I started at Rockit Bootcamp this week! It’s an adventure for sure! This week as part of our non-techincal training we took a strengths assessment.

I wasn’t really surprised by the results of my self-assessment results. I’ve often referred to myself as an over-achiever, so it was no surprise at all that my first strength was achiever. The personalized description of achiever fits me so well. I already knew that since I work better in the morning, I frequently like to get up early to get some work done. Each morning I make a list of things I’d like to get done to help me feel like I’ve had a productive day. My second was learner, which correlates with my education and teaching background. I’ve already caught myself “helping others” in the boot camp with the concepts that I understand well. This also means that I’m willing to put extra effort into learning what skills I think I lack. Input means that I long to know more, which follows suit with my previous two. I want opportunities to think aloud concepts and ideas. I really like brainstorming and refining ideas with other people. Relator and restorative didn’t really surprize me either. I prefer a few close relationships rather than many shallow ones. I really like thinking about and solving problems. I like to find alternative ways of solving problems.

My strengths really align well with what employers are looking for. If they want communication skills, for example, I’m good at explaining things and coming up with examples that illustrate my points. Teaching 4th and 5th grades gave me ample opportunity to practice and reinforce these skills. Problem solving skills go along with my restorative skills. This was implemented somewhat when I taught, as I had to troubleshoot lessons. The first three of my strengths correlate with the ability to teach myself, motivation, and self-starter. I frequently have read articles and researched strategies to teach and implement in my classroom. Even now that I’ve switched career paths, I’ve been working through Code Academy and Code School lessons along with RockIT.

I think my strength of restorative has probably the most downfalls in terms of communication and teamwork skills. Since I prefer close relationships, I’d probably be better working with small groups opposed to large groups. To be better able to meet employer requirements, I need to really focus on working with larger groups. The other weakness I’ll have to work on is my technical skills. I’ll need to ensure that I learn the material well enough in order to explain and communicate the ideas behind my methodologies. Knowing my strengths will help me to look for situations where I can show off and use them. It also helps me to pair myself with people who complement my strengths. Simply being aware of my strengths brings it to my mind. I’m more aware of them so I can find and use them.