 1 Week 2: Building Your Compass
What is challenging about self-reflection?
-It is easy to get overwhelmed. It can be easy to lie to yourself. It requires the right frame of mind. Lastly, it requires effort.
How can you continue to build the habit of self-reflection at Turing?
-I am excited to start using the 5 minute journal!
Social identity mapping First, create you own social identity map on a piece of paper (or print this out):
Outer ring: write words that describe your given identity
-Female?, White?, Priviledged?, First Child?, Denver?
Middle ring: list aspects of your chosen identity
-Student?, Politically Independent?, Married
Center: write your core attributes—traits, behaviors, beliefs, values, characteristics, and skills that you think make you unique as an individual. Select things that are enduring and key to who you are.
-Kind, Anxious?, Insecure-, Professional+
After you complete your map:
Underline the items that are important to you Put a + beside the items that you believe clearly demonstrate that you fit into the tech industry Put a - beside the items that you believe do not demonstrate that you fit into the tech industry Put a ? beside the items that you're unsure how they could show your ability to contribute to the tech industry
Reflect:
What does your social identity tell you about what you already bring to the tech industry?
-I can be very professional which I believe aligns with the tech industry. I also suspect that other aspects of my social identity, that I am unaware of, will bring value to this industry.
What would it look like for some of your minuses or question marks to turn into pluses? In other words, how could some of these traits be assets for the tech industry?
-I believe that, in general, the tech industry is looking to be more diverse. Because I am female, I suspect that this may become a plus for the purpose of hiring with diversity in mind.
Values mapping Pull out 5 values for each bullet below from this list:
Always valued: Faith, Authenticity, Fairness, Freedom, Hardwork Often valued: Aesthecitcs, Being in Control, Commitment, Financial Stability, Wealth Sometimes valued: Ambition, Gratitude, Time Freedom, Silence, Self Discipline Seldom valued: Status, Competition, Frugality, Relaxation, Orderliness
Reflect:
What do these values tell you about yourself?
-That many of my "always valued" values contribute to the success of my "often valued" values. Many of my "sometimes valued" values are things that I desire to have/be. Many of my "seldom valued" values are things that are not very often in line with my general make up.
Workview & Lifeview
Summarize what good, worthwhile work means to you (Tip: this is NOT about what work you want to do but about why work matters to you):
-I believe that work matters to me because it is not only a way to survive financially, but there are many other attributes that come from working that help to develop me as a whole person.
Lifeview: summarize what you value in life; what matters to you?
-I value the way that people treat me and the way that I treat others. I have a strong aversion to things or actions that I believe are unfair. I also believe that hardwork often leads to success.
Where do your views on work and life complement each other?
-If I put in hardwork and believe that I deserve a certain outcome but don't receive it, I think that others actions may be at play and can lead to unfairness, which can be deeply upsetting for me.
Where do they clash?
-Because I have such a strong desire to work, I often forfeit other things, such as freedom of time, at the expense of things that I very much value.
Does one drive the other? How?
-Yes. If my ultimate goal is to make sure that I am putting my worklife as a priority, it is often at the sacrifice of things that I value personally.
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Mod 1 Week 3: Habits & Accountability Systems
Habits of a Software Developer
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?
-Traits of a good software developer include, the ability to deal with frequent frustration, an ability to work with a team, to be technically capable and a desire to continue to learn. These traits should help to make a successful teammate in the workforce.
What are the habits that this person demonstrates to embody the identity of a software developer?
-The person is timely and self aware, so that they are a good team member. They also continually read about new tech concepts and ideas so that they are always on top of things.
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 want to be competent technically, professionally and personally. I am currently learning new tech skills with my education at Turing. I am learning how to become a better person both professionally and personally. I always respect other peoples time and try to be as self aware as possible. I attempt to teach others what I know and learn from others who have knowledge that I don't. I need to take time for more self care. I may need to set strict guidelines for myself regarding where work ends and life begins.
Working on the 1st Law of Behavior Change: Make it Obvious
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.
Weekday
Wake up = Look at phone - Brush teeth = Do makeup = Brush hair = Get dressed = Go to school + Eat lunch = Go to school + Change to pjs = Take a nap = Homework + Wash face = Eat dinner = Watch TV = Go to bed =
Weekend
Wake up = Look at phone - Study = Brush teeth = Brush hair = Get dressed = Workout = Change to pjs = Take a nap = Eat lunch = Shower = Study + Eat dinner = Study + Watch TV = Go to bed =
One New Habit
-I will meditate at 7:50am in the office during the week. After get dressed, I will meditate.
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?
-In order to better implement my habit, I need to make sure that I have my computer closed, my door shut and be sitting in complete silence. I need to make sure that I have the 10 mins to devote to this new habit, so I either need to wake up earlier or not look at my phone in the morning.
What are your results? How do you feel about this method? How will you move forward with this habit?
-Will revisit this question after a week of school to appropriately evaluate.
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Mod 1 Week 4: Creating a Vision, Part I
Habits Reflection:
How have you seen yourself become more aware of your habits? Have you tried implementing anything new? What have the results been?
-Keeping a list of what I a doing habitually everyday. I have not been able to implement the habit goal from week three. Maybe life and school have been too busy at this point. Going to give it another good effort starting tomorrow.
Start Where You Are (Empathize with the user -- you)
Health: how you answer “how are you”; intersection of physical, mental, and emotional health
-Physically I am tired and in need of outdoor activity. Mentally I am also tired but focused on an end goal. Emotionally I am also exhausted. School is a lot. The state of the world is a lot.
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?
-I would say I am about a 3. I have set some boundaries for how much out of class time I am spending on school work which allows for time in other areas of my life. If I could get outside around 5am before it gets too hot for physical activity I could probably readjust my health ratings, however, I am not sure how reducing my sleep would affect my overall health.
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?
-Maintain a household (laundry, bills, taxes, etc.) -Go to school and school work
-They all bring value to my life. If I did not maintain things at home, I would have nowhere to live, or at the very least, lead a very uncomfortable life. I enjoy learning and enjoy what I am learning. This brings great value to my life. Once I am out of school I expect even more value from the current work I am doing at Turing.
Play: what brings you joy? Think about joy just for the pure sake of doing it; everyone benefits from this kind of play
-I find joy in going for walks outdoors, from getting a good nights rest and from watching enjoyable television.
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?
-I don't have a lot of activities that bring me joy consistently currently. I can try to practice more self care. At Turing it is easy to fall into school work being the main, or only, thing you focus on. There are opportunities and boundaries that I can set where I have an opportunity for more self care and more joy as a result.
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?
-I have people around me that show me love on a regular basis. I try to return that love to others. Usually others reach out to me first to express love, however, I could start reaching out and giving, not merely returning, love.
Looking back at the 4 areas, do any problems emerge that you want to begin designing solutions for?
-It is clear to me that I need to add more joy to my life. I really need to make an attempt to attain more joyful moments by setting clear boundaries on my time that is dedicated to school.
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 need a life outside of Turing to enhance my level of joy. I am unclear about what I want for my career currently, but I think that is okay. I need to research areas where I would really enjoy working in the tech world. I want to be solid technically and professionally so that I am marketable to employers after my time at Turing.
Ideate -- challenge assumptions
When you discussed software developers with your small group, 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?
-They create value in the tech world based on their own vision and are able to work as a team while dealing with frustration. In order to validate that my assumptions are true, I can network or job shadow with those in the industry. I am completeling content with the typical software developer life based on those that I have talked to.
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 must be able to make a worthwhile living in an environment where my vision is valued. I hope that I will not remain unemployed forever. The goal is to eventually find a job. I would love a remote job where I have flexible hours in which to get my work done that provides a decent income.
Test –- solutions
Based on this week of reflections, write out your initial vision statement for your career:
-My vision is to be a capable, respected and valuable person in the tech industry where I am recognized for my achievements. I expect to be continually learning and growing as a person and an employee, while, at the same time, finding a healthy work life balance.
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Mod 1 Week 5: Creating a Vision, Part II
Habits Reflection:
How have you seen yourself become more aware of your habits? Have you tried implementing anything new? What have the results been?
-Keeping a list of what I a doing habitually everyday. I still have not been able to implement the habit goal from week three. Life and school have been too busy to allow me to do this. As we are now at the end of the inning I will attempt to implement some new things that I can bring into the next inning over break.
Design Thinking Reflection: Cultivating Beginner's Mind
How can beginner's mind be helpful when it comes to thinking about your career and job search? What are some habits you could put into place to cultivate beginner's mind regularly?
-If you approach your career and job search with a beginner's mind you come in with no preconceptions, expectations and are filled with curiousity and open to new possibilities. It is a blank slate that will not hinder you in your job search. If you are present and ask questions regularly you can cultivate your beginner's mind.
Go through the Flower Exercise brainstorming worksheets linked here. Then complete your Flower Exercise final worksheet here (go to File > Make a copy) and link that finished worksheet here.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nVGdDUt9LOes5CV0tzm368FQ0rBOxh2GvLnNz0c8SVg/edit
Write out your top 5 strengths that you've seen in action this module; then write out the strengths of a software developer. Where do you see these lists overlapping? Where are they different?
- Determination, Patience, Dedication, Curiosity, Teamwork
- Positivity, Good Team Player, Curiosity, Speed, Productivity
- Teamwork and curiosity are strengths that overlap
- Speed to increase productivity is something that is not a current strength, but one I would like to cultivate.
Write a refined vision statement here (what new things have you discovered this week to incorporate into your vision statement?):
-My vision is to work in the tech industry for a company that values creativity. I would like to take my passion for engineering and combine it with an outlet for design and innovation.
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Mod 2 Week 1: Building Habits to Become a Software Developer, Part II
Reflect on your habits from last module. What behaviors and activities were helpful for you? What activities and behaviors could be more effective for you? What processes would you like to try differently this module to become more effective at your work and as a software developer?
-I found that I needed to find a healthy balance between asking for help and getting too much help. It was a behavior that I had to consistently modify in order to find success. As a repeater I no longer felt that pre teaching was necessary. I am trying to get back to pre teaching so that I can give myself as many opportunities as possible for success. I have also started to write lists after class each day of what I need to accomplish before my next lesson.
Setting intentions for this module: who do I want to be this module? What specific habits would help me get there? How are those habits tied to the identity of a software developer?
-I want to be prepared, successful and patient. Pre teaching will help to prepare and help to be more successful. I also need to be patient with myself, so that I don't burn myself out in an attempt to be successful. In order to be a good developer you need to have a skillset to be prepared and you also need to be patient as programming roadblocks are encountered frequently and you need to keep your cool until you can find a solution.
***Incorporate temptation bundling to create a new habit by using this template:
-After completing work for the day, I will preteach the next days lessons. -After preteaching the next days lessons, I will go to sleep.
How to enjoy “hard” habits: Reframe your habits to consider their benefits rather than their drawbacks; name 3 habits that you have to do and explain the benefits of them. How do they further your goals longterm? How will they add to your processes as a successful developer? At the end of the day, how do they add to your life?
-Create a list for the next day: If I make sure to accomplish everything on the list I am more likely to be prepared and therefore more likely to succeed longterm.
-Consistently work on problem solving: This can be Codewars or JsFun among other things. As I continue to problem solve and write code on a consistent basis I produce better work as my journey continues. You need to put in the reps.
-Get comfortable with being uncomfortable: This is something that Turing encourages you to lean into. I still get very panicky before almost anything related to school, from class to assessments. I need to figure out a way to stay calm whenever I am thrown a curve ball, or even when I see one coming. I have to figure out a way to get over my extreme test anxiety that can be debilitating to not only make it through school but to be able to interview successfully as well.
-If I focus on these three goals above I should be able to improve my education and my life, both now and in the future.
Environment design (optional 5-min. additional reading: Motivation is Overvalued. Environment Often Matters More): how does your environment set-up currently help you with your habits? How could it be improved to make it easier for you to follow through on your habits?
-The pandemic actually promotes self study a lot more. It takes away a lot of things that you could be doing outside of the house, so when you have spare time on your hands you are more likely to use it for things that are valuable to you long term. I could limit my computer to school only related items, however I don't find that I tend to visit other websites in order to procrastinate. I make sure to not engage in social media when there is work to be done.
“When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” Read this 4-min article on how to stop procrastinating. Apply the 2-minute rule to reframe 2-3 of your habits by scaling them down into the 2-minute version. How does this reframing help you think about shaping your new identity as a software developer?
-Creating a list: Make the list, then gradually go through the list spending two minutes on each item, finally getting to the point of completing everything on the list.
-Work on problem solving: Spend two minutes in Codewars and JsFun each day. Gradually accomplishing a goal of three Codewars and JsFun problems a day.
-Become comfortable with being uncomfortable: Create situations, two minutes at a time, that mimic my ability to be uncomfortable, gradually increasing to long periods of being uncomfortable but being able to deal with it for a much longer period of time.
-Reframed in this manner it makes things feel more managable, which in the end will make me a better developer.
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Mod 2 Week 2: Professional Storytelling & Branding
Assess your habits from week 1: how did you spend your time this past week? What was effective in your habits? What could be more effective? What steps will you take to make that happen?
-Time is so limited at Turing. I attempted to spend my time in the most efficent manner possible to accomplish what I needed for the week. Making lists certainly helps me prioritize what is most important and it always feels good to check something off. Setting cutoff times for how long I may be working on any given task may help me be more effective. It is easy to go down a rabbit hole and then accomplish less than you desired. On my lists I will begin designating how long I want to work on each item that I need to complete.
Write a draft of your professional story here as 1-2 paragraphs. Focus on answering the questions who are you, why are you here, and what's next? Consider how to talk about your motives and values, the turning points that led to your career change, and what you envision for yourself going forward.
-My name is Katy St Sauveur and I use the pronouns she/her. I grew up in Colorado, however after college I moved to Arizona where my partner and I have lived for several years now. I have a background in finance and used to work with making EFT payments to the IRS for many small businesses.
-I decided that I needed a career change as I was no longer growing in my position. My brother, who is a developer, pushed me in the direction of computer programming. Finance and development have many overlapping analytical skills that I thought could be valuable in this transition. I was encouraged to do a coding bootcamp. After doing my research, I found that among the top coding bootcamps was the Turing program in Denver. As a visual person with a great design asthetic I choose to pursue the front end program.
-I look forward to finding a career with an exiciting and engaging team, where I feel valued and energized.
Update your LinkedIn profile with the following: updated photo/headshot, headline, summary statement using your story, and Turing added to your experience and education sections. Include a link to your profile here in the journal. Remember the guidelines and tips from the lesson here.
What other steps will you take this week to update your branding or practice your story?
-Try to connect with other classmates on LinkedIn, build out more of my LinkedIn profile, and, as I struggle verbally when describing things, I will practice telling my story out loud a few times this week.
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Mod 2 Week 3: Job Search Strategies
Assess your habits from week 2: how did you spend your time this past week? What was effective in your habits? What could be more effective? What steps will you take to make that happen?
-Time is very limited at Turing so it is best to schedule every bit of your time to make the most of every minute. This week I attempted to use my time to the best of my ability with the insight of trying to always look ahead and plan for time needed in the future as well. I made a list of items that were important for the week and made sure to run through each item on the list even if I didn't fully complete what I had originally set out to finish. I have been using timers so that I also am aware of how much time I may be spending on any given task. There is truly never enough time at Turing, and sometimes we prioritize things that we find to be less important down the road. I am working on setting boundaries around the amount of time I will spend on group project calls, in order to not to be taken over by project work, which seems to happen so easily.
Reflect on how you’ve spent your time so far at Turing to gauge your engagement and energy:
When have you been excited, focused, and enjoyed your work? When have you felt bored, restless, or unhappy? When do you feel energized in your work? When is your energy drained?
-Turing is a rollercoaster of emotions. I find that I have been excited, focused and enjoying my work when learning new concepts and being able to display my full understanding of them. I have terrible test anxiety which has lead to repeating for me. I think that repeating can be valuable if the concepts are not being grasped, but truly holds very little value if a person is repeating due to testing anxiety. It can be boring going through lessons for the sole purpose of an assessment during week 6. I feel restless sitting through concepts that I throughly understand and there is a deep frustration that projects are not weighed as heavily as assessments for determining whether someone will move on to the next mod or not. Trying to defeat assessment anxiety is draining. There is no great way to approach it. I just keep getting my reps in and know that I can give the best that I can and past that it is out of my hands.
Setting up habits and routines to make time for the job search this module:
Block out time on your calendar this week to work on your job search. When will you make this happen? How will you hold yourself accountable to this? What activities will you focus on during this time this week? What outcomes do you hope to reach by the end of this week because of these activities?
Although not given nearly enough time to complete the career journal and look for a job, I will be working on my job search during the hour allotted weekly for professional development purposes. As it is time blocked out by professors on our calendar it is easy to make sure that you are working on PD during that time frame. In order to hold myself accountable, I will approach it as if it were class time where I am required to show up and participate. I will continue to add to my LinkedIn page in meaningful ways and generally search for jobs to see what is out there and what I may be interested in. I hope to have a better idea of what I would like to do post Turing and possibly identify companies or industries I may begin to focus my job search on.
Applying wayfinding to using job search resources
Go through the resources listed here and explore 2-3 tools. List what you looked at here:
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BuiltIn: Lots of tech jobs across the country. Easy to navigate and search by programming language. Many senior dev jobs. Very few jobs that I would qualify for including Q/A.
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Startupers: List of open startup positions. Very hard to navigate to find what you may be a good match for. Once again looked at a Q/A listing, as this seems to be an easier entry level job, and required much more experience then what I will have when done at Turing.
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Javascript Weekly: Kind of a catch all for things related to JS. It includes info on projects, articles, news, jobs. The job listings here are very minimal. Probably not the best place to search for a job but would allow you to gather info that may interest you or be valuable to you in the interview process.
Apply wayfinding: of what you looked at, what did you discover that aligns with your vision? If it didn’t align with your vision, what will you try next? Decide what tools to bookmark to explore later.
-I believe that my vision is becoming clearer. Ideally I believe I would like to work with a startup. I would like to be part of the building process, not just maintaining a codebase. I know that this comes with risk. A job with a startup company is likely to be less stable than one with a long established company. I also am willing to relocate or work remotely. BuiltIn offers opportunities outside of the immediate Denver area. Startupers caters specifically to starup positions. Javascript Weekly didn't seem to be that valuable of a resource for me at the current time. I may look at it again once officially employed in the software industry. I think the list that Turing provided is unbelievably thorough and valuable. That being said it will take a strong time commitment to go through, so I will be book marking the resources link itself to go through at a later time.
Find a job posting that aligns with your vision. What’s the posting? How does it align with what you’re looking for? Add it to your Huntr.
Job Posting: https://workiva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/careers/job/Denver/Summer-2021---Software-Engineer-Intern_R572
-An internship may be the way to start my software career, in order to get some experience under my belt. I am familiar with the company and know that they value diversity in development, so it aligns with who I am and the work environment that I desire. I have added it to my Huntr.
What next steps will you take to explore that opportunity and find contacts? Add that information to your Huntr card.
-My brother used to work for the company, and I know that Turing students/professors have also worked there. This makes finding contacts for the position very easy. I will contact my brother and get names of other Turing folk so that when I am ready to apply I can direct my interest towards those people. I have added my brothers contact info to Huntr.
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Mod 2 Week 4: Building Habits to Become a Software Developer, Part III
Prepare for Job Experience: AEIOU
- Activities: what questions do you have about the activities that a software developer does on a daily basis? -Are you busy throughout the day? -What does your average day look like? Is it structured? -What would you say is the most important thing you do daily?
- Environment: what questions do you have about the overall environment and culture of this workplace? -Do they value diversity? -Are employees happy? -Do they promote from within?
- Interactions: what questions do you have about the team at this company? What do you hope to learn during this experience? -Are they fully remote? Are they planning on staying that way? -How do they communicate in a remote setting? -I hope to learn how a dev team generally works together.
- Objects: what questions do you have about the code or the product? -Do you maintain a large developed code base or are you consistently building a fairly new one? -What exactly is your product? -Did you take the job because it was a job, or are do you feel a strong connection to the product the company is creating?
- Users: what questions do you have about how the company interacts with their users? -Do you personally interact with users? If so, how often. -How much interaction does the company have overall with it's users and what positions interact with users frequently? -Does the company consistently try to evolve with their users, giving them a product that fits the growth of the average user?
After the Job Experience, reflect on the same questions; what are your takeaways from the activity?
- Activities: what was engaging to the person/people you met with? -He had grown up obessessed with computers. He was happy that this career area was where he landed.
- Environment: what did you notice about how they talked about the culture and environment of this company? -They like to do offer fellowships to people newly out of Turing. Often, once the fellowship is over, they make a permanent job offer. He said that he is not a big fan of unlimited PTO. That is rarely gets taken when it is unlimited. I think he said he maybe had a little less than a week last year.
- Interactions: what did you notice about your interactions with this person/people? -He was very kind and patient. Although not a Turing grad, talking to him felt like he could have been.
- Objects: what did you learn about their approach to code and/or product development? -He showed us part of the codebase that his company uses for CSS purposes to streamline code and keep it dry. He also told us that most of his job is maintaining code as opposed to creating something new.
- Users: what did you learn about their approach to their users? -The product the company produces is strongly driven by its users. He generally does not have any true interaction with users himself.
What are your main takeaways from the shadow? How will you use this information to help you with your job search strategy?
-It was a very interesting experience. I am glad that Turing decided to add something like this to mod 2 PD. I am now leaning into working for a startup because you get to build more and maintain less. Watch out for benefits that aren't really benefits, such as unlimited PTO. This opportunity has helped me narrow down where I may want to work post Turing, and now I will be better equiped to search for a job that suits my interests instead of just searching through thousands of jobs that may or may not be a good fit.
Assess your habits from week 3: how did you spend your time this past week? What was effective in your habits? What could be more effective? What steps will you take to make that happen?
-This week started with a lot of group work and ended with new group work and mid mods. I took the early bird and passed so that was a big win and a confidence reinforcer for me. As usual group work took over all priorities. I set new boundaries regarding time spent on the new group project. It seems that this team is also desiring some solo work on the project, so hopeful my boundaries will hold. I have been using the visual accountibility technique moving one item from one place to another to try to hold myself accountable for getting my prototype reps in. Although not being able to get in as many reps as I desired I did get some in and intend to aim for more next week.
Implement a reiforcement strategy: to make one of your habits more satisfying, what is a reward you can give yourself immediately after completing the habit? How will this reward encourage you to continue completing that habit?
-If I get my reps in, I can then reward myself with trashy tv followed by sleep. If I do not procrastinate or avoid my reps then I will be able to go to bed earlier and hopefully get more sleep which is something that I always desire.
What is a habit that you want to make sure to do every day? How could you visually cue yourself to complete it (i.e., moving a paper clip)? How can you visually track it each time you've completed it? Could you automate the tracking? How will you do that?
-I have to continue to get array prototype reps in. I have been moving 100 bottle caps a week from one glass to another to visually hold myself accountable. Each type I complete a prototype problem I move one bottle cap from one glass to the other. It is also rewarding to follow my activity on the green Github chart. It appears that there are many apps out there to help automate habit tracking. I will look into using one of those but doing something using my own hands is much more likely to be successful given my personality.
How to get back on track when missing a habit: if you miss a day or two of completing your habit, how will you get yourself going again?
-I have a personality type that can be all or nothing. If I miss a day, I often feel I have to wait the entire week before I start again. I am going to try to break that habit. I can restart my habit the next day, or even the next hour. The more I force myself to get my habit back on track as soon as possible, the more comfortable I will get with the feeling of not having to wait a week to start again.
Pick an accountability partner (your cohort accountabilibuddy, your mentor, a close friend, etc.) and create a habit contract with them. How often will you check in with each other? How will they hold you accountable?
-I have created a verbal habit contract with my accountability buddy. We will be checking in with eachother weekly and to hold me accountable when we meet, we will do prototype practice or whatever future habit together.
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Mod 2 Week 5: Outreach & Networking I
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?
I tried out a habit tracking app but found that my system of bottlecaps was much more effective. I know we are developing apps but not everything is best in screen form. I am really leaning into the bottlecap system. Even when traveling for an extended period of time I bring the bottle caps with me to hold myself accountable. I believe that repeaters should have had more flexibility for self study on lessons that were not of use to attend. It would have allowed me the time to really focus in on certain topics that I could use some extra time with. With the lack of structure of Mod 2 projects, it was nice to know how much time to put in to a project and when to do so. From day one until the very last Thursday there was always a project happening. I know that next Mod is going to be tough. I plan to take a few days off and then get as comfortable as possible with React over intermission. I believe pre and post teaching is going to be valuable in Mod 3 and I am planning on doing as much of that as possible.
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?).
-I find that I am most engaged when learning an new, cool concept and getting the functionality of it to work in a project.
- Attend lecture
- Learn new concept
- Reteach new concept
- Be given a task where the new concept will be utilized
- Apply the new concept and have it not work - building is a strength
- Work through why the concept may not be working - trouble shooting is a strength
- Apply the new concept and have it work - super fun
- Utilize new concept frequently
- Feel a sense of accomplishment can be very fun
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 am most energized at the beginning of a new inning. It's when habits are most closely being followed and self care actually exists.
- Get enough sleep over itermission break while not losing your skills
- Do prep work of new material to come
- Have completely new lessons - so fun
- Learn new concepts
- Start new projects - strengths
- Put those new concepts to work inside of projects - f u n
- All while practicing self care and adhering to habits
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?).
-Passing a mod always comes with a sense of achievement. It is a really emotional state of being.
- Work very hard to pass assessments and complete final project - strength, hard work is never an issue
- Pass assessment
- Create a passing project
- Get very little sleep
- Practice very little self care
- Push yourself as hard as you can - strength
- Pass the mod - fun
- Feel a true sense of accomplishment - fun
- Have a release of full emotion
- Experience joy and exhaustion
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?
- As a software developer it is important for me to feel accomplished when building new things that were once foreign to me. I love how this mod I have learned my desired path post Turing. I still have a lot to learn about where I want to go, but I have a much better idea of what I would like in my development future. Now my questions have less to do with what my vision for a software career is to how to get to that desired job.
Prototype your outreach:
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
-
My brother, with about 15 years in the industry, is a good person to reach out to. He has been in the industry for a long time and had many different positions for many different types of companies. Few peole know me better than him. Is my career vision a good and realistic one? What is the best way to look for the type of job I desire? What is the best way to prep for technical interviews?
-
A Turing grad, who is a few months ahead of my current state. No one knows what it is like to go through Turing like another Turing studen/grad. What are you doing? What have you found useful in your job search? What have your technical interviews been like? Do you have imposter syndrome?
How would this outreach help you further your job search strategy?
- It would allow for perspective from someone who hires Turing grads and someone who is a recent Turing grad. Both valid opinions but coming from differing point of view.
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?
- Scott Rogowski and Lauren Lucero
How will you find them? How do you know they’re the right person?
- My brother is easy to find and although I haven't talked with Lauren in a few months I can easily track her down on Slack. They both will have valuable opinions and resources.
How will you reach out?
- Call my brother. Slack Lauren.
What questions do you need to ask them?
-
Scott: Is my career vision a realistic one? What is the best way to look for the type of job I desire? What is the best way to prep for technical interviews?
-
Lauren: What are you doing? What have/did you find useful in your job search? What have your technical interviews been like? Do you have imposter syndrome?
How will you use this information to further your solution?
- Really listen to what they have to say and take notes. Apply their advice to further develop my career vision.
How will you follow up?
- Keep the conversation open and evolving so that I don't lose touch.
Execute your plan:
What happened?
- Will be reaching out tomorrow. School took over this as a priority but break is a great time to connect.
What other next steps should you take?
- Take an advice given and maybe try to connect with even more people while I have some down time.
If this is a person connected to a company you're interested in, be sure to add it to your Huntr card.
- Done
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Module 3
Professional Development Intermission Work for Mod 3
Please list the top 3-5 industries and companies you'll pursue in your job search as of right now.
Industries
- Marketing
- Startup Community
- Sales
Companies
- Like to Know It
- Workiva
- Sovrn
- Hubspot
Why did you pick the industries/companies that you listed above? How do they relate to the values and goals you have for yourself in your job search?
- I picked companies and industries that align with my past experience and current interests. I also may have connections within a few companies, which is always helpful. Most of these companies I have worked with in a non engineering aspect so I have a good idea of what values and goals the companies possess. I am still looking to find some good startup companies.
How does your LinkedIn currently reflect your goals and industry interests? What changes will you need to make to your LinkedIn to better reflect these?
- I need to flush out my LinkedIn more to include more of my goals and industry interests. I imagine targeting industries, without being too specific, will show that I am excited to work in a certain type of market.
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Mod 3 Week 1: Professional Storytelling II: Resumes & Portfolios
Refine your career vision: What are the values that will drive your job search? What are your goals for your job search? What kind of role do you see yourself pursuing in your job search? Based on your latest version of your career vision, list the top 3-5 industries and companies you’ll pursue in your job search as of right now. Why did you pick these industries/companies? How do they relate to the values and goals you have for yourself in your job search?
-
Values: Fast pace, Aesthetics, Change and Variety, Connection, Creativity
-
Goals: Update resume, expand LinkedIn, Finding a job that brings joy, Networking, Persistence
-
Role: Start up company with lots of room to build and be creative
-
Industries: Marketing, Startup Community, Sales
-
Companies: Like to Know It, Workiva, Sovrn, Hubspot
-
Why these industries/companies: Based on interest in a certain market segment, networking and best companies to work for
-
How do they relate to your values: They allow for creativity, growth and possibility
Build your resume
What will you emphasize in your resume that directly relates to your targeted industries?
- Branding, creativity, hard work, perseverance, experience
Link to your resume or include a screenshot here: https://www.canva.com/design/DAELas1146U/K3AedweUwzYBQKtZlVQz2Q/view?utm_content=DAELas1146U&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink
Based on the feedback you received from CV Compiler, what updates will you make to your resume?
- Add keywords: Unit Testing, Git
- Accomplishments: Designed
- Action verbs: Build
- Niche skills: CanvasJS
- Added numbers
- Formatted address
- Skills matching added JEST
- Reformated to remove graph like elements
Reflection questions:
What do you want this portfolio to say about you?
- It is very basic. I am not at the point where my projects are publishable yet. It lists my skill set and has my resume and gitHub if anyone would like to check it out until I am comfortable posting a project that is in good condition.
How will you continue to add to this to portray your story and showcase the kind of work that demonstrates your brand?
- As time allows I will be able to clean up projects, create new ones and post them. I will be also be able to update my resume to add more technology that I am learning and link projects I am more proud of there as well.
Ian’s workshop this week is designed to help you break down your interest in specific industries even further by exploring their tech stacks to decide if you want to utilize any of their tools in upcoming projects. Make a copy of his template here and post a link to your copy here to show what research you’ve completed. You can also link this research to your Huntr board.
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Mod 3 Week 2: The Application Process
Find a position or use a position you’ve put on your Huntr board and write a cover letter for that position in a Google doc or gist. Reference these cover letter resources as well as the session to complete your cover letter.*
Post the link to your cover letter here
Review your cover letter with a peer some time this week. What feedback did your partner give you? What next steps will you take to make your cover letter even stronger?
- Solid cover letter. May want to make it a little more personal, can read a little dry. I will attempt to make my cover a little more personal and a little less professional. It is important to stand out!
If you were to apply to this position (and you should!), how will you customize your resume for it? What other next steps would you need to take here?
- I would make sure that the technologies that I have listed are inline with what the job is requesting. Also maybe align my projects with the frameworks that they are using so that they can see that I am capable of programming with the skills they desire.
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Mod 3 Week 3: Outreach & Networking II
Back to your resume and cover letter you’ve been working on:
What other next steps do you want to take to make these two components stronger?
- Take feedback given by Tracey regarding resume, try to make my cover letter a little more personal.
Outreach Brainstorming:
Either explore the company you wrote a cover letter for or find a new company to explore this week; Go to their company LinkedIn page and start to explore the employees. Who are a couple people you could reach out to? Why?
- New company: Porsum
- Tom Farish - Recruiting Manager - In charge of recruiting staff
- Chad Heinrich - Staffing at Porsum - In charge of staffing
- Eleni Tio - Human Resources - HR is often who filters resumes, get your name to the top of the list so that the resume is not overlooked
Finalize Your Plan:
Who have you decided to reach out to? Why that person? How will you contact them? What do you want to talk to them about? How will you follow up?
- Will reach out to Tom Farish because he appears to be in charge of recruiting. If he is not the correct person to reach out to, will try to obtain who the appropriate person is. Will contact them using LinkedIn. I will make sure to provide an introduction of who I am, ask about their experience with the company and if they currently, or in the near future, have any positions that I may be a good fit for, show that I have researched the company and am interested in both the company and the person I am reaching out to. If I receive no response I will evaluate whether I am still interested in the company and if so, will try a different contact to reach out to.
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 did you learn about the company? What other next steps should you take for pursuing this company? Be sure to update this in Huntr.
- As of today, I have not found this approach to be helpful in any way. It is kind of like cold calling for connections, which is even stranger than cold calling from a sales standpoint. I am considering some meetups, however the zoom ones have not been very rewarding. I have not received any responses from this approach. I will likely change course and only cold contact those where I have a stronger networking contact, for example, knowing someone that works for the company. Have added the company to Huntr to keep track of who I have contacted and the status of a response from them.
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Mod 3 Week 4: Interview Prep
Prepare for Job Shadow: AEIOU
Activities: what questions do you have about the activities that a software developer does on a daily basis?
- What does your schedule on a daily basis look like?
- Are you fully remote and do you plan on staying that way after the pandemic is over?
- What does your workflow process look like?
Environment: what questions do you have about the overall environment and culture of this workplace?
- What does work life balance look like at your company?
- Do you consistently support new hires with learning and growth?
- Do you prefer to hire bootcamp grads or CS grads?
Interactions: what questions do you have about the team at this company? What do you hope to see in your interactions during the shadow?
-
How large is the dev team?
-
Does everyone work in the same area (geographically)?
-
Do they promote from within?
-
I hope to get honest answers from the team. If management answers questions differently than others, maybe that sends a flag up. If an everyday question makes them squirm, is that another red flag?
Objects: what questions do you have about the code or the product?
- What stack does the company use?
- Given regulations how are they able to still make money off of affiliate links?
- What is the next big thing they want to do with their product?
Users: what questions do you have about how the company interacts with their users?
- Who interacts with the users and how often does it happen?
- What strategies does the company have to make sure that they retain their users?
- Does the company consistently try to evolve with their users, giving them a product that fits the growth of the average user?
- What does the sales/marketing team look like at the company? How do they retain/gain new users?
After the Job Shadow, reflect on the same questions; what are your takeaways from the shadow?
Activities: what was engaging to the person/people you shadowed?
- Seemed like they enjoyed the language/framework that they were working with
- Showed an example of a solid PR in real life
- First job out of their bootcamp and made it sound like they sought out this company due to their values
Environment: what did you notice about how they talked about the culture and environment of this company?
- Seemed happy
- Appeared that there was a work/life balance struggle, although insisted that was a personal issue, not a company wide problem
- Only place they had ever been a dev and had been promoted from within
Interactions: what did you notice about your interactions with this person/people?
- Very kind and laid back
- This experience may have been as nerve racking from them as it was for us
- They encouraged us to really find a company that was a good fit and didn't just sell their company
Objects: what did you learn about their approach to code and/or product development?
- They used React in a manner in which I could already contribute
- They take a break every couple of months to allow the employees to work on projects of their choosing for an entire week
- Maybe behind in times, as a mobile version of the product had yet to be developed
Users: what did you learn about their approach to their users?
- They want to create the best product that they can for their users
- A mobile site is a huge step in functionality for the benefit of users
- They are constantly coming up with new ways to make sure that their users are getting what they need out of their product and adapt their product based on how the market changes
What are your main takeaways from the shadow? How will you use this information to help you with your job search strategy?
-
The job shadow gave me confidence. During the actual job shadow portion, I could have executed everything that the dev was doing. I think it is important to ask uncomfortable questions. It shows the true feelings of the employees. This company said that they would follow up in multiple ways with us that has not happened. It seems to be a red flag for the company itself.
-
I will use this experience to help with my job search. I will continue to ask uncomfortable questions and informative ones as well. I will follow up with the companies that I believe in, as left hanging doesn't make me want to continue to try to work with you. I believe I may also go into these interviews with a bit more confidence as well. I can do hard things!
Interview Prep:
Pick a successful project and write about it with the STAR method (What was the situation/scenario of the project? What was the task/target of the project? What action steps did you take? What were the results?):*
S - For the mod 3 final project I was asked to create my own app for a specific user given very loose guidelines T - To build a functioning app in React under strict time constraints, test the app, use an external API to display and manipulate data and have a multipage app that utilizes routing A - I created an app that would help you get dressed for the day based on the weather, I love fashion and thought it would be fun, this project was pretty open ended, I really could have chosen anything that I wanted R - I successfully created this app in under 5 days, it was fun and unique compared to other apps out there, I met my objectives but there is always room to grow, I learned that it was so fun to be able to build a project like this and that given time, I could expand on this project or start a new one for professional and enjoyment purposes, I have continued to think how I could expand this project further to make it a better app
Write about a time you failed and what you learned from that experience:
- I find that I am not great at assessments/live coding challenges. It is a huge barrier for me in the tech world. It is clear that I know the info but I consistently get so nervous that it often affects my outcome. I have started to try to do calming meditation and such in order to be less nervous with these challenges.
Write about how you’ve approached working with a team using a specific example:
- I work very well in teams. It is very rare that I do not get along well with a partner on a team. Although I may not always be the strongest person technically on a team, I have been told that I am extremely good at managing others. I do not allow those who have dreams bigger than what the app is needing to go down rabbit holes. I am great at managing time, and letting teams know where to look out for pitfalls.
What other stories will you prepare to share?
- I will talk about overlapping skills from past positions outside of the dev world. I will tell about quick promotions and extensive experience working in teams. If it feels appropriate I can talk about customer service and working with difficult customers as well as branding and marketing and my love of design.
Do some research into your top companies’ tech stacks; what do you already know? What can you compare to your own learning? What do you need to learn more about?
- I think it would be valuable to pick up some basic skills from some backend languages so that I can be more marketable. I am starting to think the tech stack that I want to work with is more important than the company itself. I can explain that I am a quick learner, especially when being able to learn while doing, and share the pace of Turing. When I have time, which is a rarity at Turing, I can take some basic courses, and build some basic projects in other languages. I am also considering doing the 30 day JS challenge in order to refine my skills.
Using this interview prep resource doc, pick out at least 3 resources you will use to prepare for interviews as well as 3 behavioral questions you could practice:
- I will use Leet Code, Top 50 React Interview Prep Questions, and CodeWars
- Behavioral questions:
- What is your 100% ideal role for your first web development job?
- What is something that your hobbies or interests tell me about you that your resume cannot?
- When have you solved a problem that didn’t involve you coding?
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Mod 3 Week 5: Refining Your Strategy
Taking stock of where you are: what have you accomplished this module? What have you learned? Where are you stuck (have you not been able to follow through on outreach? Is your resume not finished?)?
This module I learned a lot! I learned React and taught myself other languages/frameworks. Professionally, I built some confidence in being able to transfer my skills to a successful career some day. I need to continue to prep for tech challenges that I will encounter in interviews and to get my nerves under control. Hopefully in Mod 4, I will be able to structure my time for PD more productively. It is always a goal at onset to stay on top of it. Maybe I can be successful in these upcoming weeks.
Create plans for 3 different companies you want to target:
-
IZEA:
- Appears to align very closely with past postitions and interest
- The industry is something that is filled with fun for me
- I used to do influencing so I am very connected to the product as well as the skill set they are looking for
- I know how influencing works
- This company is based in influencer marketing
- They value creativity
- Smaller company of around 225 people
- Located in Florida but position is remote
- Need to know if I am qualified for the position
- Reach out to Aldo Mercado as he also went to Turing and is currently an engineer for the company
- Is he happy? Would he recommend the company to others? Is there an available position that may be a better fit for me?
- Maybe ask for a job shadow or a review of my projects
-
NMR Events:
- Appears to be a fun place to work
- Feels more in line with a product that would be engaging to me
- I have done event planning before and feel the cross of skills would make for a good fit
- Prior industry knowledge and a solid understanding of the stack the company would like for a candidate to have
- I am able to work well with others in an event setting
- The product has to do with event planning and technology
- Fairly small company of 100 employees
- Appears to be a fun culture
- Currently remote
- Is this a contract position and, if so, am I okay with that?
- Could reach out to Grace Bodur - who seems to have the same position that I would be applying for
- Is she happy? Would she recommend her job to others?
-
Liftable Media:
- They truly believe in their purpose
- They guide their decisions based on a set of company morales
- They are local and are in an interesting industry (journalism)
- I am good at branding
- I can help them build engaging sites
- Media, small company, religion is important to the company, may go against my political beliefs, based in Phoenix
- Is this truly a company that I would like to pursue?
- Hard to find anyone to contact via LinkedIn, lots of interns
- Would like to know if my values could align with theirs? Are the open to other perspectives?
- After researching does not seem to fit my vision for my future
Questions to reflect on here: Why do you like this company? What makes you want to work there? Why are you a good fit for this company? What do you bring to the company? What transferable skills do you have? What do you already know about the company (product, team, culture, company size, location, etc.)? What do you need to learn? Steps to take: Outreach: look at the company’s LinkedIn page: who could you reach out to? What questions do you want to ask that person? Experience: once you’ve made a connection at the company, how could you find out more? Consider setting up a job shadow or exploring their tech stack in your projects Read back over the plan. How does it reflect your vision? Imagine that you get the job. A year later, what have you gained from this experience? How have you started to fulfill your vision?
Plan #1: IZEA, Available resources 2, Coherence 4, Confidence 3, Excitement 4
Plan #2: NMR Events, Available resources: 3, Coherence 3, Confidence 3, Excitement 3
Plan #3: Liftable Media, Available resources: 2, Coherence: 2, Confidence: 4, Excitement, 2
Make it actionable: rank each plan on a scale of 1-5 for how much your plan aligns with the following: Available resources to help you pursue it: contacts, time, knowledge of the company, etc. Coherence: how it aligns with your career vision Confidence level: how feasible does this feel to you? How excited you are about it?
Now, pick the plan with the highest numbers across the board. What steps will you take next to pursue this strategy as you go into the next module?
- Before Mod 4 begins I will do outreach to the Turing grad who works for IZEA.
It looks like weeks 3-5 are still needed.