Blog | Eq Hong

What are three new things you have learnt about yourself and your ego due to the core learning?

Asking for help seems to give me some sort of anxiety. This has been informative around my past learned habits and to realising that I don't have to do everything on my own, it's fine to ask for help.
I struggle to speak openly my personal strengths. Learning about impostor syndrome has been helpful and also to turn feelings into gratitude, to look at what has been accomplished and be gratefulf for achievements.
As with my above two points, I've become more aware that when outwardly speaking about myself it's often focused towards what I struggle with or is self-deprecating. Googling 'self-deprecating' led me onto 'excessive modesty': “a self-defense mechanism of people who want others to hold lower expectations for them.” I feel I can use this as a springboard to understand myself further.

What are the role of values, empathy, and self-awareness in learning and programming?

What I've taken on-board so far: the role of values, empathy, and self-awareness in learning and programming is to grow, develop and have a positive influence on yourself and the people around you.

Role of values (for an individual):

Values reflect what is important to us.
Values guide our beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and expectations.
A values-based education puts an equal emphasis on personal and social development in relation to acquiring and processing knowledge and skills.
Understanding personal values helps people to develop personal and interpersonal capacity.
Realisation of values is crucial for the growth and existence of a person's sense of self (self-awareness).
Clarity about your values help creates a strong foundation for your life by providing a basis for decision-making and identifying actions which lead to happiness.

References
valuesbasededucation.com | How Does VbE Work?
sprigghr.com | The Importance of Values in the Workplace
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov | The Role of Personal Values in Learning Approaches and Student Achievements

Role of empathy:

Empathy is to have a sense and awareness of what another is experiencing, ie. the capacity to place oneself in another's position.
Empathy is important to help us understand how others are feeling and so we can respond appropriately to the situation.
Empathy improves our capacity to communicate well with others and is essential for developing good relationships and resolving conflict.
Empathy is the foundation for many critical-thinking dispositions, also referred to as ‘intellectual virtues'.
Eg. “A critical thinker should be open to the ideas of others. This requires empathy, even to those who do not share your opinion. [Critical thinking] also requires you to be charitable when you evaluate other people's arguments. Again, this requires having enough empathy to not distort what other people are arguing, just as you would not want them to distort what you are saying.” - Jonathan Haber

References
wellbeingpeople.com | What is empathy and why is it good for us?
quora.com | Why is empathy important in critical thinking?

Role of self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to focus on your self - one's emotions, thoughts, behaviors, values, preferences, goals, strengths, challenges, attitudes, mindsets, and so forth - and how these elements impact behavior and choices across contexts.
Being self-aware also includes thinking about how we treat others with empathy, and being aware of how others perceive us.
The Eurich group's research into the nature of self-awareness:
When we look inward, we can clarify our values, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses. We are able to recognize the effect that we have on others. Eurich's research finds that people with self-awareness are happier and have better relationships. They also experience a sense of personal and social control as well as higher job satisfaction.
When we look outward, we understand how people view us. People who are aware of how people see them are more likely to be empathetic to people with different perspectives. Leaders whose self-perception matches others' perceptions are more likely to empower, include, and recognize others.
Self-awareness is closely tied to self-management, which is the ability to navigate and shift in a healthy way one's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in order to make decisions and reach goals that benefit oneself and others.

References
betterup.com | What is self-awareness and why is it important?
hbr.org | What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It)
ggie.berkeley.edu | SEL for Students: Self-Awareness and Self-Management

What has surprised you the most about the core learning?

I don't think I felt surprise over core learning, I feel like I've been exposed to most of what's been discussed but hadn't put time aside to study or look into it in detail.

What were the most challenging aspects of the core learning?

A challenging aspect to me was how much I struggle to enjoy meditation, I start thinking about all sorts that I wasn't necessarily thinking about in the first place. I start stressing out rather than relaxing and being present. I think part of it will be learning and practicing to clear my mind.

Why do you think we, a programming school, are spending so much time focusing on core learning in a web development Bootcamp course?

Core learning and soft skills are important for understanding yourself in the context of others. Dev academy makes reference that it's a critical skill to have for a successful career as employers aren't looking for the person with the most outstanding code, they're looking for exceptional people who will enhance the culture of their team and are good to collaborate with. The school spends time focusing on core learning as the industry has expressed a need for graduates who work well in teams and communicate well.

Does the time you spent studying core learning here feel like a waste of time? Should you have just used that time to practise programming instead? Justify your answer.