My greatest strength is a combination of how organized I am and how detail-oriented. In every job I've had since I entered the workforce about 6 years ago, I've been very proficient in keeping track of multiple assignments and tasks and prioritizing my work to meet the various deadlines. Additionally, I am extremely detail-oriented, a skill that has helped me both succeed and move up in various jobs. In copywriting, this helped me catch and correct typos or grammatical errors and have the drive to continue refining language until I was satisifed with it. In my job building websites, I became consistent with implementing UX best practices very quickly and eventually become the QC team leader for the sites, checking that others on the team were adhering to these practices, which include hundreds of small details. I know these are my greatest strengths because as mentioned, they have helped me succeed in my jobs up until this point, and they have also helped distinguish me from other co-workers, making me stand out consistently as one of the most reliable members of a team.
I work best in an environment that is not wholly removed of distractions. I actually find that if I am in a sparse, silent place with nothing to draw away my eyes or ears, it's actually harder to focus, as my mind tends to wander more easily. I work best when there are a few minor "distractions" such as music (without words if I am learning something new, reading or writing), or other sounds. Additionally, I work best when I am comfortable but not too casual. I do enjoy working from home much of the time, where I can wear comfortable clothes but still have a formal setup with an external monitor and plenty of space to help put me into "work mode". It's the balance between the spartan and the exhilerating, and between the relaxed and the formal that helps me work best.
I definitely have room to improve in my patience with both myself and with others. With others, I can get frustrated when someone isn't perhaps as organized as I am or doesn't understand and apply new practices or concepts as quickly as I do. I tend to have a snap reaction of impatience, which is at odds for the empathy and understanding I have for others if I actually think through the situation. Even more so with myself, I tend to get frustrated if I can't figure something out quickly. I still need to work on embracing a growth mindset and not thinking that I'm unintelligent or unfocused if I don't understand or achieve something right away, and be willing to keep trying and practicing for longer.
I hope that I can rely on my strength of attention to detail to help me write better code, and to also help others edit their code. I'm guessing that my attention to detail means I will catch more bugs in my code than the average person and that I will be more thorough in testing it. Additionally, being organized is a strength in any career path, so this should help me more easily keep track of my tasks and pace myself to deliver work on time. It is hard to see exactly how my strengths play into coding when I am still a beginner, but I expect it will become clearer as I continue with the program.
Being aware of my working preferences and my strengths (and weaknesses!) will allow me to apply for jobs that match those preferences and leverage those strengths to set myself up for success. Additionally, once I am at a job, they will give me the knowledge and confidence to advocate for measures that would make me more successful, and to seize opportunities that arise that would utilize my strengths. Knowing and acknowledging to yourself what you are and are not good at helps you be more confident in your strengths and not let your weaknesses overwhelm your self-confidence, even as you continue to work on them. It also helps you feel more comfortable with asking for help on tasks that you are not as strong at.
What efforts do you make to manage your learning process? Are these efforts successful? What challenges have inhibited your ability to manage your learning process effectively?
When I learn something new, there are a few practices I generally put into place to faciliate learning. Whenever possible, I listen to music to help me focus, and I don't shy away from taking breaks from work, as this generally increases my productivity overall and helps the learning process feel a bit easier. I also try to work in an environment where I am comfortable and have everything I need, such as plenty of space to work, natural light, a notebook and pencil etc. Still, I am at times inhibited by my inability to focus or to stave off the desire to be doing something other than studying, and often of my (irrational) fears that I won't be able to learn something effectively. I think this is often a result of the fact that I expect a lot from myself so I can get frustrated when I don't learn something quickly, and I don't give myself enough time and grace to truly absorb the material.
Both acknowledge that learning new things is hard, which while I know in theory, can sometimes elude me in practice. Sierra's discussion of how scarce cognitive resources are really resonated with me, as this explanation is a great argument for me to be kinder to myself when I am learning, and not to try to learn too much at once. It has made me realize that perhaps focusing on smaller chunks of skills to automate or master before moving on to the next one is a better way to learn than focusing on a larger skillset and trying to master that all at once. Additionally, I related very much with Coates' view that how you "feel" when studying is extremely important, and I am aware that my feelings that I am "not learning quickly enough" or am not understanding something deeply enough instead of giving myself the time and patience to develop the skills can be a hindrance to my progress. I have been working on this for a long time and have definitely made improvements, but my patience with and confidence in myself is still an area I need to work on.
What role does your emotional state of mind play in your learning? How do your successes and failures at learning affect your emotional state?
My emotional state plays a huge role in my ability to learn successfully. Looking at this through the lens of limited cognitive resources, negative or strong emotions can eat up a lot of my resources, leaving me with less ability to learn new things. I know personally when I am attempting to exert a lot of willpower with respect to other aspects of my day, I find that I am unable to study effectively or for long. Additionally, past successes and failures directly affect this emotional state too, as these feed into how successfully I "feel" I am learning (exactly as Coates describes), which can either motivate me to keep learning more or spiral me into feeling like I can't learn effectively, which is demotivating. Setting up a process of learning that will allow me to feel successful along the way is very important for my long-term confidence and ability to absorb the material to the best of my ability.
I plan to try my best to develop a routine where I can ensure that I am putting in at least 60 hours a week into this program. This will help me feel more confident that if I follow my plan, I can learn to code well, even when it gets hard. Having this type of plan will also keep me in a better emotional state by preventing me from feeling that I'm not doing enough or that I can't do this. Additionally, I plan to be more consistent in taking care of myself well, making sure I eat well, get plenty of exercise, and make time for social connection, as these practices contribute to a better emotional state where I can focus more easily. Lastly, I plan to apply some of the practices from Sierra's keynote, notably breaking tasks into sub-tasks to master each one individually, and to increase exposure and practice of small skillsets, again to promote mastery. Doing this will help prevent me from feeling overwhelmed by the material and will hopefully allow me to achieve smaller doses of success along the way, which will keep me in a positive and motivated emotional state.