What is your long term goal or career pathway?
My long-term goal has always been to establish myself within the design industry. Graduating and subsequently applying for different roles always felt promising, but after a sea of rejection letters, I felt I had more to learn. Taking a hiatus from the mental Kilimanjaro that is Seek.co.nz, I decided to just work in customer service roles and find opportunities within different organizations internally, surprisingly I realised there aren’t many opportunities for traditional print-based designers like myself, which led to the second realisation, I needed to continue learning. The design industry has changed a lot since I graduated and if I am to be a desirable candidate, I need a better and more sought-after skillset, which naturally led me to Dev Academy.
Post Sprint 5
My long-term goal is relatively unchanged; I want to be part of more creative projects and work with different design agencies as a junior developer. Immediately after leaving Dev Academy, I hope to build a website showcasing my current portfolio and the short films I make with a group of friends. I want a stable career that keeps me challenged and allows for collaboration.
A description of your strengths and limitations when it comes to learning.
I feel one of my biggest strengths throughout my life has been my willingness to try and learn something new. Additionally, I really thrive in high-pressure situations when things get difficult that’s when I shine. My biggest limitation has been my own self-criticism, I place a lot of pressure on myself to get things right, to chase after perfection. This has on multiple occasions burnt me out. Self-directed learning has been tough so far, I really value an element of human connection when it comes to learning new ideas and concepts.
Post Sprint 5
Foundations have tested me at specific points and I have had to develop more patience with myself. While it hasn’t been strictly stressful, some of the stuff we have learnt has been difficult to grasp, which requires me to further my knowledge of them. I think this will be something I will have to get better at as we progress through Bootcamp.
What skills (non-technical core/human skills) would you like to see developed in yourself while at Dev Academy?
A more sustainable way of self-directed learning. Some of the concepts so far have been tough to grasp, I do feel as though I have learned a few things but not nearly as much as I feel I should have. This is the main skill I want to develop throughout this course.
Post Sprint 5
I want to continue improving upon my self-directed learning ability and learn to collaborate remotely on projects with students. I am comfortable working with others but more in an in-person context. I hope this may evolve further in the coming weeks of Bootcamp.
An explanation of how you will manage yourself to work productively and safely with other learners, Facilitators and industry/community representatives.
During my free time, a group of friends and I develop, write, and shoot short films. This has given me opportunities to work with an array of different personalities, which on many occasions has not been easy. The best way I have found to manage myself is to periodically take a step back and assess how I am behaving and what effect that is having on my peers. If people are struggling, I try to help or lend an ear so they may be able to vent some frustrations, or just provide a temporary distraction to alleviate tension.
What you will do when things are building up and starting to get to you?
The best way I have been able to manage my stress has been to take an hour every day for myself. Mainly in the evenings, I grab my hand wraps, and boxing gloves, get in the car and head to the gym, to one take my mind of whatever it is that’s causing the stress and to relieve that stress in a safe way. Or I go for a nice long walk around my neighbourhood with my dog and just breathe and prioritise the tasks I need to complete.
A commitment as to how and where you will seek help in a timely way.
If I don’t understand something, have done a little research, watched a few videos and tried to troubleshoot the issue and am still not able to find a solution, I will then reach out to get a better understanding. Alternatively, if I can see someone is able to do something I am struggling with I will reach out directly and see how they come up with the solution or how they approached the problem.
A description of what you expect from the Facilitation team
Patience, I know there will be a lot of instances where I don’t understand certain, things I will ask quite a few questions so I can get a better understanding. This will happen on multiple occasions I just have a feeling.
Any scheduling information such as block-out times when you are committed to other things. For example, you might have whānau commitments like school drop-offs. It's important to plan these in.
My family is quite understanding of my current schedule and understands that I will be less able to help. I will at specific points spend time with them and help where I can. Other than taking an hour a day for myself I won’t really have any other commitments; I have tried to keep my schedule as open for learning as possible.
What are your expectations from the Bootcamp team?
Along with patience, I hope there are plenty more opportunities to discuss concepts beyond just an introduction, such as how to further our understanding. More peer review opportunities so we can improve upon our learnings and projects.
What are your expectations of yourself on Bootcamp?
To learn collaboratively and seek improvement and knowledge. Managing my workload, taking each new challenge head-on, and keeping calm when things get tough. Communicate when things get stressful, and be honest when I do not understand things. Take time to research concepts I am unfamiliar with.