timkeresey/career_journal.md

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When you've worked towards a goal in the past, what systems or tools have been helpful for you in accomplishing that goal? How could you adapt those same systems/tools to use while at Turing?

In the past, when trying to accomplish goals, I've had trouble with being overwhelmed by a large task. What has been helpful has been to break up large overwhelming tasks into smaller, more accomplishable tasks and work through them like a checklist. My mind seems to work in a "big picture" fashion, which can make it difficult to focus on what needs to be done in the moment to achieve the larger goal. Utilizing tools such as Github and kanban workflow will help me keep large projects and goals manageable, and encourage me to focus on the task at hand rather than get overwhelmed by a bug goal.
As you start this new career, what is one of your strengths and how do you know?

I believe that one of my strengths is that I am adaptable. In past work environments I have been able to figure out how best I fit in and how my strengths meet their needs. By doing this I have often been able to grow my position within the companies I've worked for. In one instance I had a mangerial position created for me. In another, I was hired on in the sales team but then had a marketing coordinator position created for me. I believe I am good at making it known how I can be useful.
Describe how you work best (conditions, environment, preferences, etc.):

I work best in a quiet environment with limited distractions. Usually an environmet that is also organized and free of clutter is best, as well.  A situation in which I can be held accountable is preferancial as well. I do better when I know I have deadlines that need to be met. This keeps me more ordered and disciplined.
As you start this new career, what is your greatest area of improvement when it comes to your professional skills?

I believe that confidence is something I need to improve on. I think believing more in my ability to do great work will help me to be more successful at doing so. I think a fear of not being able to do a great job often prevents me from completing tasks in a timely manner. I tend to be reluctant to attempt things that I fear I won't be good at. I think moving past this aversion to risk and fear of failure would improve my professional skills greatly.
How will developing a deeper understanding of your strengths and working preferences benefit you as a software developer?

efficiency is an important quality in a software developer. Understanding how I best work will be important to ensuring that I am the most efficient I can be. It's also important to build off of the strengths I already have. Building off of those strengths will help me build the confidence I need to develop other strengths.
Describe the vision you currently have for your career after Turing:

The thing that I've always desired from a career is a feeling of usefulness. Knowing that what I'm doing is helping my community or improving others' lives is something that I've felt would provide me with a feeling of accomplishment. I've usually valued that at a level equal to or more than my own personal goals. I'm hoping that during the Turing process I'll learn more about oppurtunities in the field like this.

  
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Week 1: Understanding your strengths

Describe one of your strengths


What is something you have learned to do well (list a skill)? I can...

I can effectively communicate ideas to others.


What is something you know about (list some knowledge/expertise you have)? I know...

I know how to effectively oragnaize a group task.


What is something you have a natural ability to do well (list a talent)? I am...

I am good at sincerely empathising with others.


How could you combine these to describe a specific strength?
I have a good group leadership ability.


Read through your Top 4 results from Pairin


In your own words, what do these top 4 qualities tell you about yourself?
These qualities tell me--in a nutshell--that I think creatively and contextually, I don't like to be the center of        attention or give myself too much credit, and I like honesty and straightforwardness.


Do they resonate with you? Why/why not?
I think that theu describe me pretty well, especially the "Imaginative-Inspirational" and "Microscope" qulaities. I        belive that I often take a big picture approach to things and can be more difficult on myself than I am on others.        I think these qualities have both a positive and negative connotation. I can see context that many others can't but        it is also hard for me to focus on details sometimes, and I sometimes lack confidence I should have but I also            think that I'm very self-aware.


How do they relate to the strength you wrote about in Prompt #1?
I think these can be qualities that line up well with the strength I described. They lend themselves well to coming        up with inventive solution s to problems, and being an effective communicator.


Challenges with Strengths


What can make it challenging to recognize your strengths? How can you work through those challenges?
It is very difficult to try to analyze oneself accurately. I usually struggle with it becaus eof implicit biases I        have towards myself. Any positive thought seems like smugness or bragging and is likely inaccurate, and negativie          thoughts seem either too harsh or sugar coated. It is much more difficult to be honest in evaluting oneself rather        than others.


Do you ever see yourself overusing certain strengths? In what circumstances would you want to use them less and            amplify other strengths? How could you adjust your approach in those instances?
Approaching things from a big picture point if view can make it difficult to focus on details, so if I put that           aside sometimes it would probably help me develop a more focused approach to tasks.


Strengths in Action


Write 1-2 sentences describing how you like to work (i.e., Do you pre-plan? Do you talk through your ideas first? Do       you work better with deadlines? How do you stay organized?)
Taking time to planning out a structure and having a deadline to stick to help me work best. If I don't take the time      to organize my thoughts in the beginnig they can end up going all over the place.


How could you describe these working preferences to your project teammates? Your mentor? Your instructors?
These preferencea are best described as that I work best with structure.


What would you need to be aware of when working with people who have different strengths from you?
Mostly that they would have different time management strategies and that those would need to be worked out so that        we stay on the same page.


How could your Pairin results help you better understand your everyday working preferences?
These help to recognize instances that of say letting my mind wander or if I'm getting too down on myself for not          understanding something. If I cant relate them to these qualities it is easier to address them and move past them.


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?
I'd like to become way more efficient at time management.


What are some steps you could take here?
I think this is just mostly about getting rid of bad habits and forming good ones, sort of like trying to quit smoking     or changing diet. This is mostly about practice and repetition. It will be very difficult at first and it takes a         while to make habits stick, but the key is to not get diecouraged by slip-ups. A slip-up isn't failure, the point is       to just decrease the amount of them until they don't happen anymore.


How could you be aware of progress you're making?
Keeping track of how I manage my time and monitoring improvement.


Week 2: Building Your Compass


Power of Self Reflection


What is challenging about self reflection?
Self reflection can be challenging because it is difficult to be honest with ourselves. I find it is also difficult to know whether your being honest with yourself becuse it is so difficult to face hard truths abput ourselves.


How can you continue to build the habit of self-reflection at Turing?
Maintaining a journal that dacuments my own thoughts about my performance during a project or mod.


Social identity mapping


Outer ring: write words that describe your given identity
Coloradan-, white-, cis-, male-, son-, brother-, middle child-


Middle ring: list aspects of your chosen identity
Denverite+, progressive?, movie buff-, foodie-


Center: write your core attributes—traits, behaviors, beliefs, values, characteristics, and skills that you think make  you unique as an individual. Select things that are enduring and key to who you are.
historically minded?, creative+, partner-, friend-, community minded+


Underline the items that are important to you


Put a + beside the items that you believe clearly demonstrate that you fit into the tech industry


Put a - beside the items that you believe do not demonstrate that you fit into the tech industry


Put a ? beside the items that you're unsure how they could show your ability to contribute to the tech industry


What does your social identity tell you about what you already bring to the tech industry?


I believe that the aspects of my identity that refer to how I relate to others are the most important to bring to the tech industry.

What would it look like for some of your minuses or question marks to turn into pluses? In other words, how could some of these traits be assets for the tech industry?

I think certain cognitive aspects of enjoyong cooking and movies could be helpful.

Values mapping Pull out 5 values for each bullet below from this list:


Always valued: Communicating, Creativity, Fairness, Environment, Helping Others


Often valued: Accountability, Community, Honesty, Hard work, Persistence


Sometimes valued: Adventure, Accomplishment, Making money, Initiative, Health & Fitness


Seldom valued: Competition, Efficiency, Patriotism, Frugality, Obedience


What do these values tell you about yourself?
These tell me that the things I value most are how I relate to others.


Workview & Lifeview


Summarize what good, worthwhile work means to you (Tip: this is NOT about what work you want to do but about why work matters to you):
Worthwhile work is something that helps create new ideas and solve problems.


Lifeview: summarize what you value in life; what matters to you?


In a nutshell, what I value most is feeling as though I've made good use of my time and abilities.

Where do your views on work and life complement each other?

I value work that isn't just a job and that I feel is meaningful and fulfilling to what I value in life.

Where do they clash?

I do value a seperation between the professional and personal as well. I think that it is important to have a balance between the two and trying to achieve that can cause them to clash.

Does one drive the other? How?

I think the goals I want to achieve in life, personal and financial, are very much linked to work.
Week 3: Habits & Accountability Systems

Ideas here are adapted from Atomic Habits by James Clear
Habits of a Software Developer


What do you think are the traits of a good software developer? What are they like in the workplace? What would you as a co-worker think of this person?
A good software developer is effecient with their time, and consistent with their work so that they can be reliable in
meeting deadlines.


What are the habits that this person demonstrates to embody the identity of a software developer?
A consistent daily work schedule with specific time alotted for completion of work. Also, a habit of only doing the work during those alotted times.


Who do you want to be as a software developer? What kind of behaviors do you already have in place to be that person? What behaviors would you need to put into place? How will you do that?
I want to make sure as a software engineer that I'm not the guy that never leaves the desk chair. I enjoy personal interactions in my work, and being active outside of it. My goal is to maintain a good balance that makes me efficient in work so that I can enjoy an active life outside of it.


Working on the 1st Law of Behavior Change: Make it Obvious

Bring self-awareness to your current habits by making a Habits Scorecard. Make a list of your daily habits (examples: wake up, turn off alarm, check phone, etc.) as a way to bring awareness to what you do. Then, decide how effective that habit is for you and your goal of becoming a software developer. Put a + next to habits that are effective; put a - next to habits that are not effective; put a = next to habits that are neutral.


wake up +
shower =
eat breakfast +
drink 2 cups of coffee +
look at news and social media =
Turing +
walk dog +
eat lunch +
bike ride (maybe) +
Turing +
procrastinate on computer various times throughout the day -


Pick 1 new habit you'd like to build and create an implementation intention following this template: "I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]." Then, stack the habit onto something you already do: "After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]." (Hint: make this highly specific and immediately actionable)

Go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier to be productive in the morning, rather than trying to do work late.

Design your environment for success: what changes could you make in your space to better implement your habit? How could you remove any triggers for bad habits? How will you implement these changes?

I could use a more private home office but I have to deal with shared spaces for the time being.

Respond after a few days of this implementation: What are your results? How do you feel about this method? How will you move forward with this habit?

Additional Optional Reading: The Five Triggers That Make New Habits Stick
Mod 1 Week 4: Creating Your Vision, Part I 


Habits Reflection:


How have you seen yourself become more aware of your habits? Have you tried implementing anything new? What have the results been?

I have been going to bed earlier but I still find it challenging to be very productive first thing in the morning.

Start Where You Are (Empathize with the user -- you)


Health: how you answer “how are you”; intersection of physical, mental, and emotional health

How would you rate your overall health on a scale of 1-5? How do you currently make time for activities associated with your health? What is a small change you could make here to readjust your health ratings?

4 I feel a bit worn out but I'm not discouraged about small setbacks or struggles and I feel confident going forward. I usually try to do physical activity during lunch break. I could do more exercise and be eating a bit better, but it's a small trade off for some needed comfort at the moment.


Work: what you do

Make a short list of all the ways you work right now; How much value do each of those things bring to your life? How are those activities purposeful for you?


Turing projects
I feel like I learn a crazy amount each week and am excited about how this will help me get a great crrier in 7 months.
Turing Study
Same as above.
Occasional small graphic design work
This is small things for a bit of cash that I don't do much anymore.


Play: what brings you joy? Think about joy just for the pure sake of doing it; everyone benefits from this kind of play

What activities do you do that bring you joy throughout an average week? In what ways could you make a small change to bring more joy into your life?


frisbee with my dog
riding my bike


Love: sense of connection; who are the people who matter in your life and how is love flowing to and from you and them?

How does love currently show up in your life? How do you show love to others right now? What adjustments would you like to make in this area?

I regularly talk to my close friends and family and live with my partner, and while we are both very busy we make time for quality time with eachother.


Looking back at the 4 areas, do any problems emerge that you want to begin designing solutions for?
No


Define your needs, problem, and insights:

Based on what you wrote about above and your group conversation, what problems have you identified that you'd like to design solutions for? What do you already about what you want for your career? What do you still need to find out? Who or what do you want to grow into by the end of the Turing program?

Ideate -- challenge assumptions

When you discussed software developers with your small group on Monday, what assumptions came up about what software developers actually do? What steps could you take to challenge those assumptions and find more facts to answer the question of what developers do? In addition to what a typical software developer life could look like, what do you want yours to include?
Talking to as many people in the industry and learning about the diversity of fields within the industry would be the best way to learn these things.

Prototype -- start creating solutions

What is the basic threshold that your new career must meet after Turing? What would you hope WILL NOT happen in your future after Turing? What is your absolute, no-holds-barred, ideal dream for your future after Turing?
I think it is important to keep an open mind about different futures, but I will not do a job where I feel I am doing harm.

Test –- solutions

Based on this week of reflections, write out your initial vision statement for your career:
Mod 1 Week 5: Creating Your Vision, Part II  


Habits Reflection:


How have you seen yourself become more aware of your habits? Have you tried implementing anything new? What have the results been?

My main focus has been getting rid of bad, distracting habits, and have been quite successful so far. I feel I am much more able to focus during alotted work times, and I am productive during them as well. I think the next step is developing more good habits, like solidifying my exercise times.

Design Thinking Reflection: Cultivating Beginner's Mind


How can beginner's mind be helpful when it comes to thinking about your career and job search? What are some habits you could put into place to cultivate beginner's mind regularly?

Beginner's mind can be useful in approaching the job search because its the best way to assess whether you will enjoy what you are doing. I think a good habit to have is just thinking, "would I think this sounded like a cool job seven months ago."
Optional additional reading: How to Cultivate Beginner's Mind to Become a True Expert

Go through the Flower Exercise brainstorming worksheets linked here. Then complete your Flower Exercise final worksheet here and link that finished worksheet here.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C95Xz2qIGhgZnVq7yF36XiAW4zaw_T_t9vHhbKyVAaY/edit


Write out your top 5 strengths that you've seen in action this module; then write out the strengths of a software developer. Where do you see these lists overlapping? Where are they different?


Write a refined vision statement here (what new things have you discovered this week to incorporate into your vision statement?):


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Week 1: Building Habits to Become a Software Developer, Part II


Reflect on your habits from last module. What behaviors and activities were helpful for you? What activities and behaviors could be more effective for you? What processes would you like to try differently this module to become more effective at your work and as a software developer?


Scheduling has worked well, including scheduling pomo breaks. Making checklists has been helpful as well. I would like to make it a point this mod to make it a habit to reach out for help if I have been stuck on something for more than 30 minutes.


Setting intentions for this module: who do I want to be this module? What specific habits would help me get there? How are those habits tied to the identity of a software developer?


I would like to be a good member of my community cohort. I don't think I reached out enough to engage with the other members for help or to help them. I will make a habit of ensure that I do so consistantly.


Incorporate temptation bundling to create a new habit by using this template:


After browsing youtube for plesure for 10 minutes, I will browse it for studying for 30 minutes.
After drinking one cup of coffee, I will drink 2 glasses of water.


How to enjoy “hard” habits: Reframe your habits to consider their benefits rather than their drawbacks; name 3 habits that you have to do and explain the benefits of them. How do they further your goals longterm? How will they add to your processes as a successful developer? At the end of the day, how do they add to your life?


Doing JS practice everyday will ease the stress of feeling like I am not prepared for assessments.
Independent study will grow my knowledge as a developer and help with future learning.
Exercising during lunch breaks will increase my energy in the afternoons so that I be more productive.


Environment design (optional 5-min. additional reading: Motivation is Overvalued. Environment Often Matters More): how does your environment set-up currently help you with your habits? How could it be improved to make it easier for you to follow through on your habits?


I have my partner around who holds me accountable. I have a pomo timer on my computer as well as a site blocker if I need it. Mostly I have a workspace for lessons and doing work that allows me to compartmentalize that and other parts of my life.


“When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” Read this 4-min article on how to stop procrastinating. Apply the 2-minute rule to reframe 2-3 of your habits by scaling them down into the 2-minute version. How does this reframing help you think about shaping your new identity as a software developer?


Doing a google search and bookmarking relevant articles or videos for studying.
Just saying hey or checking in with other cohort members.
This does make the habits I need in order to be successful seem easier to form.

Week 2: Professional Storytelling & Branding


Assess your habits from week 1: how did you spend your time this past week? What was effective in your habits? What could be more effective? What steps will you take to make that happen?

I would have liked to have done more independent study and practice, but the project I was working on took up almost all my time. I feel good about the amount I'm exercising. I need to find time for JS practice, even though it seems hard to find the hours in the day. I feel I'm doing a good job staying focused and practicing good habits.

Write a draft of your professional story here as 1-2 paragraphs. Focus on answering the questions who are you, why are you here, and what’s next? Consider how to talk about your motives and values, the turning points that led to your career change, and what you envision for yourself going forward.

I've always been interested in language and communication. I studies film in college, and took that into working in a bit in the digital marketing space. That is where I first got a tste of a bit of front end programming. I would curate the visual media for an expansive website. When I was at the point where I made the decision to apply to Turing, I had learned a bit about what the dev world was like, and connected the dots between the similarities in the type of work a developer does, and the type of work I had already done editing movies and marketing videos. They're both a lot of tedious work in front of. computer, and many hours could go into something seems very small.
The main connection that I made was that the are both about making a connection with whoever is interacting with what I've made. Frontend developing, like creating media, is about having a conversation with the user or viewer, and I like to think about the work in those terms. Success comes from communicating most effectively. The developer I'd like to be is one who can communicate to users effectively.

Update your LinkedIn profile with the following: updated photo/headshot, headline, summary statement using your story, and Turing added to your experience and education sections. Include a link to your profile here in the journal. Remember the guidelines and tips from the lesson here.

www.linkedin.com/in/tim-keresey

What other steps will you take this week to update your branding or practice your story?

I will do more research into companies that I would like to possibly work for and what their values are. I'll Use that to craft more story to tie those values in.
Week 3: Job Search Strategies


Assess your habits from week 2: how did you spend your time this past week? What was effective in your habits? What could be more effective? What steps will you take to make that happen?

I need to do a better job of allocating time for the PD. I get stuck when trying to do the work and then feel like I'm wasting time that should be used for projects or JS practice. I need to work on being able to focus on work even when it is making me anxious.

Reflect on how you’ve spent your time so far at Turing to gauge your engagement and energy:

3.When have you been excited, focused, and enjoyed your work? When have you felt bored, restless, or unhappy? When do you feel energized in your work? When is your energy drained?
My level of energy and excitment is usually directly related to how successful I feel. If I feel behind then I feel less successful and it starts a downward spiral into losing my motivation. The best thing for me to do is to ensure That I feel like I'm keeping up.

Setting up habits and routines to make time for the job search this module:
Block out time on your calendar this week to work on your job search. When will you make this happen? How will you hold yourself accountable to this? What activities will you focus on during this time this week? What outcomes do you hope to reach by the end of this week because of these activities


I will block out an hour after dinner each night to work on job search. I will make sure that before I can do anything else, work or pleasure related, I have done job search. The main activity I will focus on is discovering what opertunities there are, and what values companies advertise that I think are most important to me.

Applying wayfinding to using job search resources
Go through the resources listed here and explore 2-3 tools. List what you looked at here:

key: values
glassdoor
All Hands


Apply wayfinding: of what you looked at, what did you discover that aligns with your vision? If it didn’t align with your vision, what will you try next? Decide what tools to bookmark to explore later.


All Hands and key: values definitely helped with finding things that align with my vision.


Find a job posting that aligns with your vision. What’s the posting? How does it align with what you’re looking for? Add it to your Huntr.


It is for a web developer position at Colorado Public Radio. It would be in a nonprofit environment for a media organization.


What next steps will you take to explore that opportunity and find contacts? Add that information to your Huntr card.


I will research the company website to find team memebers that it would be useful to cultivate a relationship with.

Week 4: Building Habits to Become a Software Developer, Part III


In week 4, you’ll have a job experience activity with employers. The next two prompts are designed to help you both prepare and reflect on that experience:

Prepare for Job Experience: AEIOU

Activities: what questions do you have about the activities that a software developer does on a daily basis?

How much of the day is made up of activities other than coding?

Environment: what questions do you have about the overall environment and culture of this workplace?

How does the company measure success?

Interactions: what questions do you have about the team at this company? What do you hope to learn during this experience?

When working on a project in a large team, how closely do you usually work with other team members?

Objects: what questions do you have about the code or the product?

What are the differences in UI and UX thinking between a B to B product and a B to C product.

Users: what questions do you have about how the company interacts with their users?

Who are the points of contact between client and company? Is that a fluid thing or very structured?

After the Job Experience, reflect on the same questions; what are your takeaways from the activity?
Activities: what was engaging to the person/people you met with?

Demonstrating growth and progress. Not everything has to be perfect, but getting better is most important.

Environment: what did you notice about how they talked about the culture and environment of this company?

Demonstrating a strong ability to work in a team effectively seemed like it could be the most important thing to be effective in the work environment.

Interactions: what did you notice about your interactions with this person/people?

I could certainly be them someday, which helped with my imoster syndrome.

Objects: what did you learn about their approach to code and/or product development?

Focus on good workflow and teamwork. Taking initiative to try and make something better is good too.

Users: what did you learn about their approach to their users?

Listening effectively is the most important thing.

What are your main takeaways from the shadow? How will you use this information to help you with your job search strategy?

I took away that I need to show growth in my github and demonstrate a good team workflow. Hiring managers will be looking at that sort of thing.

Assess your habits from week 3: how did you spend your time this past week? What was effective in your habits? What could be more effective? What steps will you take to make that happen?


I did not do a great job of implementing the habits that I wanted to that would allow time for PD and solo work. I need to actually get a physical calendar to put above my desk and make Xs on days that I do solo work and PD.


Implement a reiforcement strategy: to make one of your habits more satisfying, what is a reward you can give yourself immediately after completing the habit? How will this reward encourage you to continue completing that habit?


I have trouble, if I'm engaged with a show, turning it off. I also use TV to procrastinate. This has made me avoid watching a lot of TV, but I think putting evything away and allowing myself to turn my brain into watch mode for 25 minutes is a good way to reward myself after dong what I need to do with solo work and PD.


“Don’t Break the Chain”: Use a habit tracker


What is a habit that you want to make sure to do every day? How could you visually cue yourself to complete it (i.e., moving a paper clip)? How can you visually track it each time you’ve completed it? Could you automate the tracking? How will you do that?


Solo practice and study work. I will get a physical calendar and make a chain of Xs on it, just like Jerry Seinfeld.


Need help? Check out one of these habit tracking apps


How to get back on track when missing a habit: if you miss a day or two of completing your habit, how will you get yourself going again?


Not thinking of missing a day as failure is important. I will record streaks and always being trying to set a record. If I break the streak after 4 days, I'll shoot to then break that record on the next one. Soon I'll be trying to break a record of a 2 or 3 week streak.


Pick an accountability partner (your cohort accountabilibuddy, your mentor, a close friend, etc.) and create a habit contract with them. How often will you check in with each other? How will they hold you accountable?


My partner does a good job of holding me accountable already, but since the calendar will be visible for her to see as well, She can hold me accountable by keeping track of my streks as well.


Week 5: Outreach & Networking

Mind Maps:
i. Engagement. What did you reflect on last week in regards to when you’re engaged in your work at Turing? Pull out an idea that resonates with you most (e.g., “Talking through a problem with a partner,” “The moment when I solve a problem that I previously didn’t know how to do,” “Setting up a successful project management process for my team”) and break that idea down into parts and make a list (what are all the steps that go into that moment? When do you get to use your strengths? What is fun about this?).

When I get something to work that I did not know how to do when I started the problem.
First, is making a plan for approaching the problem.
Then, breaking it down into steps that need to be completed in order to make it work.
Then, likely reaching out to somebody to talk it through. This is where communication strength is key.
Then, usually my favorite part, recieving insigt that helps me look at it differntly.
Then, tracking down bugs and solving those. This takes resillience to not get discouraged.
Then, the payoff!

ii. Energy. What did you reflect on last week in regards to when you feel most energized in your work at Turing? Pull out an idea that resonates with you most and break that idea down into parts and make a list (what are all the steps that go into that moment? When do you get to use your strengths? What is fun about this?).

When I feel like I'm keeping up and not letting myself fall behind.
Planning how to spend my time is the first step.
Sticking to those steps takes discipline.
Allowing space to not get discouraged or assume failure. 100% success is usually not in the cards, and it takes self kindness to be o with that.
When sticking to the plan as best as possible pays off, reward myself.
Strive for growth and improvement.

iii. Flow. When have you had an experience recently in which you were in a state of flow? You can also think about this as “joy” or “play.” Pull out an idea that resonates with you most and break that idea down into parts and make a list (what are all the steps that go into that moment? When do you get to use your strengths? What is fun about this?).

I really enjoy riding my bike, and feel flow when I'm really cruising while listening to good music.
first is making the decision to get some exercise and fresh air, which requires self love to allow myself time for that.
Picking a good playlist requires good taste.
I need to push myself hard to get over big hills.
then, its important to enjoy the downhill cruise.

Prototype your mind maps: what do these mind maps tell you about what’s important to you as a software developer? What questions do they bring up about what you still want to learn about this career?

Theu tell me that I think I do require that feeling of being in a good groove to be successful. But it takes work to stay in it. The biggest thing is to always be focusing on getting over a hill or pushing through on a problem when its feeling exhausting and stopping is what my body or brain are craving. But then I won't reach the top of the hill and enjoy the downhil cruise that comes after it.

Prototype your outreach: (Be prepared to share this in your small group discussion)
Who comes to mind as a person you can reach out to? Why that person? What questions would you ask them? Come up with 2-3 people here to serve as prototypes

John Bigwood: Senior Web Developer at Colorado Public Radio; because they are the head of the development department.
Jim Bray: developer in hospitality tech; because he is an old family friend and could be a good starting point for other contacts.

What are things you are looking for in a developer candidate?
What soft skills are most important for a position here?
What makes you a succesful developer?
Who are the people you're glad you reached out to to get your first position?
How would this outreach help you further your job search strategy?

I will gain insights into being a better candidate, and get other contacts to reach out to to learn more.

Outreach & Networking Plan: Based on your reflections above, create a concrete plan for your outreach:
Who is the right person for you to reach out to?

First, I will reach out to Jim Bray.

How will you find them? How do you know they’re the right person?

Because I think I could have the most candid conversation about the industry with him. We already have a personal relationship and will be good to answer questions that will help me better approach networking with pros I don't know.

How will you reach out?

I will email him to set up a phone call.

What questions do you need to ask them?

How did you get started?
Who is the person you are most glad you knew before getting your first position and why?
What soft skills do you think makes the best candidate?
What is the best way to make contact with other developers?

How will you use this information to further your solution?

This convo will lead to making connections with individuals at companies that I am interested in, and guide how best to create a relationship that can benefit me in getting a position.

How will you follow up?

A thank you email and with any additional questions that come up in my search. If I'm not able to make contact with them right off the bat, then try back in a few days. I already know him so I don't have to be too weary, but the key with trying to make contact with someone I don't already have. a relationship is to be eager but not annoying.

Execute your plan:
Reach out to your contact THIS WEEK. If possible, reach out to more than one person OR find a meetup to attend also. What happened? What other next steps should you take? If this is a person connected to a company you’re interested in, be sure to add it to your Huntr card.

  
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    Mod 3

Intermission


Please list the top 3-5 industries and companies you'll pursue in your job search as of right now.


Industries: Greentech, hospitality, tourism
Companies: Campspot, Handshake, BombBomb


Why did you pick the industries/companies that you listed above? How do they relate to the values and goals you have for yourself in your job search?

Campspot and handshake seem like great places to grow as a developer. They advertise focusing on personal development and creating an environment that cultivates that. I want to work in a very possitive team environment. The industries I mentioned are with the idea in mind that I would really like to be passionate about the product I'm working on.

How does your LinkedIn currently reflect your goals and industry interests? What changes will you need to make to your LinkedIn to better reflect these?

My LinkedIn currently is good on a surface level. It needs more work and details to express my story and connect it to my goals. The way my history is presented needs to be presented in a way that connects it to my interests and future goals.
Week 1


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 (partially complete)
 (not started)


Refine your career vision: What are the values that will drive your job search? What are your goals for your job search? What kind of role do you see yourself pursuing in your job search? Based on your latest version of your career vision, list the top 3-5 industries and companies you’ll pursue in your job search as of right now. Why did you pick these industries/companies? How do they relate to the values and goals you have for yourself in your job search?


the main value that will drive my job search is the team environment. A place that attracts good, collaborative people and enjoys working together is ideal. I'd like to take on a project management postion eventually.


Industry: Media, Company: Vox Media, Colorado Public Radio


Industry: Hospitality


Industry: Tourism, Company: CampSpot


Build your resume


What will you emphasize in your resume that directly relates to your targeted industries?
I'll emphasize my previous experience working in hospitality, tourism, and digitalmedia/marketing. More importantly I'll emphasize the skills that I acquired at Turing and the projects I worked on.


Order your content in this way:
Header (Name + Software Developer OR Back End Engineer OR Front End Engineer, etc.)
Contact info
Summary
Skills
Projects
Experience
Education * Check out other resources here including the Resume Checklist * Link to your resume or include a screenshot here:


https://www.visualcv.com/timkereseyresume/

Upload your resume to CV Compiler by following these steps:


Go to https://cvcompiler.com/students/turingschool
Click on “Improve Your Student Resume”
Authorize it with either LinkedIn or GitHub
Fill out the fields with your Name and Email and the promo code Turing2005
Upload your resume
Based on the feedback you received from CV Compiler, what updates will you make to your resume?

I need to do some rewording to better utilize power words and action verbs. I also need to add more specific detail about projects.

Set up your Turing Alumni Portfolio:


Log in with the link you got in your email. Going forward, log in at alumni.turing.io/user


Fill out all fields


Select “publish” before saving (projects must also have “published” selected)


**Reflection questions:


What do you want this portfolio to say about you?


I'd like it to demonstrate my growth at Turing.

How will you continue to add to this to portray your story and showcase the kind of work that demonstrates your brand?

I will add more projects to it, and clean up or complete projects that I'd like to display but need to be modified to look the way I want them to.

Ian’s workshop this week is designed to help you break down your interest in specific industries even further by exploring their tech stacks to decide if you want to utilize any of their tools in upcoming projects. Make a copy of his template here and post a link to your copy here to show what research you’ve completed. You can also link this research to your Huntr board.
?

Week 2:

 (completed)
 (partially complete)
 (not started)


Find a position or use a position you’ve put on your Huntr board and write a cover letter for that position in a Google doc or gist. Reference these cover letter resources as well as the session to complete your cover letter. Post the link to your cover letter here

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16qDlr0wJX0ziiBMnl9oPHQgLzavtQqB59pTVhV2DrYM/edit?usp=sharing

Review your cover letter with a peer some time this week. What feedback did your partner give you? What next steps will you take to make your cover letter even stronger?

The feedback they gave me was to be more specific regarding projects or work that would relate to the position I am applying for. To improve I'll setup a diagram of important key points in the job posting and the company website, and apply corresponding specifics of my experience to them.

If you were to apply to this position (and you should!), how will you customize your resume for it? What other next steps would you need to take here?

I think my resume is actually already very well suited for this position based off of the keywords and qualifications that they ask for. I will, however emphasize certain aspects of my experience, such as remote collaberation skills.
Week 3:
Week 3: [Link here to your gist]

 (completed)
 (partially complete)
 (not started)


Back to your resume and cover letter you’ve been working on:


What other next steps do you want to take to make these two components stronger?

I would like my cover letter to be more detailed and specific about my experiences and how they relate to the job posting and company that I'm applying to. My Resume needs to focus on my projects more.

Outreach Brainstorming:


Either explore the company you wrote a cover letter for or find a new company to explore this week; Go to their company LinkedIn page and start to explore the employees. Who are a couple people you could reach out to? Why?


Brian Anderson: He is the Revenue Products Engineering Director and would be my boss according to the job posting.


Nicole Zhu: She is a fullstack engineer at the company and someone who I may work with. It would be good to get a contact and perspectives from someone in a similar role to what I'd have.


Finalize Your Plan:


Who have you decided to reach out to? Why that person? How will you contact them? What do you want to talk to them about? How will you follow up?


I will reach out to Nicole Zhu to make an initial contact at the company and have a casual conversation about working there. This will give me better insight when I reach out to higher-ups. I'll contact them via LinkedIn. If I don't hear back from them, I'll follow up via email.


Execute your plan:


Reach out to your contact THIS WEEK. If possible, reach out to more than one person OR find a meetup to attend also. What happened? What did you learn about the company? What other next steps should you take for pursuing this company? Be sure to update this in Huntr.

I did not get a response from this person yet.
Week 4:

 (completed)
 (partially complete)
 (not started)


Prepare for Job Shadow: AEIOU


**Activities: what questions do you have about the activities that a software developer does on a daily basis?

How are your teams organized and what level of contact do you have with others in the company outside of the engineering team?

**Environment: what questions do you have about the overall environment and culture of this workplace?

What is the company position on high stress? Power through or more self-care oriented?

**Interactions: what questions do you have about the team at this company? What do you hope to see in your interactions during the shadow?

How has being totally remote affected communication and relationships with coworkers? I hope to see that it is a pretty seamless transition with minor setbacks.

**Objects: what questions do you have about the code or the product?

How do the B2B side and B2C sides differ in terms of how you think about UX?

**Users: what questions do you have about how the company interacts with their users?

How do you brainstorm customer stories?

After the Job Shadow, reflect on the same questions; what are your takeaways from the shadow?


**Activities: what was engaging to the person/people you shadowed?

The teams integrate all parts of the company so there is a lot of interaction between departments.

**Environment: what did you notice about how they talked about the culture and environment of this company?

A fast paced environment but employees tend to stay for a while, which is a good sign.

**Interactions: what did you notice about your interactions with this person/people?

Being remote does not seem to be much of an issue.

**Objects: what did you learn about their approach to code and/or product development?

She was mostly B2C focused.

**Users: what did you learn about their approach to their users?

Usually the user stories come from higher ups, and her job is to execute.

**What are your main takeaways from the shadow? How will you use this information to help you with your job search strategy?

The big takeaway that will help with the job search is to focus on marketing myself as a good culture fit wherever I'm applying. Makes sure my cv and projects show growth, and than focus on ensure that I would be a good teammate.

Interview Prep:


**Pick a successful project and write about it with the STAR method (What was the situation/scenario of the project? What was - the task/target of the project? What action steps did you take? What were the results?):


situation: My mod 2 final project.


task: The task was to create a travel tracker app with the main challenge being utilizing API calls and asynchronous JS to a significant extent. These were concepts that were still very fresh. I was working solo so I wanted to be able to demonstrate that I had a good grasp of these concepts even though I had been struggling a bit up to that point.


action: In times where I got stuck or stuggled, I reached out for needed assisstance. I did not allow myself to give in to the anxiety that would come when I hit a wall.


result: It was a stuggle and I was very tempted to give up, but I did not and succeeded in completing it.


**Write about a time you failed and what you learned from that experience:


I wanted to try giving learning the guitar another shot after taking lessons for a year in middle school. I bought a guitar and was gonna just use the internet to learn. I never followed through and ended up selling the guitar a year later. I learned that you can't just act like you are going to commit to something without doing the leg work. Just saying you want to do something doesn't make it happen. with out a plan and a commitment to stick to it, it is too easy to not see things through.


**Write about how you’ve approached working with a team using a specific example:


I always approach working in a team strongly advocating for as much communication as possible. I had a group that was a little bit more difficult than the ones I've usually had when it came to achieving that. We had plans to work a certain schedule on a Saturday, and one of them didn't notify us that they made different plans till morning of. In that case, I made sure to have a conversation with them, without being too overbearing, and establish a new schedule and plan of action for communicating.


**What other stories will you prepare to share?


I have a couple good ones about employers creating positions for me based on my taking the initiative to use my skills to help the company in clever ways.


**Do some research into your top companies’ tech stacks; what do you already know? What can you compare to your own learning? - What do you need to learn more about?


I know the basics (JS, CSS, HTML), and I know that other frameworks like Vue are easier once you know one, and I know react. I think learning a bit of Ruby on rails to come off as a more weel rounded fullstack dev would be useful.


Using this interview prep resource doc, pick out at least 3 resources you will use to prepare for interviews as well as 3 behavioral questions you could practice:


interviewing.io


Leet Code


Frontend Interview Handbook


Week 5:

 (completed)
 (partially complete)
 (not started)


Taking stock of where you are: what have you accomplished this module? What have you learned? Where are you stuck (have you not been able to follow through on outreach? Is your resume not finished?


I have not done much work updating my resume, or making further plans to reach out past the couple of times I have done so. i think these things are more of an issue of feeling like I have to spend more time on projects and studying, than being really stuck.


Create plans for 3 different companies you want to target:


**Questions to reflect on here: Why do you like this company? What makes you want to work there? Why are you a good fit for this company? What do you bring to the company? What transferable skills do you have? What do you already know about the company (product, team, culture, company size, location, etc.)? What do you need to learn?


**Steps to take:


**Outreach: look at the company’s LinkedIn page: who could you reach out to? What questions do you want to ask that person?


**Experience: once you’ve made a connection at the company, how could you find out more? Consider setting up a job shadow or exploring their tech stack in your projects


**Read back over the plan. How does it reflect your vision?


**Imagine that you get the job. A year later, what have you gained from this experience? How have you started to fulfill your vision?


**Plan #1:


Vox Media: Follow through on reaching out to one of the higher ups. Try to schedule a meetup. In the meantime take a deeper dive into the revenue team blog. It is a big company and I'm sure there's lots of candidates so setting myself apart with more knowledge is best. Learn more about Concert.


**Plan #2:


Campspot: I need to begin the process on this one, but it will mostly follow the same process. I will dive into the tech, which for frontend seems to be mostly Angular. They have a much smaller and younger team, so it might be easier to reach out to a couple low level employees. Being an outdoor oriented company, I can make a plan to showcase that side of my experience as well.


**Plan #3:


Venuelytics: This one I'm not very excited about, but a friend told me about it. I really haven't looked much into it, but could be just good practice for networking.


**Make it actionable: rank each plan on a scale of 1-5 for how much your plan aligns with the following:


**Available resources to help you pursue it: contacts, time, knowledge of the company, etc.

#1: 4, #2: 3, #3: 2

**Coherence: how it aligns with your career vision

#1: 5, #2: 4, #3: 2

**Confidence level: how feasible does this feel to you?

#1: 3, #2: 3, #3: 1

**How excited you are about it?

#1: 5, #2: 4, #3: 1

**Now, pick the plan with the highest numbers across the board. What steps will you take next to pursue this strategy as you go into the next module?

Vox is the winner. I will start a file that weill be organized into people to reach out to, tech to know, and research on the company. I'll then craft a version of my resume and cover letter that are oriented toward them. I'll be prepared to start making contacts after Thanksgiving.

  
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    Mod 4

Intermission

Outreach Messages


Hi Danielle! I got your information from Reagan and I wanted to reach out to talk with you about your experience at Spire Digital.  I'd love the oppurtunity to learn more about your company and hear what you believe is the best way to be successful at Spire is. Are you available to grab a virtual coffee and chat over a call or on Slack? Thanks so much for your time!


Hi Bailey! I wanted to thank you again for answering all of my questions during the job shadow. I'm reaching out to see if you'd be available to talk a bit more about your experience making the transition from Turing to Ibotta, and how you appraoched learning new techs to meet your professional requirements. Would you like to grab a virtual coffee and hop on a call or slack? Thank you so much for your time!