What motivates me to learn new skills and take on the challenge of going back to school to further my education?
I am a junior developer. My motivation to learn design skills comes from two parts. First is my personal interest in front-end development. I have a strong desire to complement my coding skills with design skills so I can be a good designer who is capable of implement her design thinking or a good programmer who has excellent taste for design and thorough understanding of clients’ needs both practically and aesthetically. Second is to increase my competitiveness. Many companies often find themselves looking for either programmer or designer, but individuals who possess both set of skills are rare. I aspire to become such a professional and it would be my niche in the market.
Speak about a time I overcame a major challenge.
I consider a career change from translator/interpreter to developer is a major change in my life. The most difficult part is not going through the transition itself, but make a decision to do so. My main concern was whether transitioning into a tech world was worthwhile and if I was going to make it, along with the educational costs, opportunity costs and some reluctance to abandon my old profession. I had been wrestling with the thought for nearly 6 months before I went all in. During that 6 months, I researched the difficulties to become a programmer from liberal arts background, different directions I could take, a programmer's daily job and whether I would like it and continue to do it etc.. At the end I convinced myself that a career transition was not as scary as it sounded and I had connected myself with multiple resources to help me. I think eventually what helped me overcome the fear was step by step analysis and research.
Speak about one thing I am particularly proud of from my career?
One thing I am proud of my interpreter life is to interpret for two city councillors in a live event with participants from all walks of life. I knew little what the councillors wanted to speak about beforehand, but I managed to prepare myself for all kinds of scenarios. On the day of event, standing on the stage beside a councillor and conveying her message to the crowd was as intimidating as it sounds, but I became so excited that I forgot my nerves. Councillors’ message was accurately delivered, along with their passionate tone. I am extremely proud that Chinese audience (my target audience) reacted strongly to my interpretation. They were touched, thankful and of course amused for several times. That was my best interpretation experience.
