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?
I have been late in getting my habit tracker going and struggled to narrow down to what can seem reasonable for applying it. I know one of the areas I need to continue focusing to work is on being more deliberate with my time - intentional and unswayed, rather than reactive - but I also need to work on being more realistic about what I am trying to do and breaking things down to be more managable. I've had a pattern of setting myself up to feel like a failure because I can't seem to complete what I want to / think I should (in a program which is set up for completion of things to be largely unattainable). This is destructive rather than constructive and continuously pulls me backward to play catch up when I hardly have the time to do what I'm supposed to moving forward.
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?).
I feel the most engaged with my work at Turing when I get through a lesson feeling that I have kept up and know what to do with the information moving forward.
- Stop looking backwards and trying to play catch up.
- Preteach the lessons further in advance and take the deeper notes I want to then, so I can supplement rather than build them during the classtime.
- This will also free my mental space for more actively listening to the discussions during class and formulating questions to be asked sooner.
- Prioritize getting plenty of sleep so that I can be fully present and absorb the lesson as well as possible.
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?).
I feel energized when I am able to help someone else find some clarity or better understanding on a concept.
- (Get myself in order)
- Be available and actively engage when others have questions
- OR ask questions to clarify something said
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 find flow when I am able to focus on the initial set up of a project (this feels like an area of some strength right now).
- Review and highlight spec, note important milestones
- Set up milestones, then a project board to manage the work to reach each one.
- Set up PR and issues templates (using GH).
- Think through the process a user would want come to this app for, develop user stories.
- Create issues to guide progress through anticipated features and necessary user interactions.
- Revisit issues often to update with questions/comments/thought processes that arise around the respective feature during the project lifetime, making sure these are connected to the correct milestones and that the project board is kept up-to-date
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? I don't love that it feels like my strength is in the project planning - I'm not aspiring to become a project manager. I recognize that the ability to organize the project set up well is valuable too, but want to find ways to more confidently translate this to the actual data architecture and coding practice.
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 How would this outreach help you further your job search strategy? 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? How will you find them? How do you know they’re the right person? How will you reach out? What questions do you need to ask them? How will you use this information to further your solution? How will you follow up? Execute your plan:
I want to connect with Hannah Kim (a new graduate) about her process for prioritizing personal values in the job search and how to seek companies which align with that drive to use these skills for a greater good. I noted this intention after something she said during her gear up presentation, and met to pair with her for an unrelated mock final assessment. I've mentioned then that I want to follow up with her to discuss the job search piece, but needed to table that discussion at the time. I will follow up with her in a slack DM to set a coffee chat around focused on her search and those strategies.
I need to reconnect with Kristin Squibbs, a senior developer at ALteryx who I met through a friend. As someone with much greater experience in the field, I want to ask for suggestions on what she might consider either red flags or good points to look out for as a new developer entering the industry now. Additionally, what changes in the industry she may have sensed or be able to anticipate and share.
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.