Q: What is your greatest strength and how do you know?
A: I think my greatest strength is my ability to self-assess and continue to grow. The pairin survey helped solidify these thoughts and provided information on how to continue to grow in this areas. In my previous company, I started as a regular server with little experience. From there, I was able to get into management a few years later, and eventually became an Assistant IT Director at their corporate location. I think through all of that, my biggest asset was my ability to contintually question myself, and my work habits. This allowed to grow and realign within the company, to work positions that I had not previously thought I was capable of. I think a continued focus on learning every facet of the company and how it worked allowed me to continue gaining more responsibility. I plan to keep this mindset through my stay at Turing and in my next professional venture.
Q: How do you work best?
A: I believe that I am very adaptable, and can plan to work well in any environment. I do like to work through problems via trial and error, but also be a supportive team player. I think that I work best when under pressure, which can sometimes be a double-edged sword. I think working under pressure allows me to be my most creative, however it inhibits my ability to be practive at times. I take most pride in being adaptable given time to gain my bearings, but my ability to work under pressure is what keeps me most motivated.
Q: What is your greatest area of improvement?
A: I believe my greatest area for improvement would be my proactiveness. I sometimes need external nudges, and should be able to be more proactive on my own. I think that constantly keeping myself 1-2 weeks ahead of the game, will allow me to always feel like I'm under enough pressure to stay ahead. I often times can fall into bad habits or get lazy after receiving a pat on the back for a job well done, which can be counterproductive to my growth as a develepor.
Q: How do you hope to maximize your strengths for your new career in software development?
A: Continuing to focus on being a good example, working well with others, and continuing to feed my curiosity and imagitiveness with problem solving. The way I can maximize this is to always keep an open mind. Working with smart people means that there will always be an idea or practice that I am not privy to. I think that becoming a sponge for new ideas will be helpful to growing a career within software development.
Q: How might knowing about your strengths and working preferences benefit you as a software developer?
A: Understanding strengths and weaknesses will help me more vigilant when experiencing them. Taking my shortcomings as growth opportunities will allow me to repurpose that mental energy into a more positive light. It's always important to lean in on your strengths, all the while understanding that no one is perfect at everything. With that in mind, it's also important to recognize the strengths in other people so that everyone can shine together. Me personally, I'm comfortable working alone or leading a team. However, collaborating is a big part of being a software develepor. Leaving my ego at the door and taking in and truly understanding what other people bring to the table will allow me to continue to grow as a software develepor.