Mod 1 Week 1: Understanding your strengths Describe one of your strengths: I am tenacious.
What is something you have learned to do well (list a skill)?: One thing that I have learned to do well advocating for myself and others
I am an expert in Special Education rights, and have worked both professionally and as a volunterr as a Special Education Advocae
I am good at putting thoughts into words
I can use my ability to articulate and my knowledge of Special Education law to help people get educational services
Read through your Top 4 results from Pairin MY Pairn results indicate that I am likely to do well with some support combined with a lot of independence. I can empathize with others, which could help me work more effectively with different people.
I think that the Pairin results are fairly accurate, but I believe that any personality test is limited by how complex people are
How do they relate to the strength you wrote about in Prompt #1?: My Pairin results state that I am "Objective Analytical", which indicates that my life seems more rewarding when goals are dilligently persued, which relates to the satisfaction that I get from being a Special Educatio Advocate, which took a great deal of research to achieve and maintain the skill and knoweledge for
Challenges with strengths I have a lot of anxiety and tend to be self-depricating, which makes recognizing my strengths challenging. Mindful reflection on my progress would likely be some help with this.
In terms of overusing certain strenghts, that is certainly something that I have to consider, I think that I need to work on relaxing my expectations for myself. I also need to talk less and listen more. I think I feel like I need to prove that I have something to offer, instead of trusting to my own intrinsic value, which can result in me talking too much in a group and seeming too pushy
Strengths in action WHen I am working, I do need to pre-plan more. I don't often take the time to organize a task at the beginning, and then I get stressed over the enormity of the project. Talking through a project step by step is beneficial to me, but I frequently fail to devote enough time to that, or to go back and repeat the process during the work"
How could you talk about these working preferences with your project teammates? Your mentor? Your instructors?I am not sure how to answer this question
When working with people who have different strengths, I think that I need to be mindful of the idea that there is not one "correct" answer to most situations, and that it's ok to sit back and let others take the lead.
How could your Pairin results help you better understand your everyday working preferences?I'm not really sure
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?working as part of a team that I am not in charge of, organizational skills
What are some steps you could take here?Be more mindful i group situations, samall meditations/affirmations about intrinsic value
How could you be aware of progress you're making?journaling
** I think that self-reflection is difficult because it is difficult to be objective about ourselves. We all have certain traits that we value, and we want to believe that we emobody those traits, so it can be difficult to see/admit when we fall short of our ideals. We also tend to be our own worst critics. We see all of our own faults, all day, every day, and we only see the part of other people that they are showing us during the time that we are around them, so it is easy to believe that we do not measure up. I also have trouble acknowledging my own positive attributes, because it seems vain or arrogant to praise myself. I am certain that others must have the sme problem as well. **
I am working on self-reflection by trying to be more objective, measuring myself by clear progress towards goals or learning outcomes. I am also working on accepting praise. Instead of being embarrassed by praise and telling myself that the person does not really understand how much I struggled/what I am 'really' like, I tell myself that if I respect that person's opinion on other matters, then I should listen to and value thier opinion of my work or my manner as well.
Looking at traits/values that are important to me, I value a sense of justice, which to me is much the same as fairness. I do not value competition and winning, because I always think about how different our abilities are, and I would like to see the reward and adulation paid to the ones who tried the hardest and learned to most, rather than just the ones who where faster or stronger or had more knoweledge to begin with. I like my solitude, and I like to be free to make my own choices, but I also value loyalty and friendship, and I like to be part of a team.
To me, worthwhile work adds something to people's lives. I like to be able to see how my work has added joy to someones life, made something easier or more accessable, or allowed someone to further their growth or learning. I like to be mentally stimulated and I like to feel like I have contributed to a group that I belong to or support.
I value peace and security. I like to have time to 'smell the roses' and I also like to feel that I have accomplished something.
My views on work/life compliment each other fairly well. I like to feel like I have contributed, but I also like my autonomy.
I think that in the workplace there is a need to value how well something can be produced quickly, whereas I would like to be able to focus on quality without feeling the need to compete to finish quickly
I think that the desire to be stimulated and to be of use to others can drive me to meet the same goals that the need to compete with others might supply
Traits that I think are important in good developers are: Curiousity, I think that having a questing mind that is willing to try new approaches and always be trying to learn and grow is important. Patience: One of our instructors says that the natural state of code is to be broken. Creating, fixing and refactoring code is a long and sometimes frustrating process, so patience is critical. Being methodical: Having a process for how to approach the code, and systems that you return to for debugging, communicating, etc. help coders to keep moving forward, and to behave predictably so that team members know what to expect.
I have seen coders that I admire always stopping to look through the code and talk out loud about what the code seems to be about, to immediately spot and correct typos or problems with syntax or conventions. I have also noticed that when coders I admire get an unexpected response or an error message, they do not get frustrated, they just view it as another step towards solving the problem.
I would like to be a careful, thoughtful developer who can find solutions on their own, but also knows how and when to reach out for help. I have several behaviors that I think lend themselves towards becoming the developer that I would like to be, but I need to strengthen those traits so that they persist under pressure and in the face of self-doubt. I am usually able to notice small errors such as syntax errors or typos quickly and easily. I am not frustrated with error messages or code that does unexpected things. I am able to pre-plan and talk possible solutions, but when I am feeling rushed or excited, it becomes obvious that this is not actually an ingrained habit.
In order to encourage success, I need an environment that is organized and reasonably quiet. I have not found headphones or earphones that are comfortable to wear, so minimizing distracting or repetitive noises is important to me. I like to have a window or some soothing art to look at when I am not focussed on my screen.
I am attempting to create a habit of typing what I plan to do in plain english prior to writing code, as I do not use pseudocode effectively, and that is something that I would benefit from.
Right now, I would rate my overall health at about a 3 (on a scale of 1 to 5) I think that I am in fairly good health in terms of not being 'ill', but I am not engaging in regular exercise and I am not getting a balanced diet. I am sleeping better, and I get walks when I am not busy doing other things, but I am not scheduling time or prioritizing exercise or meal planning.
I am working hard at learning right now, and that is rewarding in many ways. I feel good about taking this major step towards a new career and a new life.
I get joy from being being outside in the springtime. I have been living in a desert climate for a long time now, and just seeing the plants coming into leaf and blooming, smelling the green, growing things, seeing the squirrels and birds is a constant source of joy
One small change that I can make to bring more joy into my life is journaling. I have tried to start a gratitude journal in the past, since there are several studies showing the benefit of gratitude journaling. I would like to set a reminder for myself to take a few minutes each day to journal.
The people who matter in my life are my son and my best friend, but I am working on focusing less on what others need right now and more on myself. As a single parent of an adult child with disabiities, it has been difficult to make my own wants and needs a priority, but I am coming to realize that I have to show myself more love and care.
I have been working on creating habits that enrich my life and help me move towards my goals to become a web developer. During Mod 1, I worked on being more mindful of processes during worktime. Instead of just jumping in as soon as I see something that makes sense, I am developing routines for various steps in the process. I found that previous methods, such as researching and trying develop a level of mastery in a subject prior to attempting it is not helpful with coding. That has been a difficult belief to give up, and it has hindered my progress. My goal now is to take time to plan and be methodical in my approach to a problem, but to start working once I have a basic path laid out, and be prepared to fail before I find the best solution
My goal is to be a developer who is organized and methodical, open to new ideas and not afraid of challenging work. This mod I will be careful about scheduling time each workday to review the previous work to ensure that I understand what the code is doing, and to look for places that need refactoring. I will word harder at pseudocoding, not only during excercises like JSFun, but also during projects. I will also schedule time each day to do at least some review of JSFun or IronFE, so that I can re-enforce both those skills and the good habits which I have integrated into my approach to those exercises. I believe that these goals will help me to develop habits that will support me in becoming the developer that I intend to be.
I will bundle my habits by deciding that #after# I make my coffee, I will check the previous day's work for understanding and/or need to refactor. I will also reward myself, by deciding that #after# I have completed the review, I will take a 20 minute walk. Since I typically have a cup of coffee in the morning, and I look forward to my walks, this should help me incorporate a regular habit of reviewing the previous day's work before starting new work
I think the main benefit from the habits that I am trying to build is that they will help me to feel like I am a 'real' web developer. I am trying to become more methodical and organized, which fits my view of a 'professional' developer. The reward I get from following my process is a feeling that things are as they ought to be. I feel more triumphant when I get a result through an organized and methodical approach that by just jumping in.
I have spent most of my working life in jobs that support poeple who have disabilities. I have done everything from providing direct care to being a lead staff at a day program to managing group homes, and then moved into administrative work in the same field. As a quality assurance specialist, I ensured that the programs were running in accordance with state and federal expectations and that allegations of staff misconduct were investigated and reported according to company policy and state and federal reporting requirements. I was also a state certified instructor for mandatory classes on the rights of individuals with disabilities who receive federally funded services, which must be completed by anyone providing care through state agencies. I enjoyed the work and found it rewarding on many levels, but it did not pay enough to cover a reasonable standard of living, and there was little room to grow within the industry. I started looking at options that would allow me to have more opportunities for growth, more intellectually stimulating work and a better work/life balance. I don't actually remember how I started looking at web developement, but I wound up at a Turing Try Coding event and I was so energized by being in that room, working and learning with other people, and I realized that this was something I had to do for myself, and that I would not have to stop working to improve the lives of other people to do this; there will still be numerous opportunities to help other people through tech, while improving the quality of life for my family at the same time.
I feel most excited and focused, and have enjoyed my work most when I am working as part of a pair, and when we take the time to plan our work carefully. I seem to do much better when I have another person to talk ideas through with. This may change as I become more familiar with Javascript and the process of app creation, but I do enjoy the feedback anc collaboration.
I feel bored and restless when I do not have a clear path forward, and when I have been working on a problem for a considerable amount of time without progress (which might just look like a new error message). That is when I know that I need to take a break and possibly reach out to someone for help.
I feel energized when code is coming together well, and solving one issue leads logically to the next step in the plan. I do need to remember to take breaks, though. Sometimes when I get caught up in the work, I just want to keep going, but eventually, there is an impact in the quality of my work.
During the past week I have done better with some habits, and not as well with others. I am getting my daily walks. I think that just commiting to having my walks be the first thing that I do on any break is helpful. It is also true that I enjoy my walks, so that is an easy place to start. I have seen some success with getting to sleep earlier. I was not able to manage shutting down electronics for the hour or two before bed, but I did put a color filter and set it to turn on automatically at sundown, and I beleive that is helping. I think that I could make things more effective by creating a nighttime ritual and setting a time to complete it. If I get up early enough, I can take a walk in the morning and listen to my music while I walk. Since I do not really have time to listen to music much during Turing, this could be a motivating reward.
Outreach and networking are not strengths for me. I have a few connections to people who are successfully working in the industry through family and friends. One person in particular does web development, and enjoys the kind of lifestyle that I aspire to, with a good work/life balance, enjoyment of his craft and plenty of travel. I plan to reach out to him over the upcomining intermission via facebook.
I plan to ask him about specific challenges he may have faces starting out, and how I can avoid or overcome those pitfalls, and also about how to make a good impression at a new workplace as a jr developer. I will also just talk a bit about the field, and his current professional interests, and see if he is willing to continue the conversation as I progress through my education and job search.
I have also signed up for a couple of virtual meetups for women in tech, and hopefully that will start some relationships that might assist me in getting a job and succeeding in my early employment.
My vision: I am still not certain what appeals to me most; I know that I do not want to be bored, I would definitely prefer to travel, those things have not changed. I am beginning to think about how many aspects of web dev are not completely about writing code. I think that I might want to aim at a job that utilizes my ability to work with people and help them to understand and articulate thier thoughts. Working on the 'user story' talking with clients/users to determine what they really expect, and then communicating that back to the design team, and also teaching the user how to operate/maintain the product once it is complete is something is something that I am thinking about.
A dream job would be working in a field that aligns with my interests. I would like to work with a conservation group, or perhaps a museum or an aquarium as a long term job. To begin with, I am looking for a company that has a good reputation for taking care of employees, since I will need a more nurturing environment to gain skills and experience.
For a first job, I am obviously going to have to be less picky that I can afford to be later in my career, but culture will be a strong factor in what companies I am looking at, and if I can find a company with a social mission that I can be passionate about, that is a definite plus. An alum that I know is working for a company that helps low income students, and students who identify as POC to get into AP classes and better educational programs. They are likely to be hiring when I am looking for a job, and that would be great.
Ethics have played a strong part in my professional life as a service provider for people with disabilities. Ethical considerations in that feild have been defined and quantified, and it is fairly easy to act within ethical bounds. In Software design, the lines don't seem so clear. It think that it is important to think about and explore ethical considerations in all stages of the work. Beginning with looking at the culture and expectations of the company that we want to work for, right down to how we write or document each piece of code that we write. It is hard to envision how an app might be used by other people, outside of the developer's original intention. I don't have any real answers, but I think it will begin with being as careful as possible in selecting whom to work for and with, and making sure that we advocate for space to discuss and explore ethical consiserations in the products that we create.
I am looking at a couple of different companies, right now. I would love to get a job with Overtone, which is a hair color/care product that I have used. My sister works in costomer service for the company ( after I introduced her to the product ) and I am aware of the strong emphasis on culture within the company. They are all about inclusion, they have a strong presence at Pride every year, and are strongly feminist. They also emphasize personal growth, and I feel like it would be a good place to start a career. Although I have an obvious inroad through my sister, I looked at the company on LinkedIn, and found that there is a Turing Grad working there, so I reached out to him on Slack and we have messaged a couple of times and had a conversation over Zoom. I also maintained contact with my job shadow host at MetaRouter, and have sent him a few messages asking for advice on what tech to choose for my stretch goal, and some 'how to be a good new hire' kind of things, to maintain that relationship. I am working on my resume, although my projects are not something that I particularly want to put forward at this time. I definitely want to polish them up before I start putting out applications.
I greatly enjoyed my job shadow at Four Winds. The woman who hosted us had a fair bit in common with me, coming into coding later than many people do, and it was nice to hear from her about what that was like. I asked questions about working remote vs working in person, continueing education/growth and integrating into the team as a new hire.
Culture is very important at Four Winds and that was nice to see, it is a busy company, and they work pretty independently, but mentorship is important, as is inclusivity. A question that I asked about mentorship was directly related to what they are looking at in their mentorship committee right now, so I think that made a positive impression, which was nice.
Once big thing that I took away from the shadow was just how large the project was, there were about a dozen different repos that they were working on, and huge numbers of files in each repo. At the same time, there is a clear process, utilizing the project board and a team approach, so people always got feedback before pushing. I was able to see a clear benefit to user-stories on the issue cards, as they had a few different personas, with different roles ( manager, staff and client ) and different needs. It gave me a greater appreciation for the importance and usefulness of the user-story.
This week I plan to reach out to an alum that I know who is employed at a company that I think would be a good fit. We talked briefly about the possibility of me applying there in the future, but I want to follow up on how the job is going ( he has only been there a couple of months ) and if they are still likely to be hiring in January. I may also get some feedback on some capstone ideas that might impress the company, whick is committed to helping students who struggle finacially or academically.
Hi Naomi, I appreciate the reflections you've shared from this mod. I don't see any from week 3 or 5, and I would highly encourage you to work on a networking plan over the intermission week to reach out to 1 person from the Turing community to start conversations about what you're looking for. Also, I don't see your LinkedIn profile included here; could you please share the link with me? Thanks!