Margo Schaedel - Professional Development Prework

MargoSchaedel_pd_prework.md

1. After reading the article, "29 Behaviors That Will Make You an Unstoppable Programmer," I believe the behaviors that most resonated with me are number 2, number 16, and number 29. Number 2 states "Maintain an obnoxious amount of stick-to-itiveness" and I think this is a general rule of life, that there will always be new things to learn, we will always have to start at square 1 somewhere. Possessing the confidence and self-motivation to pursue new technologies persistently will be key to success in development. Number 16 covers the ability to accept massive criticism with ease, which is significant in all industries, not just programming. This is an area I definitely want to work on. Number 29 declares, "Move fast and break things" which extols the need to really learn from mistakes and accept that failure can leads to growth and improvement if the individual recognizes and learns from his or her mistakes.

2. Atul Gawande, author of the Checklist Manifesto, speaks of the use of checklists in medical surgeries around the world, and the difference it has made. Having and using a checklist provides a back-up plan in a sense for the fallible human. As a beginner in programming, I will have to absorb a lot of information all at once, and will thus probably be making mistakes all the time, so having information organized into some kind of structure will provide a bolster while reinforcing the basic and core principles that provide the foundation in coding. This type of organizational system can be of huge help not only while I'm a student, but also later on as a full-time developer. Even pros make mistakes sometimes, but if one can take simple measures to prevent or avoid errors, then even something as prosaic as a checklist is worth having and using.

3. Based on the three articles concerning strengths-based development, I believe this method of cultivating an individual's talents in the workforce will prove significant for the future. Strengths-based development appears to be a more positive approach, with a strong supportive environment for the individual, in understanding talent, and encouraging the application and development of that talent to better benefit both the individiual and the company. I do wonder though whether this approach of looking mainly to a person's talents, while looking great on paper, can translate to a transformation of a company's mindset and culture as a whole. That seems to be imperative to the strengths-based approach's success. I believe I possess a number of different strengths - an attention to detail, strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to focus with ease and stay on task - these have been assessed by others or be me and displayed over the course of my years both in school and throughout my career in education. However, as the last article mentioned, it is important not only to recognize our strengths but also to accept our weaknesses, and try to improve upon them if possible. I think it is therefore not only necessary to develop and cultivate my talents in software development, but also to tackle weaknesses as well.