I'm a leader. Resilient. Team-oriented.
Public speaking. Debate team in high school, president of groups in college, military officer chaplain, minister (sermons)
Mental health recovery, spirituality, philosophy
Lead. Socialize.
People-focused leadership.
Read through your Top 4 results from Pairin In your own words, what do these top 4 qualities tell you about yourself?
I am a resilient, independent, intense, and driven.
I'm tough and intense and can be intimidating. These are gifts to be celebrated and also kept in mind in times of conflict.
What can make it challenging to recognize your strengths? How can you work through those challenges?
- I have to remind myself that people aren't as thick-skinned or as intense as I am. I have to humble myself.
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 pre-plan, write outlines, iteration deadlines, etc. I like deeply understanding each step, re-writing directions, and making sure everything is clear.
How could you talk about these working preferences with your project teammates? Your mentor? Your instructors?
Ask how they work and state how I work and find the middle ground.
Assume the best intentions, and if it's not working, confront the person without attacking their character.
Any lessons or feedback is beneficial to my growth and development.
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?
I can be intense and blunt. While I'm not mean, per se, I can definitely steam roll or leave people feeling winded. I'd like to learn how to control that a bit more.
Be upfront with groups and people and find trusted people to call me out on my BS.
Go back to projects at the beginning and rework them. Reflect on progress, skill level, understanding.
I want to justify my flaws!!!
See where the flaws are actively causing harm in myself and others. Be open to growth or curbing life-long habits.
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, American, Texan, oldest sibling, child of divorce, white, mid/upper class, straight. Middle ring: list aspects of your chosen identity Military veteran, college educated, well-traveled, well-read. Center: write your core attributes—traits, behaviors, beliefs, values, characteristics, and skills that you think make you unique as an individual. I love problem-solving for issues that are affecting people's livelihoods and experiences. I like thinking outside of the box and being innovative.
Select things that are enduring and key to who you are. Many of these items have bolstered leadership skills, compassion, understanding of grey/complex topics, discipline, grit.
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):
Work matters when it allows me freedom. I like helping people, but in my former job in social services, I was barely making enough to have freedom in life. I worked a lot on a very little salary.
My household's stability and freedom matter, followed by the type of work. My small group of trusted friends matter.
I used to think my job should be my passion, but now I believe work and passions can be separate.
Finding middle ground between working your passion, and then hating the means to an end, can be a little tricky.
Work affords me the finances to have stability, freedom, and passions.
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?
I think a team-player, resilient and flexible person, and problem-solver makes for a good dev to work for and with.
Slowing down, thinking about the long-term goals. They have discipline and positive habits in their personal life.
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 a respected leader and a trusted teammate. I am social and driven and passionate and disciplined. I will continue to be a trusted and safe person. I will listen more.
My good habits are diet, exercise, community, and cleanliness. My bad habits are not having a healthy sleep routine.
I will be in bed by 11:00 every night. I will climb into bed right after washing my teeth/face.
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?
I will not keep coding past 10:45. I will ask my partner to join me.
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? I love it! It allows me to wind down earlier for bed!
Habits Reflection:
How have you seen yourself become more aware of your habits? Have you tried implementing anything new? What have the results been?
I bite and pick at my nails all the time. I'd really like to stop this behavior. Other than that, my diet, sleep, and exercise has improved.
Start Where You Are (Empathize with the user -- you) Health: how you answer “how are you”; intersection of physical, mental, and emotional health Feeling good! Better than this time last mod.
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?
More water!
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?
I code and I exercise. I hike and spend time w my dog and boyfriend. I have a well-rounded life, but I would like to talk more with friends.
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 could cook a meal for Joe, or send a text/call to my family.
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 a small circle but who I am close with, I show love often.
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 would like to develop software for biomedical companies. I would like to know more about where/how I can help, and what roles are available. I also really like design. I'd like to learn software for watches/phones for body-wearable medtech hardware.
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?
Stability, money, freedom, security. I want an environment where I can be independent yet asking questions if needed.
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 want a remote position that affords me both teamwork and mentorship opportunities. I aim for a career that will set me up to be a leader/manager. I want to be able to write medtech code.
How have you seen yourself become more aware of your habits? Have you tried implementing anything new? What have the results been?
I have been better about getting off the computer and developing a well-rounded exercise regiment. My diet is better. I feel better!!
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?
I realized in the reading that I have gotten arrogant and not been paying as much attention to repeating as I should this past week. I aim to go back and review the material and learn the material more deeply.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1om6-7ET3WkDaTJLbzoHidf4VHuK-kb1HEDhSueu6GM4/edit?usp=sharing
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?
Leadership, humility, flexibility, communicative, team. All of these are strengths in a software dev.
Write a refined vision statement here (what new things have you discovered this week to incorporate into your vision statement?):
I must treat myself with compassion and love, and to be aware of my attitude as I navigate new skills and information.
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 look forward to continuing my exercise program, but I would like to add in more pre-teaching / post-teaching time.
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 will pre-teach in the morning and post in the evening, with a Sunday night look-over of the week.
After morning run, I need to pre-teach. On Sundays, I need to pre-teach the week.
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 long-term? How will they add to your processes as a successful developer? At the end of the day, how do they add to your life?
I think pre and post teaching will significantly help my brain get familiar with the material, which will help me become a better coder.
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?
I could ask a friend to Zoom with me in the morning to go over the lesson. Maybe. I like studying on my own.
“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?
I can do anything for 2 minutes, so this is a great suggestion!
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?
I spent a great deal of time exercising, being with my dog and romantic partner, and laughing. It was so helpful in my energy. I also completed the project early so I could get a jump start on my project, and that level of discipline felt good.
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.
I interned in law and political offices while I was attending University of Texas at Austin as a Presidential Scholar. I was the leader of a student group that worked to eliminate sexual assault on campus using an app. After graduating college, I briefly attended seminary, and joined the US Air Force Chaplain Corps as an Officer. I was able to gain incredible leadership and teamwork skills, along with discipline and organization and communication, and of course, amazing soft skills from my time in seminary and learning how to be compassionate and open-minded. After I honorably discharged, I came on board to a start-up non-profit, where I was one of two full-time employees. I learned how to manage 200+ volunteers and clients, and wear the many, many hats in the necessary flexibility and multi-tasking of the job. I found software engineering through the non-profit management position, and fell in love with it, which led me to Turing. My passion for coding was solidified by observing my diabetic boyfriend's reliance on his glucose monitoring software, and it planted a seed that I could one day design medical technology. My primary motivation is finding solutions for problems that affect people, and software engineering helps me to maximize the capacity of the lives I touch and impact.
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.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-larson-68473775/
Perhaps reaching out to others and asking what parts of me they appreciate or attributes that encourage them to want to work alongside with me. Maybe even add a personal story about a break up that forced me to reevaluate my life path.
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? I worked on my project and studied for mid-mod.
When have you been excited, focused, and enjoyed your work? When I get into the flow of coding.
When have you felt bored, restless, or unhappy? When I feel overwhelmed.
When do you feel energized in your work? I like coding and solving bugs.
When is your energy drained? Lack of clarity.
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?
I will block out an hour or 2 on Saturday to work on my resume, and start up my Huntr account. I will peruse the slides from PD yesterday. After setting up the Huntr account, I reached out to 5 potential job leads in my network. All responded, but 3 of them were neutral and didn't have much info at this time. The other 2 encouraged me to send them my resume, but I don't know what I could list right now.
Applying wayfinding to using job search resources
Go through the resources listed here and explore 2-3 tools. List what you looked at here: 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? 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. DONE! It's called ALKU, and they reached out to me via LinkedIn. It's gov consulting work. What next steps will you take to explore that opportunity and find contacts? Add that information to your Huntr card. Done! Gonna ask about it in Turing channels.
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?
I spent my time exercising, coding, and.
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?
My Apple Watch is really good for my activity, but I need to also practice more array prototypes.
"Don't Break the Chain": Use a habit tracker
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?
Need help? Check out one of these habit tracking apps I want to quit biting my nails! I also need to format my resume with some color or modernization. I will look into Canva. Also, super need to practice array protos.
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?
Just do it when I don't want to.
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?
Aaron Deborsky-Burris will be my peer partner, we will check in twice a week.
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 am happy with my growth since implementing the habit tracker. It showed me places where I spent too much time coding and less with my partner or other outside enjoyments. Mind Maps:
Engagement. What did you reflect on before in regards to when you're engaged in your work at Turing?
I have been leaning more into my mentors lately and rubber ducking / pseduoing the code! It helps.
Energy. What did you reflect on before in regards to when you feel most energized in your work at Turing?
I realized I had not made much room for joy during this mod, and made sure to have some fun once in awhile.
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?).
Flow is where I lose track of time because I am so present in the work.
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?
I want to find a challenging job that promotoes autonomy and creativity, but also allows a great work life balance.
I can learn strategies and learn more about what's out there.
Outreach & Networking Plan: Based on your reflections above, create a concrete plan for your outreach:
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Who is the right person for you to reach out to? Bree Thomas
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How will you find them? How do you know they’re the right person? She went through Turing and is now the head of a tech company.
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How will you reach out? Via email
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What questions do you need to ask them? How did she start her job search, how was the first 6 months of the job
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How will you use this information to further your solution? Implement her strategies
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How will you follow up?
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Execute your plan: We have a call scheduled for next Thursday!
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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 several people. They told me to send a resume but I don't know how to write it for Turing yet.
Week 1
MedTech / Healthcare, Energy, Education (Guild)
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 want to help improve people's lives by developing technology that will help their education or health, or can help address concerns / needs between people and the environment.
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 change it to explicity describe that I want to work in these industries.
I am not only targeting biomedical tech, but also education tech. The pandemic has taught me the necessity of stable and effective UX for education and medicine industries.
- Complete resume (https://www.canva.com/design/DAEFdMExAEY/uq83IY1Vcshv9qDQ6Jou2w/edit)
- LinkedIn Research / reach out (Reach out to Guild Education Turing employee Jon Peterson)
- Company Research (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jZlBFYJ0GDW0fbS3PseH5OW9hn87BQQ-ZhUXrok3lk8/edit#gid=1668953397)
- CV Compiler (7 improvements!)
- Keep polishing resume https://www.canva.com/design/DAEFdMExAEY/uq83IY1Vcshv9qDQ6Jou2w/edit
- Reached out to Jon Peterson (Turing grad) last week!! It went great
- Polish cover letter https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fc49yBKG7PavA9iv3ITvII0GOLmUMJRFQdTtq88GAO4/edit?usp=sharing
- Apply to Outdoor Sportsmen? Not sure, the pay is a little low but it could be a good practice opportunity.
- Research https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jZlBFYJ0GDW0fbS3PseH5OW9hn87BQQ-ZhUXrok3lk8/edit?usp=sharing
- Swap cover letters w Greyson
- Reach out to Eric Spery (Guild) No response
- Reach out to Credera's Talent Person, Patrick Anderson, (Luke's connection). Make it casual, simple networking. No response
- Reach out to employee friends at Google (Sarah Bodin), Amazon (Trisha Long) and ask about their experience
- Update Huntr board https://huntr.co/track/boards/5f1099c16b9969002c9c0a63/board
- Resume and cover letter mostly complete, just need to add project to resume and find HR for cover letter
- Found a job at Outdoor Sportsmen Group. I like it but the pay is low. Might try it as a test application / run through.
Prepare for Job Shadow: AEIOU
Activities: what questions do you have about the activities that a software developer does on a daily basis? Walk me through your day from wake up to bedtime.
Environment: what questions do you have about the overall environment and culture of this workplace? What is the mentorship availaility look like?
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 often do you communicate w your team? With your superior? With the client? Taylor has worked at several diff companies, how does he like the size of Turbine (super small)
Objects: what questions do you have about the code or the product? What testing library do you use? What languages do you use? What about styling-- SCSS? Bootstrap?
Users: what questions do you have about how the company interacts with their users? How do they find users to test or survey their site?
After the Job Shadow, reflect on the same questions; what are your takeaways from the shadow? They use all the techs I'm learning!!! TS, React + Hooks. It was super validating. I could read their code!!
Activities: what was engaging to the person/people you shadowed? The team was super engaging and chill- not inimidating at all. They seemed like cool, helpful people to work with.
Environment: what did you notice about how they talked about the culture and environment of this company? I left a filter on my camera of me wearing a beard. It was laughed at and we moved on. That tells me they're super chill.
Interactions: what did you notice about your interactions with this person/people? ^^ Also, the employees raved about their ability to learn and grow at Turbine, and how great the mentorship access is.
Objects: what did you learn about their approach to code and/or product development? ASK QUESTIONS. lean into the hard stuff. be humble.
Users: what did you learn about their approach to their users? They work with their clients side by side so they stay productive.
What are your main takeaways from the shadow? How will you use this information to help you with your job search strategy? They're people, too! Just reach out. Be passionate and communicative.
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?): The goal of the project was to develop a movie review app. The user can rate and comment on movies, and see details about movies. My partner and I were not only able to execute all points on the spec and rubric, but we were praised for our UX. My partner and I worked well together, had open communication and trust, and walked away proud of the project. We mocked the Rotten Tomatoes UX, which was a great exercise employing professional production level UX.
Write about a time you failed and what you learned from that experience: I dropped the ball about a newsletter article for my last employer's seasonal newsletter. I stayed late after work to crank out a heartfelt essay about our services and my passion for the job.
Write about how you’ve approached working with a team using a specific example:
What other stories will you prepare to share? Intention Timer, Ideabox-- difficult group dynamics.
Do some research into your top companies’ tech stacks; what do you already know? What can you compare to your own learning? React, JS ES6, Typescript, Hooks.
What do you need to learn more about? TS, Hooks, Redux.
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: Mock interviews,
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?)?
My resume is finished, waiting on a tip from an instructor about a broken link for the deployed site. Once that link is fixed, I'm gonna be applying to whatever I can this week and next. I am gonna go to Utah for a few days over Intermission. I'm super proud of my projects this mod and I am over the moon at how far I have come.
I plan on applying to 20 jobs via LinkedIn + Built-in Colorado 's listings. I will apply via their website and follow up w their recruiter on LinkedIn.
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: I really like that the ones I'm applying to are remote start-ups. 100% remote, smaller, start-up (more autonomy). I research the CEO and reach out to the employed devs to make sure the company is real and established. I read about their company by googling any news about them. I just want to learn more about what the expectations and mentorship and pay would look like.
Outreach: look at the company’s LinkedIn page: who could you reach out to? What questions do you want to ask that person?
Recruiter and employed devs. 'What is it like working here and what can I do to improve my chances of candidacy'
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
Reach out, use intermission to redo a project.
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: If it's a start-up, I've gotten faster, more exposed to languages, working towards a leadership position, deeply integrated in the company's goals. That's my plan for all of them.
Available resources to help you pursue it: contacts, time, knowledge of the company, etc. I'm working towards CTO. Coherence: how it aligns with your career vision. On par. Confidence level: how feasible does this feel to you? Very. How excited you are about it? Stoked! 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? My plan is working hard in all these areas. I want to be the go-to person in leadership and development.
2 positions: Xaqt AI & Valyant AI FE devs remote Email to recruiter:
**Hi Brandy,
Valyant AI is on the leading edge of technology and the web by developing and producing AI services and products for a wide consumer base. I want to be right there with you, finding solutions and multi-tasking on projects with a small, but tight-knit team. I aim to enrich your company by bringing my Front-End development skills to Valyant AI and drive creativity and innovation forward. I helped to start up a non-profit before changing careers into tech, and I am all too familiar with the diversity of projects and sense of urgency to produce quality work within a small team.
I am about to graduate from Turing School of Software & Design in Denver, CO. Turing’s 2100-hour, fast-paced, high-standards program has empowered me to develop 12 Front-end projects in 1-1 ½ week sprints each, while simultaneously writing the code for side projects. Whether it’s in paired, group, or solo submissions, I am comfortable with git Version Control for my Javascript ES5 & ES6, React, CSS/SCSS, and HTML code. I am comfortable with Mocha and Jest test-driven development, and executing clean code for both developer empathy and user experience in the RESTful interaction with the API servers.
My ability to learn quickly and be a team player will streamline effortlessly into Valyant AI's team. Valyant AI will be improved by my work ethic, experience, and background in military leadership and discipline. I would love to expound on how I would be a great fit for your organization. My availability is Monday-Friday, anytime after 10am MST. I look forward to hearing from you!
Thank you, Leigh**
"Hi! I am about to graduate from the FE program at Turing School of Software & Design and am interested in applying to XX company. If you're able, I would really like to chat with you about your experience at XX company and what I can do to be a stronger candidate for this role. Thank you!"
"Hi! I recently applied to your FE Software Engineer position at XX company. I wanted to reach out and say hello because I know the process can be a bit dehumanizing and distant and wanted to add some warmth to my application. If there's anything I can do to be a stronger candidate, please let me know! Thank you!"
I am really liking the direction you are going visually with your resume. There are some things that could use a little polish, but keep working on that. When you are targeting companies take some time in your research to examine the developers that work at the companies and where they worked before they got to that point. This can be helpful for you in terms of getting your foot in the door and targeting companies you know will get you to your dream job.