Career Development Journal

Glossary

Mod 3 Week 4: Interview Prep

Prepare for Job Shadow: AEIOU

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

What percentage of your daily actually consists of looking at code on average? Will there be a lot of paired programming? Will I be on zoom calls consistently throughout a work day?

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

What is the company's motto or mission statement? How much of a priority is the health and happiness of the developers on the team?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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?):

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

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

What other stories will you prepare to share?

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?

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:

Mod 3 Week 3: Outreach & Networking II

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've been working on making my resume fully describe my skill set and show who I am as a developer in a coveying way. With my cover letter it varies by every job posting of course, but I plan to make sure I'm doing my necessary amount of research for every company so that I can prove to them that I care for their mission when I'm applying.

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?

There are a couple Turing alumnis at Guild that I noticed on LinkedIn. These people would be great people to reach out to because we would realize and they may have some sympathy for my journey. They also may be more likely to offer me assistance because of our similar history.

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 decided to reach out to the devlopers in my circle of friends and acquantances first. I just mentioned my current journey at Truing and that I'm graduating here very shortly. I also mentioned that I'm really looking forward to connecting with more developers to get a better understanding of what it's going to be like to work as one.

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 basically already answered this in the last response, but I reached out to a friend's husband who is in a Management position at a tech company. He said it was good to hear from me and that he'll keep me posted if he notices any opportunities open. I don't want to work for his company, but I do just want to start connecting with more developers. I'm hoping this will pay off down the road, although I'm going to continue to connect with more developers down the road.

Mod 3 Week 2: The Application Process

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.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1siclXlvNZiZvu-_KZGOMLy5p4rlexEpr7iY-MkxP9pk/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?

My partner said it was good, but that I could've been a little bit more specific about the company and why I chose to apply with them. I will follow my partner's advice and work to make it more consice on thought process of the company itself.

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 did end up applying for this position and I customized my resume by being more specific about the skills that would fit this company. I may also want to revise my profile description in my resume moving forward with other applications.

Mod 3 Week 1: Professional Stroytelling II: Resumes and Portfolios

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?

I had trouble answering this question in the Mod 3 prework, as there aren't any specific companies that I can pinpoint that I want to work for. I know the qualities and the type of mindset I want the company to have. One that is going to allow me to grow as a developer and give me the resources necessary. I'm a very healthy person and love to be active, and I would love a workplace with a similar mindset where they value that.

Build your resume

What will you emphasize in your resume that directly relates to your targeted industries?

Pick a template from those listed in the Templates section here

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:

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?

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?

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

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.

Module 3

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

To be honest I really can't think of a specific company that I'm going to pursue. I've looked several up to see if theres specific ones I can get behind, but of the ones nothing stood out. I really want to continue applying and continue doing my research on many different companies.

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?

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?

Mod 2 Week 5: Outreaching & Networking I

Review your habit tracker: how did you monitor your habit(s)? What does this tell you about your overall progress becoming the person you want to be? In general, how satisfied are you with how you spent your time this module? What could be improved next module?

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?).

In regards to last week I can say that me not being afraid to ask others in the group for help or ask them to explain something that I don't understand fully. I'm usually too afraid to speak up with those around me because I don't want to come off as a bother or make them think I'm stupid. Although, I let all those fears go out the window and I ended up learning so much more and building relationships with people that I hadn't done previously. It was great I need to continue to not care what other people may think of me.

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?).

The final week of Mod 2 involved the final project and I've felt the most energized during that project than I have this entire experience. There were specific moments where I was stuck on a piece of functionality and I wanted to give up or call my mentor. Although, I knew it was something that I could figure out on my own and I continued to push forward, working through the problem and breaking it into smaller pieces. Everytime I eventually figured it out on my own, I learned so much while doing so and I felt so satisfied with my determination. This is just a fun journey and process as a whole.

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'm not sure if this is suppose to be aimed directly at coding, but there are many times I reach flow while coding. I consistently think about how somebody becomes great at something through constant repetition and often times that may be very uncomfortable. I always try to remind myself to stay comfortable with the uncomfortable. This allows me to push through and in the end I'm satisfied with the state of flow the I reached.

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?

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

Someone that I can reach out to that is a software developer is my brother-in-law. I've often asked him questions that he's answered for me about software development. I'd ask him more specifically what he thinks the best first job in software developement would be. Another few people I can think of is my brother-in-law's best friend, my friend Luke and my other friend Paul.

How would this outreach help you further your job search strategy?

THis outreach would allow me to get more insights on what it's like to be a software developer in today's world. It will also allow me to expand my network and possibly one of those connections could be the key to my next job.

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?

I would say any of my friends that are currently working as software developers because I have several.

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

I will find them on LinkedIn because I can shoot them message. Anybody that works in the field and has experience can be the right person.

How will you reach out?

Either a message on LinkedIn or a text message.

What questions do you need to ask them?

Just insightful questions on how they found their first job, what it's like working where they work and my passion to work as a software developer.

How will you use this information to further your solution?

The information I gain can help me to find out exactly where it is I might want to work and somepossible ways to standout to the possible employers.

How will you follow up?

Follow them on whatever platforms they have and message them from time to time with any other questions that I may have.

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.

I messaged several old friends over LinkedIn and a couple giving me some words of wisdom about my job search. One offered to meet up, but our achedules are conflicting so we couldn't make it happen. Although, I will continue to reach out and make new connections and strike up conversations.

Mod 2 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?

One big question I have is are developers always coding everyday on the job? Also is a developer consistently on calls with people? Is pair programming something that happens on the daily or is there a lot more solo work being done?

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

What are some of the motos or beliefs for the company as a whole? Is growth being supported for developers allow them to learn? What are your thoughts about mistakes and how are they handled?

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

Is everyone supportive of each other and are people happy to work here? What are the demographics of the team at this company? I hope make some great connections with great people and to learn a lot!

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

How long has a majority of the code been in production? What is most of the codebase written in? How often is the code being updated? What. are the detials of the product that's being sold?

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

What are some of the goals when it comes to user experience? What motto are you tying to give users? How are poor user experiences being handled?

After the Job Experience, reflect on the same questions; what are your takeaways from the activity?

I now feel that's during the interview I should really be interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing me. Solid questions that really show my interest for the company are great questions to ask.

Activities: what was engaging to the person/people you met with?

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

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

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

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

What are your main takeaways from the shadow? How will you use this information to help you with your job search strategy? Ideas below are adapted from Atomic Habits by James Clear

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 spent my time really well this last week, I was quarantining so I had plenty of time to work on the projects that I wanted to get done over break. I also read my book constistently every day last week which felt great to do. I didn't stick to the bedtime that I wanted to stick to though, so that could definetly be more effective. Me sleeping in made me not stick to a set schedule as much though.

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 really like the paper clip idea mentioned or the idea of a habit tracking app. The visulation of completing habits by these methods is a great way to show myself the progress that I'm making and encourage myself to keep going.

“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?

I want to make sure that I'm meditating every single day. I can set up my yoga mat on my floor by my desk so when I see it I'm reminded that I need to meditate. When I do it can use my app tracker to get a visual reward. I'm not quite sure how I could automate the tracking.

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?

Usually if I miss a day or two of a habit I feel very guilty and anxious about it. Usually the guilt and regret is so intense for me that I will immediately get back on track with that habit.

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?

I basically already have a habit contract with my accountabilibuddy because we have become pretty close and we check in on each other's habits on a consistent basis. We zoom call a couple times a week and ask each other if we're doing what we said we would.

Module 2 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 spent my time very well this last week and I'm very proud of the habits I'm building. The fact that I stuck to my structured routine very well this previous week made me very effective. I decreased my phone screen time to almost nothing and was consistent with my coding repetition practice. The only habit that could've been more effective for me this last week is my nightly routine which I sometimes allowed myself to not do my journaling and meditation before bed and it made it difficult to fall asleep. I will get off my computer at a hard cutoff of 10pm as this should give me enough time to do full routine.

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

I've spent all my time pushing myself out of my comfort zone so that I truly get the most out of the whole experience. I've also come into any situaton with an open and positive mindset which has allowed to bring a very good energy. I feel as if pushing my comfort zone has really helped me to grow a lot.

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?

I've been most excited, focused, and enjoyed my work when I see an application for what it is that I'm doing. Also when things start to click and make sense to me, I get a wave of excitement. It's not often that I get bored and unhappy, but if I do it's usually when I'm stuck on something. I only feel like my energy is drained when I've tried everything I can think of, but still can't figure something out.

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?

Applying wayfinding to using job search resources

Go through the resources listed here and explore 2-3 tools. List what you looked at here:

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.

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.

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

Module 2 Week 2: Professional Storytelling and 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 feel very proud of how I spent my time this last week. I feel like I'm being very consistent with all of my good habits that I have built over time. What was effective in my habits was that I would stay very mindful of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I set an intention with every habit that I did. I could have my night time or weekend habits be more effective because I tend to let loose when it comes to those. To remind myself about why I set these habits in the first place during those times especially.

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.

Ever since I can remember I have had a burning passion to create and invent. I was always fascinated by how and why things worked on a deep level. This carried throughout my life and I became very fascinated with technolgy, computer science specifically. I saw computer science as the future of the entire world's infrastructure, a medium for creation and something very unkown to me. I went to college and graduated with an Associate's degree in Computer Information Systems and Cyber-Security. Although as I began my job search I truly felt as if the passion, ability to create and innovate was missing.

Though, remebering my programming course I took in college and hearing about the opportunities at Turing, I knew exactly what I needed to do. This is what brought me to software development which is what I consider as the crossroads between creativity/art and the new age technology realm. I've always considered myself to have an open and growth based mindset in life, but this has definitely been reinforced and fed here at Turing. They constantly aid me in staying sharp, learning new concepts and thinking about my future. My next step is to quickly get a job as a software developer where the company can feed my growth and give me the platform to be creative. I then hope to flourish my knowledge, connections and insights, so that one day I can build my own software developemnt company focusing on the new age of AR and VR development.

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.

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

Some other steps I will take this week is to take my headshot for LinkedIn after the break starts. I will also continue to refine my story of how I got to the point I'm at in my life and where I'm going. I will continue to evaluate myself to figure out what exactly it is I want and what I'm going to do to achieve it, so I can communicate that better to to others.

Module 2 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?

Going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time everyday was very helpful to me. Staying confident in my abilities and keeping the beginner's mindset was also very helpful. To pre-teach in the mornings prior to the lessons and meal prep on Sunday's every week will really help me. Also being more present and ridding myself of all distractions will be the differential.

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?

This module I want to truly be a software developer. Telling myself that I am the thing I want to be instead of just wanting to be it. Being mindful, journaling and constant repetition will allow me to change my mindset. A software developer holds themselves to the standard they so choose, and I'm choosing a high standard. As people we're merely a sum of all of our habits, so by building great habits I'm being the best version of myself.

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

After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED TO DO].

After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT TO DO].

After working out, I will code. After coding, I will read or journal.

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?

Three habits that I have to do are working out early in the morning, coding everyday and eating very healthy and clean. Working out allows me to wake up early and get a strong start to the day! It also leaves me feeling good about myself physical and mentally which carries over into me as a software developer. Coding everyday will keep me sharp and allow to me to continue learning. Eating healthy and clean allows my work outs to be more effective, as well as improve my mentality even more which also carries over to software developement.

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?

My personal environment is setup to limit distractions and encourage myself to make better decisions. I have done much of what the 3 strategies in the given article above suggested in the past and it has worked very well for me. I believe I could be more proactive about automating good decisions through my environment more often. I also still live with my mother and brother and their decisions in the house tend to distract me or lead me to bad decisions sometimes.

“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?

This reframing allows me to see how the act of getting started or showing up is honestly the most important part of the habit. In order to grow my identity as a software developer I need to to be consistent with my habits, and the 2-minute version will invoke that.

Module 1 Week 5: Creating Your Vision, Part 2

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'm definitely more aware of my habits because I get a feeling of satisfaction when I accomplish doing something productive, but I also feel regret when I do something I know I shouldn't be doing. I've tried to not be on my phone at all and only drink alcohol in strict moderation. So far I've been feeling great and my energy levels are consistent.

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? Optional additional reading: How to Cultivate Beginner’s Mind to Become a True Expert

Begginner's mind is essential when it comes to thinking about the career/job search because it'll allow me to come into with confidence. Some habits to help cultivate beginner's mindset is to drop any expectations or preconceptions. As well as to stay curious to the new things that can be learned, be open to any new possibilities.

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/1hdqrgmNXiHOVXyDReRMW5GHnGLTQzFsMex2QwTxSYbY/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?

My top 5 strengths this module has been my kindness toward others, good communication skills, positive attitude, empathy toward others and open mind toward new concepts. A software developer should be able to stay focused, detail-oriented, positive minded and confident in their abilities. They overlap because of the positivity and the focusing ability. Although, they differ in that my strengths have a lot do with emotions and emotional control. I need to work on being more detail-oriented and confident in my abilities.

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

I vision myself making all of my dreams and goals come true. I've learned specifically this week that something may som dificult at first, but the more time and energy you put into it the less difficult it will become. I've realized that in order to make all of my dreams there will be a lot of overcoming obstacles. These obstacles may seem unsurpassable at first, but with each step of the process they will get more attainable.

Module 1 Week 4: Creating Your Vision, Part 1

Habits Reflection:

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

Yes most definitely, I have become much more aware of my habits especially since starting Turing. Yes, I've tried implementing many new and healthy habits into my life. Like journaling, meitation and no mindless scrolling on social media. I have felt much more productive and satisfied about the use of my time.

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

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

I feel amazing physically, I've been sticking to my workout plans and have been working out consistently everyday! Mentally and emotionally, and I'm doing the best I can. It's hard being at home all the time and not being able to be as scoial as I may want, but I know its all for a great reason.

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?

I would rate my overall health a 5 right now. I am currently the most in shape and satisifed with the use of my time, as I have been in a long time. I am fitting in anything that I need to do for my health into every free moment that I have, such as eating healthy, working out, reading, meditating and talking to friends or family.

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?

Software Development
Engaging in class
Practice shuffle dances
Work out

These things are bringing me a lot of value to my life right now as I am learning so much and feel very satisfied with the progress I'm making. They give me purpose and allow to have a lot of hope for what tomorrow will bring.

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

Just being able to be alive honestly brings me a lot of joy when I'm conscious of it. Although, working out and shuffle dancing really brings me a lot of joy, as I just love how it makes me feel. Reading brings me a lot of joy as, the knowledge I gain just makes me feel so enlightened.

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?

I workout almost everyday in the mornings, I dance shuffling almost before every workout and run usually a few times a week. Reading and meditating also give me a lot of joy and help me to deal with the stresses of life. I need to stop mindlessly scrolling on my phone which allow me to have more time for the things that bring me joy.

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

My mother and my brother matter the most to me in life and I get to spend a lot more time with them now that I'm home more. They support me a lot and remind me of how supported I am, I do my best to return the love and support! My girlfriend, eventhough our relationship is long distance at the moment she is giving me so much love and support. I know I can talk to her about anything and hope to be that same safe haven for her as well.

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?

Love shows up in my life with people just being there and caring toward my life. I believe giving someone your time, energy and focus is one way to show them that you love them because those things are so important. I sometimes get so caught up in what I'm doing that I forget to show those in my life how much I truly love and care for them. This stands especially true with my girlfriend.

Looking back at the 4 areas, do any problems emerge that you want to begin designing solutions for?

Most of these areas in my life feel very solid right now. The only change I may possibly want to make is the fact that I can show those in my life how much I truly love them just be shooting them a text or giving them a quick call checking in on them.

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?

Like I previously stated, I'm not seeing too many current problems that need a solution other than just being more mindful of my use of time and the loved ones im surronded by. I know that I want my career to be very self-reliant, where I will have the freedom to make decisions and create what I see fit. I really want to learn how to connect with others and to be able to have meaningful conversations. I hope to gain a lot of knowledge that really sets me up to start my own business in the near future.

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?

We figured that software developers may actually have more paperwork or non technical work to do rather than just pushing code all the time. We figured that software developers all just spend countless hours behind a computer all day. I need to inform myself by asking those that already have jobs in the field to truly get a good insight on what software developers do. I hope to have more connections with people and I also hope to not be working for a company forever as I have large aspirations to buil my own business in sofrtware development.

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 hope to find a developing job with a company I like and can get behind. I hope that I don't get comfortable at this new job and don't continue to pushh myself. As I hope to take all the connections, knowledge and work ethic that I gain from Turing, and harness to follow my dreams of building a business that adds value to the world in an innovative way.

Test –- solutions

Based on this week of reflections, write out your initial vision statement for your career:

I am going to graduate Turing and get a job as a developer for a company that I truly want to work for. I will continue to push myself and learn new concepts and ideas. I plan to start a business on the side with an idea that I have developed within the first 5 years of working at my job(hopefully sooner). I will then move into the area of AR and VR development and continue to innovate and grow my business(es). I want to add a lot of value to the world with the use of software and technological advancements.

Module 1 Week 3: Habits & Accountability

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?

The traits of a good software developer are somone who is calm under pressure, thoughtful and detail-oriented. They should be able to communicate well with others in the workplace, as well as hopefully kind and positive. As a coworker I would think highly of this person and be happy to work with them. There is a lot of collaboration as a software developer so getting along well with other developers is very important.

What are the habits that this person demonstrates to embody the identity of a software developer?

They should have a schedule down where they're are still making plenty of time for themselves and for their work. Healthy habits like not wasting time doing things that don't progress them in any way, and doing things such as working out and eating right to keep them sharp on the job. Also making a habit of thinking things through well, being patient and learning to prioritize the enrgy and focus well.

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 be basically all of the things that I've just described in the previous prompt about what I think are good traits of a software developer. I want to be very kind and positive no matter how stressed I may be, as this will help to connect with more people. I also want to still continue to stay very physically fit and make my health a huge priority. I am always working on being positive and kind, so I believe that and my fitness/health routines are well-established habits currently. I need to learn to be more patient and thoughtful before I do something because sometimes I am quick to stress and doing before thinking. I can do this by making a conscious decision and slowly build a habit that'll enforce patience and consistent thoughtfulness.

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.

Daily Habits:

Wake up +
Turn off alarm =
Check phone -
Make coffee +
Go to gym +
Shuffle at gym =
Workout +
Run +
Come back home =
Turing classes +
Taking notes +
Zoom calls +
Eating lunch =
Collaboration with cohort mates +
Pseudocode +
Code project +
Check phone -
Meditate +
Read +

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)

I will journal as part of my wind down time at the end of the day, along with my meditation and reading. After reading/meditating, I will journal.

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?

By keeping my space clean and organized, I'm more likely to actually remember and actually want to do the journaling. By keeping the things that trigger the bad habits either out of my space or completely get rid of them. I will make small chnages by picking something up and cleaning it everytime I go to the kitchen etc.

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?

My space is already SO much cleaner than previously before and I've been journaling consistently even for 10 minutes or less. I'm better able to reflect on my day and previous thoughts, as well put them in physical form so I'm not forgetting them for the future. I'm going to continue to implement this in my life in hopes that it'll only get easier for me and I will reap more benefits that I have even yet to discover.

Mod 1 Week 2: Building Your Compass

Power of self-reflection

What is challenging about self-reflection?

Self-reflection can be difficult for me because sometimes it can be uncomfortable as I see somethings about myself that are hard to deal with or understand. Although, these difficult moments within self-reflection are where I can make most growth as I come to terms with things I have been dealing with about myself.

How can you continue to build the habit of self-reflection at Turing?

The 5 minute journals are a great way to make self-reflection more of a habit while I'm attending Turing. For me, meditation is a great way to do some much needed self-reflection which I will definitely continue to do daily.s

Social identity mapping

First, create you own social identity map on a piece of paper (or print this out):

Outer ring: write words that describe your given identity

Middle ring: list aspects of your chosen identity

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.

After you complete your map:

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

Reflect:

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

My social identity tells me that I will be bringing somebody who is positive, happy and loves to be active and healthy to the tech industry. Also bringing someone that loves to lighten the mood and bring joy to others.

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?

Currently my social identity indicates that I can be fairly quiet and shy at times when around others. I also tend to panic and build up social anxiety if I speak in front of a large group of people. In order to turn these minuses into pluses, I'm going to need to practice my public speaking and just speaking skills in general on the daily. The more I put myself into this uncomfortable setting, I will slowly become more comfortable and my anxiety will diminish.

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

Always valued:

Health & Fitness, Love, Confidence, Productivity and Growth

Often valued:

Patience, Faith, Helping Others, Ambition, Courage and Forgiveness

Sometimes valued:

Joy, Change and Variety, Fast Pace, Environment and Orderliness

Seldom valued:

Making Money, Leisure, Mental Stimulation, Lack of pretense and Experiencing pleasure.

Reflect:

What do these values tell you about yourself?

These values tell me that I value most those things that are bringing me the most long-term fulfillment and good toward others. I avoid valuing things that are short-term satisfaction and harmful to either myself or those around me.

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):

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

I already pretty much stated it in the previous response, but what I value most in life is the things that will accomplish my goals/dreams and bring comfort to those around me. What matters most is avoiding the temptation of instant gratification and to reach for the things that I truly want in life.

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

I think that work and life truly tie in together. I can't have a great life if I don't put in great work, but I also can't put in great work unless I'm living a great life. I should define that my definition of great is leaving it all on the table and doing it how I see fit.

Where do they clash?

Sometimes it can be hard to draw the line between the two and they can start to mesh. I want my work to be so powerful that it is apart of my life and vice versa, but I don't want there to be any space for me to not be able to live life without the pressure of work. Although, I am a firm believer that if you love what you do for work, then you won't even see it as such.

Does one drive the other? How?

This goes directly back to the prompt asking if they complement each other. To answer this question, yes they most definitely drive each other. Without work I cannot live the life that I want to live. Although, without the living the life I want to live there is no work that I truly want to do! I see them as a sort of yin and yang, one could be good, one could be bad, but they are driving each other.

Mod 1 Week 1: Understanding Your Strengths

Describe one of your strengths One of my strengths is to be able to be positive no matter what outside forces are overbearing me. Definitely have my moments, but I can regain myself fairly quickly.

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

I can really lighten the mood of a room or of those around me. I tend to be silly or a bit of a jokester which really helps to make people feel more comfortable. It is a skill that has seemed to serve me well in many social situations in my life.

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

I know a lot about exercises and nutrition because I have worked out most of my life, and I'm always trying to eat healthy. I often do research on the health benefits of foods and the foods I should and shouldn't be incorporating in my diet.

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

I am a very nice person without even trying to be. I always try to avoid conflct at most times and I tend to want to make others feel comfortable and happy. My whole life I've always heard people tell me "You're so nice!" or sometimes even "You're too nice!".

How could you combine these to describe a specific strength?

I'd say that overall this formulates to me being an easy person to get along with and I without sounding overly confident, more so likeable as a person. I feel like I can relate with a lot of people when I speak on health and fitness because either people do some of that themselve or they are interested in getting started themselves.

Read through your Top 4 results from Pairin

In your own words, what do these top 4 qualities tell you about yourself?

The 4 Pairin qualities tell me that I'm very empathetic and thoughtful of others. It also tells me that I work well with others and that I'm a very straightforward thinker.

Do they resonate with you? Why/why not?

They really do resonate with me because I lot of what they told me is how I've already felt about myself in a lot of ways. I've always felt like I'm empathetic toward others and that I tend to be a "lover of humanity". I was pleased with my results.

How do they relate to the strength you wrote about in Prompt #1?

They are very similar to the strengths I wrote about in Prompt #1 because I feel as if they were very accurate to the fact that I'm kind and get along well with others.

Challenges with strengths

What can make it challenging to recognize your strengths? How can you work through those challenges?

Stress and fear can make it challenging to recognize my strengths. Often when I'm scared, nervous or just stressed out I blank out on my strengths and feel a lower sense of self-confidence. One way to work through these challenges is to relax in moments of those negative emotions and to stay mindful of who I am and my strengths. Take a moment, relax and remind myself.

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?

Yes most definitely, I sometimes see myself being to nice to others to the point where I start to feel taken advantaged of. Although, when I do feel that wasy I'm very good at being able to let the other person know that I'm feeling this way and it often helps to resolve any problems. Same with lightening the mood, sometimes it comes off as I'm joking too much and not taking things seriuosly, but I've developed good reads over the years to decide when its appropriate to be funny and not to be.

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?)

I like to work when there are deadlines because that really helps me to stay on top of my work and to measure exactly how much I should be accomplishing before it's due. I haven't always done this but when I do pre plan my work, usually weekly, I tend to get a lot more done and I can stay organized.

How could you describe these working preferences to your project teammates? Your mentor? Your instructors?

I've already told my accountability buddy and mentor my working preferences beacuse I think it's very important to know, just as they told me their's. I just explained to them how I tend to accomplish the best work and how I like to plan/organize that work.

What would you need to be aware of when working with people who have different strengths from you?

I would just need to keep my mind open, and not try to push my strengths on them too much. I think working with someone with different strengths is a very good thing, but it'll just take extra listening and compassion.

How could your Pairin results help you better understand your everyday working preferences?

Since my Pairin results were so similar to what I think my strengths are, I can now truly understand my strengths and better keep them in my everyday working prefernces.

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 hope to sharpen my strength of lightening the mood and being when needed because I tend to more so do that when I'm more comfortable with the group of people. I hope to be able to be more outspoken and break my social anxiety throughout my time at Turing.

What are some steps you could take here?

Especially when it comes to the social anxiety aspect, I can continue to be in the Zoom calls, ask questions and speak my mind when I fell necassary. Plus continuing to meet new people will help a lot.

How could you be aware of progress you're making?

Seeing how I feel when I'm asked to speak in front of the class or when I'm deciding to speak up in a Zoom call will be great indicators of the progress I'm making.

Mod 0

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?

Whenever I've worked towards a goal the most useful tool to me has always been my mindset. Staying mentally strong no matter how difficult the road to my goal became. Also planning and organizing made a hug difference and allowed for success. I really don't believe adapt is the best word choice there because I believe I'm just going to transfer that mindset of not stopping until I've achieved what I set out to do.

As you start this new career, what is one of your strengths and how do you know?

One of my strengths is commitment or loyalty. Whenever I set my mind on something that I really want or cherish I will do nothing to break it or potentially lose it. I've had a couple long-term relationships in my life thus far (3+ years). With these I learned how loyal of a person I am and how if I'm sure of it, I can really focus in on what I have and keep in mind the positives not the negatives.

Describe how you work best (conditions, environment, preferences, etc.):

I work best in a quiet environment where I can truly allow myself to think deeply and uninterrupted. Although, I also find that when I am in a stressful environment I tend to block out all the noise and just zoom in on my work and thought process. I prefer it to be dark or dimly lit because I can then focus even harder with my task at hand without wnadering in thought. I prefer to be comfortable as I do work as this will only add to my production. This is all for software work because I also work in a restaurant and those conditions are completely different.

As you start this new career, what is your greatest area of improvement when it comes to your professional skills?

I hope to truly rid myself of all my fears when it comes to public speaking and asking others for help. This is vital for a succesful developer and I know that I can overcome it with time and practice. I also hope to improve on terms of procrastination and to be on time if not early for every assignment or developement.

How will developing a deeper understanding of your strengths and working preferences benefit you as a software developer?

Knowing my strengths and working preferences will allow me to know what I need to highlight for myself when it's time to get to work and stay motivated. If I don't stay conscious of these things then I will be putting myself at a disadvantage when it comes to doing the best that I can. The deeper the understanding of these concepts the more I will be able to accomplish.

Describe the vision you currently have for your career after Turing:

The vision I have for my career after Turing is extremely bright! I hope to get with a very reputable company that I'm happy to develop for. I hope to work there for several years, connecting with many new people and learning many new things. I also envision myself starting a business of my own with some of the connections that I make. I already have many visions for this business which includes software development, but I don't think this is the place to delve into all of that now. Although, I do envision my career after Turing to never get easy or to become complacent ad I must continue to grow,learn and put myself in uncomfortable situations.

camaragon/career-development-journal.md