Questions extracted from The Simple Programmer Soft Skills Quiz
I've highlighted in red those questions that I didn't answer "yes" to when I read the quiz to myself.
- I have a clearly defined goal for my career.
- I call this a professional mission statement. Here's mine:
- Through servant leadership elevate to a higher standard of quality and productivity all professionals I come into contact with.
- I always seem to get along with my co-workersand clients, even when we don’t agree.
- I've been called "diplomatic" in the past. I think inter-relatedness is one of the most important things we have in our careers on teams.
- I feel confident in my ability to interviewfor a job, ask for a raise, and negotiate a job offer.
- I've gotten several raises. I've nailed many job interviews. And I've always turned down the first offer when it's not good enough.
- I act like a professional instead of an amateur.
- I always prepare well stated communications that are succinct and courteous
- I’m not religious about technology. I pick the best tool for the job, not the one I like the most.
- I already wrote a blog post about this one: Which Programming Language Should I Learn?
- I’ve made an active choice to be where I am. I didn’t just take the first job or opportunity that presented itself to me.
- I've turned down interviews and job offers that didn't fit me. And I'm proud of doing so.
- I have a clearly defined specialty that differentiates me.
- I'm a programmer that knows how to talk about ROI, EBITDA, Diminishing Returns, Balance Sheets, and organizational behavior. And I don't work for an accounting software company. I'd say that's pretty niched down, but I'm always looking for ways to tighten it further.
- I have my own personal brand.
- (Looks at the top of the screen)... I have a branded website which...
- I have created my own blog and post regularly.
- ... Happens to be a blog I post to at minimum once a week
- I’m not afraid to look like an idiot.
- I've been down-voted on StackOverflow.com. And I'm sure that's not the only time I've ever been ridiculously, blatantly wrong.
- I’m constantly learning new things and expanding my skills.
- I triple majored. Learning is in my blood.
- I don’t need a teacher, I know how to teach myself.
- I like getting my hands dirty and figuring out how to get stuff to do what I need it to do. Sometimes that stuff is mechanical. Other times it's humans interacting with humans. but I'm always working on it.
- I’m sharing what I learn with others and mentoring them.
- I host brown bag lunches at my office once a week. It's fun
- I am seeking out the help of mentors who can coach me or give me valuable insights from their experience.
- I really like what John Sonmez teaches (which is why I'm answering his quiz so thoroughly). I also wrote about this, too: Who do You Look Up To?
- I’m teachable. When I’m wrong I admit it and seek to improve rather than justify my actions.
- I like to surround myself with people smarter than I am. And I like them to show me when I have growing to do.
- I know how to focus on the task at hand and how to avoid distractions.
- I just re-started using Pomodoro, but I've never had an issue putting in my headphones and telling people to leave me alone. I shut off my email, turn off my IM, etc.
- I accomplish what needs to be done before it needs to be done. I don’t procrastinate.
- I'm not great at taking out the trash at home. Otherwise, I get things done before people even realize they need doing.
- I manage my time effectively. I use a daily and weekly planning system.
- Working on it, but I'm not really great at this yet.
- I’ve developed regular good habits that keep me going, even when I’m not motivated.
- Really this is more about what I don't do. I don't watch hours of TV. I don't play video games. I do have a routine at night that I (generally) stick to.
- I take action and make decisions instead of always second guessing myself.
- I started this blog. I always follow my instincts. And I'm not always right about things.
- I understand how markets work and economies function.
- Ask me to talk to you about economies of scale, the free rider problem, and the invisible hand some time.
- I’ve educated myself on various investment choices and understand how to make my money work for me.
- 401K - Yep
- IRA - Yep
- Free standing investments - Yep
- Diversification - Yep
- I have a definite retirement plan that does not rely on luck.
- See above
- I am out of debt or I am on a clear path to get out of debt in a short timeframe.
- Consumer debt is a 4 letter word in my house.
- I understand the basics of good nutrition and health.
- Understand, yes, absolutely. Less than a decade ago I was in amazingly good health. I don't always follow through now, though... not really.
- I have some sort of a regular exercise routine that I stick to each week.
- I have a plan to start doing this again, and have moved in the direction of doing so. However, it's not habitual yet
- I have a healthy and planned diet that I mostly stick to.
- See my answer that pretty much matches above, but with my diet
- I have clear fitness and health goals and know how to achieve them.
- I'm slightly (but not dangerously) overweight - and I know what foods I have to eat and what exercises to begin to reverse the trend. I've been healthy in the past, and know how to get back there
- I understand the connection between my mind and my body and how I can use my mind to make a positive impact on my life.
- I've fought significant depression in the past, and won. I know how important physical and emotional empowerment are in every aspect of life.
- I am empowered. I believe that I control my life through the decisions I make, not the circumstances that fate throws at me.
- Actually, this one threw me off. I'm a devoted Christian that firmly believes I have a higher purpose as a servant leader with my peers and my community. I don't believe in predestination, but I do believe in God's will.
- I have the right mental attitude and I believe in myself and my ability to achieve anything I set my mind to.
- I regularly succeed. I regularly fail. And I always learn.
- I’m not afraid of failure. I embrace failure because I know it leads me to success.
- See above
- I master my emotions; my emotions don’t master me.
- I wrote about this on my blog already, too: How Do I Deal With Major Mistakes?
So, what do you all think? Leave me a comment to let me know if you think I answered this quiz honestly. I know that these kinds of things are critical for a career to thrive - so I want to make sure I'm being accountable for them.
