saberg1/mod_1_prework_gist

## mod_1_prework_gist
1. What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?

 - Empathy factors in what I do in my everyday life in a big way. It helps me decide when there’s a fork in the road of a huge decision. Personally I try not to live a selfish life, by either helping my family and friends or some simple as helping a stranger change their tire on the side of the road. Ive always had a mindset of “It could always be worse”. Helps me push on when life really gets me down.

2. How does empathy help you build better software?

 - Your software could have a big impact on some peoples life. It would make you want to become a better designer, not just for your own sake but through the knowledge that your software is meaningful to other people. Helps you find out what the people you're designing for actually want. When you put yourself in their shoes you can get a better look at the problem you’re trying to solve.

3. Why is empathy important for working on a team?

 - Empathy and trust building are one and the same when working on a team I think. You need both to complete a project or mission when working towards a singular goal. When people feel understood and supported they can take more risks, your team cohesion will soar. Overall your team will have a higher chance of success and be more engaged in the company mission.

4. Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.

 - On my final deployment before getting out the military, a Marine of mine was having his first child while overseas. You couldn’t help but feel for the guy being away at at time like this from his wife. So I took duty for the week to allow him to go back to the main base so he could skype his family during this time. That was a very obvious decision to make as it was good for morale and its hard to stay focus and clear when you have your mind on family.
When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
In my myriad of jobs since quitting the military I worked for a credit company calling people about their school loans. The calls were recorded so I never wanted to sound too robotic or empathic in tone on call. The next number to come across my screen was for a 45 year old woman to tell her that we were going to start procedure to garnishing her wages if she didn’t begin paying back money. She was barely making it with something like 200,000 in school loans and had a few children working a dead end cashier job due to not finding work in her field. It was very hard to have to tell her these things knowing it could mean less food on her table.
	1. What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?

	- Empathy factors in what I do in my everyday life in a big way. It helps me decide when there’s a fork in the road of a huge decision. Personally I try not to live a selfish life, by either helping my family and friends or some simple as helping a stranger change their tire on the side of the road. Ive always had a mindset of “It could always be worse”. Helps me push on when life really gets me down.

	2. How does empathy help you build better software?

	- Your software could have a big impact on some peoples life. It would make you want to become a better designer, not just for your own sake but through the knowledge that your software is meaningful to other people. Helps you find out what the people you're designing for actually want. When you put yourself in their shoes you can get a better look at the problem you’re trying to solve.

	3. Why is empathy important for working on a team?

	- Empathy and trust building are one and the same when working on a team I think. You need both to complete a project or mission when working towards a singular goal. When people feel understood and supported they can take more risks, your team cohesion will soar. Overall your team will have a higher chance of success and be more engaged in the company mission.

	4. Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.

	- On my final deployment before getting out the military, a Marine of mine was having his first child while overseas. You couldn’t help but feel for the guy being away at at time like this from his wife. So I took duty for the week to allow him to go back to the main base so he could skype his family during this time. That was a very obvious decision to make as it was good for morale and its hard to stay focus and clear when you have your mind on family.
	When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
	In my myriad of jobs since quitting the military I worked for a credit company calling people about their school loans. The calls were recorded so I never wanted to sound too robotic or empathic in tone on call. The next number to come across my screen was for a 45 year old woman to tell her that we were going to start procedure to garnishing her wages if she didn’t begin paying back money. She was barely making it with something like 200,000 in school loans and had a few children working a dead end cashier job due to not finding work in her field. It was very hard to have to tell her these things knowing it could mean less food on her table.