The Plan!
I can't really explain why it's taken me so long to develop discipline (assuming I indeed have). I wonder if I got as far as I did with school and career because of something resembling talent, because it'd be hard to attribute my successes to persistent and dedicated effort. I couldn't say that I didn't understand how many minor applications in the same direction can yield profound results, because the world is filled with examples by great artists and scientists. Perhaps I'm just a slow student of life.
But setting that aside, I'm ready to get myself a job, because I have a Plan. This time it's going to work, I'm going to get paid, and a new and beautiful world will dawn. Still, excuse me if you've heard this before:
The Plan
RelaxationEach day should begin with due respect for the mind mysterious. I like to practice breathing meditation followed by T'ai Chi.
SkillsA programmer's gotta have the right skills, and using the skills is the best way to keep them and acquire them. This also builds my confidence, and can be fun too. (But some books from Microsoft are quite dull, bleh.)
Interview responsesWhen I was younger I assumed I could simply go talk. Perhaps I was less anxious, too, but no matter. Most interviewers will ask me some common questions, questions I can anticipate. Writing responses beforehand presents me an opportunity to take control of these daunting encounters.
Market researchUsually you've got to look for the jobs before you get one. Even when I don't need to, knowing something about their business is a great way to get a company to pay attention to me.
NetworkingThough I wouldn't want to be an inconsiderate twit about it, I could discover a great job opportunity from anybody I know. So if you know of an opening for a computer programmer, could you pretty please pass it on? Thanks!
Cover lettersI always write my own cover letters, and I can really struggle to get them right. Unlike bored individuals surfing LiveJournal, the person hiring for the job I want may not have limitless patience and compassion. So the conditions for reading cover letters compel brevity and a particular structure, but choosing the best material or how to express it can be quite challenging.
InterviewsCourse, once I've entered the interview I can only hope my preparation's good enough. Paying attention is always the key: listening well to the other person, showing appropriate manners to strangers, and showing my engagement to the conversation. People want to know that I'm there and interested in their concerns, and if all the other stars have aligned then I have a pretty good chance.
Having funPlaying Kingdom of Loathing may not directly get me a job. But while I'm writing a list of everything I'm doing so I end up with a job at the end without admitting that I'm going to be holding my PlayStation controller at some point, then I simply wouldn't be being honest with myself.
OrganizationLike my self-discipline, this is another work in progress. This could be the subject of a whole other post, though I can say I'm entertaining some new ideas. Achieving better organization would help me avoid grievious errors and bolster my self-confidence.
Going onlineI should fit the model of a good programmer in other respects too. In my mind, that would include raising my flag on the 'Net. I hope that people will find me through my postings here, and see a little better who I am. 'Publishing my findings' may even help other readers, or inspire them to contribute something useful I haven't tried.
But setting that aside, I'm ready to get myself a job, because I have a Plan. This time it's going to work, I'm going to get paid, and a new and beautiful world will dawn. Still, excuse me if you've heard this before:
The Plan
- Relax
- Warm up my skills
- Practice my responses
- Discover job leads
- Check-in with my people
- Write to prospects
- Schedule interviews
- Get a job
- Have fun
- Organize my shit
- Publish my findings
RelaxationEach day should begin with due respect for the mind mysterious. I like to practice breathing meditation followed by T'ai Chi.
SkillsA programmer's gotta have the right skills, and using the skills is the best way to keep them and acquire them. This also builds my confidence, and can be fun too. (But some books from Microsoft are quite dull, bleh.)
Interview responsesWhen I was younger I assumed I could simply go talk. Perhaps I was less anxious, too, but no matter. Most interviewers will ask me some common questions, questions I can anticipate. Writing responses beforehand presents me an opportunity to take control of these daunting encounters.
Market researchUsually you've got to look for the jobs before you get one. Even when I don't need to, knowing something about their business is a great way to get a company to pay attention to me.
NetworkingThough I wouldn't want to be an inconsiderate twit about it, I could discover a great job opportunity from anybody I know. So if you know of an opening for a computer programmer, could you pretty please pass it on? Thanks!
Cover lettersI always write my own cover letters, and I can really struggle to get them right. Unlike bored individuals surfing LiveJournal, the person hiring for the job I want may not have limitless patience and compassion. So the conditions for reading cover letters compel brevity and a particular structure, but choosing the best material or how to express it can be quite challenging.
InterviewsCourse, once I've entered the interview I can only hope my preparation's good enough. Paying attention is always the key: listening well to the other person, showing appropriate manners to strangers, and showing my engagement to the conversation. People want to know that I'm there and interested in their concerns, and if all the other stars have aligned then I have a pretty good chance.
Having funPlaying Kingdom of Loathing may not directly get me a job. But while I'm writing a list of everything I'm doing so I end up with a job at the end without admitting that I'm going to be holding my PlayStation controller at some point, then I simply wouldn't be being honest with myself.
OrganizationLike my self-discipline, this is another work in progress. This could be the subject of a whole other post, though I can say I'm entertaining some new ideas. Achieving better organization would help me avoid grievious errors and bolster my self-confidence.
Going onlineI should fit the model of a good programmer in other respects too. In my mind, that would include raising my flag on the 'Net. I hope that people will find me through my postings here, and see a little better who I am. 'Publishing my findings' may even help other readers, or inspire them to contribute something useful I haven't tried.