Developing the Mindset to Succeed
- Read through 29 Behaviors That Will Make You an Unstoppable Programmer. Pick out 3 behaviors that resonate with you in the list and describe why they resonate with you in a reflection (4-6 sentences).
First "Use Google aggressively" This resonates with me because I already do it! In 2000 I entered grad school, 2004 started teaching at the college level, and for the last 4 years I've been a high school science teacher. Online research was key to all these endeavors. As a long-time "computer geek" I have, I think, a good intuition of how to write a good search query, understanding that more often than not the syntax is not as important as the keyword selection. Search engines aren't very good at making assumptions (though Google has gotten better) - they mostly search solely based on the unique concepts you request. I already open many of the first-page results not only to avoid ones that have been engineered to come up first but also to be scientific by viewing multiple sources in an effort to verify the quality of answers/results.
Second "Acknowledge that micro-decisions matter" This is really a point about doing things systematically instead of ad hoc. As a teacher I learned very quickly that if you don't develop classroom and assignment systems you will get poor work (if you get work at all). Students cannot legitimately be expected to be successful if they don't understand instructions or the logistics (where to turn things in and get them back, etc.). Having consistent wording and names for assignments and assignment is essential.
Third "Know how to use Vim" This was noticeable because it seemed out of place. It initially seems to contradict earlier norms about using whatever tool is best, not being tied to a specific tool, and the like. I'm guessing my initial reaction is wrong and that there is something special about Vim - some capability that other tools don't have. So I will be paying special attention to Vim when it comes up.
- Write a reflection (4-6 sentences) on the benefits of a checklist and how an organizational system such as a checklist might help you first as a student and later as a full-time developer.
The use of checklists is a complexity-management strategy. Obviously our world and everything about it is becoming more complex as time goes on. The technologies we build involve systems built on other systems, on and on. It also seems obvious that complexity is a huge part of software development. Computers can perform many thousands of instructions a second, and software is really a stacked set of those instructions. Writing and modifying software, then, is to create or unpack those stacked instructions. Using checklists religiously seems obviously necessary.
I believe that seeing the "big picture" and thinking up new/creative ways of doing things will be something I'm good at. But I also think that I will need to work on my attention to detail and that avoiding "minor" mistakes in a program will be a challenge for me. Having an all-inclusing checklist will help me avoid this.
- What is your impression of strengths-based development? What questions do you have about this kind of development? What do you feel are your top strengths? How do you know? How do you hope to develop your strengths for your new career in software development?
The basic principle of a strengths-based approach seems sound, but the first article "How To Hire Like Google and Facebook" seems a poor promoter of it. It cites very week evidence for a strengths test over other skill or personality assessment approaches. It's sole evidence for the latter being insufficient is the MBTI disclaimer "It is unethical, and in many cases illegal, to require job applicants to take the Indicator if the results will be used to screen out applicants." This statement is unrelated to the claim that the test is somehow insufficient and could just as easily be explained in terms of valuing a form of worker's rights or avoiding lawsuits. Equally off-putting is the fact that the article claims that Strengthsfinder 2.0 is "methodologically sound, and its reliability and validity are backed up by clear evidence" but merely backs up this clam with a link to a website that states how many people have "succeeded" by taking the test (whatever that means - it's not explained) and how much the tests costs. This makes be think this article is simply a promotional tool, which is hardly convincing. This doesn't mean, though, that the test itself isn't valuable. I'll keep an open mind.
The second article does a much better job of explaining the advantages of a strengths approach, especially since it is focuson on leadership not hiring. Learning the details of this leadership style makes me excited for the future of joining a team that uses it. Utilizing strengths instead of focusing on weaknesses is claimed to be a part of public education, but in reality I found it quite the opposite especially in the treatment of teachers. I know I'm not perfect (far from it). But I do feel like I bring some solid problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and enthusiasm and would LOVE for these to be valued and made use of. Software development seems an especially good fit for these strengths.
A question I have about a strengths approach is this: everyone seems to have some strength or another. If emphasizing strengths really works, how can it's success be measured? Do such organizations have a lower management-to-worker ratio? Are there hard numbers showing increased productivity? I wonder if this is simply an industry buzzword and that software environments are actually managed in "traditional" ways under different verbiage.