Build on your professional story by thinking about how you're progressing at Turing. Answer the questions below in your own gist to use your StrengthsFinder themes to add to your story:
- Look at your initial StrengthsFinder reflection that you completed in week 1 -- how have your perceptions of the top 5 themes stayed the same? How have they changed?
To be honest, my perception of them has not changed much. This is mostly because I consider myself to be very much all 5 of my StrengthsFinder themes. I would like to point to one, though, that I wrote about in the first week: Achiever. It has become obvious that I am indeed an achiever and have probably gotten more so in the last year or so. One thing still remains the same though, described in this quote, "First, it’s good because you live in pursuit of the perpetual challenge. But in the second place, you never feel as though you’ve reached your goal. It can keep you running uphill at seventy miles an hour for your whole life. You never rest because there’s always more to do." I'm always running uphill, but I know how to take the time to rest (maybe not in my head sometimes). Once my head gets into a space, it's hard for me to to get out before finishing the thought process. I have seen this countless times during the 5 weeks here at Turing and I doubt that it will be something that changes that drastically. That said, it is something I've been trying to work on. In terms of the other themes, I have only realized each of them more being in a slightly more intensive program than what I'm used to. For instance, analytical has become much more apparent in my learning. I now can see that it's something I have to focus on actually holding back at times.
- How are you different today than when you first started at Turing? How are you stronger now than on day 1? How have you struggled?
When I first started, I was nervous. I am the complete opposite today. I think that the last 5 weeks only affirmed my newfound excitement and joy of web development. The worry of not actually liking what I was about to get myself into was definitely at the top of my mind. Now, it's near the bottom and I can focus on other things. From this, I have been able to just simply enjoy the process of learning this stuff and thus, it has made me a stronger person here at Turing. I also feel like my work habits have improved slightly. Not to say they were bad, but I hadn't been in school for a few years and I definitely had to kick myself back into shape. I would say that my only struggle this module has been with the pace of my thought process. I've basically been told by everyone who's worked with me on a project/assessment/etc... that I need to slow down and collect my thoughts before writing anything. It has definitely been a struggle, but I've been working on it and I do believe that it's getting better.
- Considering how you describe these themes, how do you want others to see you as you continue to progress through Turing?
I would like my teachers and fellow students to see my analytical side as inquisitve rather than skeptical. This was something I pointed out from my StrengthsFinder assessment that resonated with me. It stated "You may remain skeptical until you see solid proof. Your skepticism ensures validity, but others may take it personally. Help others realize that your skepticism is primarily about data, not people. Help others understand that your analytical approach will often require data and other information to logically back up new ideas that they might suggest. More than a few times, during a lecture, I asked something that questioned what the teacher said. Not in doubting the teacher, but rather prying a little deeper into the subject, looking at edge cases and such. I could definintely feel a tone of distrust from fellow students and the teacher. This only comes from misunderstanding of my questions and intentions. So in the future, as I progress through Turing, I want to work on how I ask those questions, but also hope that others will not take this personally.
- Even though your Turing story isn't finished yet, what do you envision for your development in future mods? How will this story end?
I see one, and only one, ending for this story. I see finishing more excited about coding than when I started. Obviously, I want to end with a success. With new friends. With new skills. And with confidence to go out into the world and kill it. But mostly, I envision that my development will only be rocketed forward from my own excitement. Previously, all of the jobs I've had have gotten dry and stale after a very short period. So far, coding doesn't seem like it will ever be like that. Or maybe it will. The ending that I envision does not have that though. Stepping back a bit, I also envision that in future mods, I'll step into my own a bit more and find my niche. I have a hunch as to what it is, but I'm looking forward to really finding it in the next mods. I also hope to work on that analytical stuff I talked about earlier. To go from thought to code with more efficiency and effectiveness.
- Finally, write a draft of your story here. This is a short paragraph, 4-6 sentences, describing who you are, why you came to Turing, and what you hope to accomplish while you're here:
My name is David Becker. Some of my friends say I'm a bit like a Renaissance Man. I've had numerous serious hobbies, travelled around the world, and packed in double the amount to my life of 25 years. At this period in my life, Front-End Development takes my focus, and it seems to be staying for a long while. Before attending Turing, I went through a few phases: professional musician, rock climber, and Architectural Technician. Although I still play a lot of music and rock climb whenever I get the chance, none of those things presented themselves as a career worth pursuing. Once I finally tried coding, I immediately knew this was right; it was a career that would challenge my intellect and keep me on my toes, while still being able to use my creativity. While at Turing, I hope to accomplish many things. The most important: to become a competent developer, who is confident in tackling any challenge thrown at him.