- 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?
When working towards a goal in the past, some tools/systems that have been helpful is having a deadline, strong work ethic, and reaching out to peers/instructors when help is needed. I like to think that I have a strong work ethic, sometimes it's hard for me to start a project but once started I'm pretty commited and care about putting in my best work. In college I studied math, and I don't think I would have been to complete my degree without having the ability to ask for help. Often for me, figuring out how to approach a problem or start it was the most challenging part for me, but once I was led in the right direction I was able to complete the goal. Having a deadline for when a goal or project is due was super essential for me to complete that goal, otherwise I'd push my goal off until the very last minute. At Turing, having a deadline will help completing goals, and this is something that I will need to set for myself when it's not set by an instructor. Furthermore, I need to learn to implement mini-goals or sections of the goal in a calendar to save me from not waiting too long to get started on said goal. Time management with respect to getting started on a goal/project and progressing towards the goal is something I very much need to work on and practice. While at Turing, I need to adapt my ability to ask questions to an instructor/professor and expand that to my peers (via slack, email, etc.), and googling. I need to look at more avenues for getting help, not just asking an instructor. My strong work ethic should translate well with my time at Turing, but I need to get much better at starting goals earlier, and planning for how I will compelte the goals before they are due.
- As you start this new career, what is one of your strengths and how do you know?
One of my strengths is my hard work ethic. A hard work ethic was instilled upon me by my father, who has been a self-employed construction worker for over forty-five years. I started working full time for him the summer of my freshman year of high school when I was fourteen years old. He wouldn't tolerate being lazy or unmotivated, not to mention that could be quite dangerous on a jobsite with heavy equipment and tools around. My hard work ethic has been reinforced from past employers saying that I am a hard worker, and saying that they were glad that I was there because they knew I would 'work hard'.
- Describe how you work best (conditions, environment, preferences, etc.):
Individually I work best in a quite work environment, with little distractions around. I can't work with music or podcasts playing, and people talking in the background. I perfer a well lit room, with a desk that is organized, too much clutter around my work space distracts me. In a group setting, I can work with some background noise, but I perfer to have no noise. Additionally, I like to have soild communication in a group project, so every person knows what they should be doing and how it relates to the common goal. I think I work best in a group when tasks are divided up and we work together or individually to complete those tasks, then come together to report on progress.
- As you start this new career, what is your greatest area of improvement when it comes to your professional skills?
My greatest area for improvement pertaining to professional skills is time management. Often in the past, I never really used a schedule or created a plan to accomplish my goals, and as a result would often wait until the last moment to complete a goal. Also, I often have trouble getting started to work on something and end up cleaning my room, or doing other tasks that are way less important than the goal set. I need to improve my time management skills greatly, so I can be successful at Turing and later in the future. I need to work on better time management techniques, and implement better scheduling habits to track my progress and complete goals in a timely manner. I think actually using a schedule and researching better time manangement practices will benefit me greatly for my time at Turing, and hopefully build productive time management skills that eventually turn into a strength.
- How will developing a deeper understanding of your strengths and working preferences benefit you as a software developer?
Developing an understanding of my strengths and working preferences will benefit me as a software developer by acknowledging what I'm good at and making me aware of what I need to work on. Knowing what my strengths are will help me also focus on what my weaknesses are, and how I caan work on those weakness to help turn them into strengths. Knowing that I'm not as good at something such as time managment, will be beneficial as a software developer in that I should be way more aware of my time management practices because I'm not as proficient as others. Furthermore, understanding my strengths and work preferences will help me as a software developer because I can highlight those strenghts when working individually and as a team and become more of an asset. Knowing how I work best, should influence the type of work environment I create for myself and the employor that I chose should correlate with those strengths. I think being aware of your strengths is super beneficial, because it allows you to set up your work environment to best suit you, so you're set up to do the best work you can.
- Describe the vision you currently have for your career after Turing:
Honestly, I haven't given my future after Turing a huge amount of thought, because coding is brand new to me so I don't completely know what to expect. I hope my future after Turing comprises a career where I am challenged daily, and allows me to use my brain to solve and think about problems. I would love to someday work for a company or work with a company where I vaule their mission and I find that mission to be rewarding for me. This could come in various forms, but something pertaining to the environment such as wind or solar power, specifically to more remote/underrepresented areas, teaching, voting rights, or small farm food distribution to rural areas. The ability to work for different companies in a variety of fields that I think are rewarding is something that really excites me about being a web developer, you're not pigeon-holed into working in one sector or for one corporation.