Identity, Values, and Strengths

September 5, 2023


Some of My Strengths

Some of My Weaknesses

I think my values align with these strengths and weaknesses, so to some degree, I value things in life that complement my skills. Maybe that's a bit egotistical? For example, I am a firm believer in facts and science as a basis for evidence, aside from anecdotal or personal instinct. This can be seen in my primary strength as 'Judgment' and my primary weakness, 'Spirituality.' I also value honesty (which makes sense when one of my weaknesses is self-regulation) and general happiness.

I can be a bit careless at times! A simple example of how this comes out is a lack of filtering what I am saying when I am talking. I recognize this as one of my larger weaknesses, and it is clear that it is an issue due to some of my weaknesses in the character profile labeled as "Prudence" and "Self-Regulation."

Another weakness from my profile is "Bravery." I am the opposite of argumentative (unless it's over texts lol). During conflict, I find it a lot easier and simpler to defuse a situation rather than try to solve it. This often means I find myself apologizing or accepting an apology very easily, even when it might not be due. A large part of this conflict diffusal, I think, probably also comes from finding it difficult to articulate my emotions and communicate how I feel about something. The general way it goes in my head is that I can't stand up for myself easily, so I might as well let the other person win. I also feel like often it's better overall if I don't respond in defense to what someone is saying as a way to keep things easy with them.

Explain a Situation Where You Have Made an Ethical Decision. Discuss How You Weighed Up the Values Involved in That Decision, the Decision You Made, and How You Reflect on the Decision Now.

A while ago when I had recently started a position at a cafe, I had spent the entire night out with friends for a birthday. I received a call that morning from the cafe asking if I could come in because they had had a couple of people call in sick. Despite the fact that I hadn't actually slept that night and I hadn't been rostered on to work, I decided to come in, partly to help relieve the stress there, but also to show my commitment to the role I had just started. In this situation, I was obviously valuing commitment to the cafe over my own well-being for the day.

Describe How Your Culture and the People Around You Have Influenced Your Values and Identity.

I think my objective view and judgment of things have been influenced by my parents and how they operate. My mom works in Health Management, and my Dad in Education and Media at Otago University, Wellington. Both departments where they work make heavy use of statistics and science as ways of making life better for people. This scientific approach to life is something that I have probably inherited unconsciously in the way I do things as well.

Identify Your Strengths and How They Will Support You During Your Learning Journey.

'Love of Learning' is obviously a very convenient skill to have when learning something. For programming specifically, I think being able to 'Judge' a problem objectively can make it easier to solve. Teamwork was also a member that was high up on my list of strengths.

Evaluate Your Limitations in Terms of Your Learning and Career Development. How Might These Affect Your Learning Journey?

Self-regulation and Prudence can sometimes make it difficult for some people to work with me. Offending someone by accident or saying something out of pocket can obviously be jarring to people, and I do my best to avoid these situations, but they still seem to happen every once in a while.

Share an Example of When You Were Trying to Work Productively With Others, But There Was Resistance or Tension

Currently, I am developing (programming) a computer game on the side with a friend of mine (creating game art). A slight tension we have is that he can be quite inconsistent with when he works on the game. Obviously, working on the game is fully voluntary, but it makes it difficult for me when I'm trying to plan around when his assets will be finished. It's a bit personal, but the best thing we have that makes working on the project easier is communication. Every day we are updating each other with what work we have done, what we will be doing, and how much time we will spend on the project in the next while. This communication between us is obviously vital, but for this tension specifically, it allows us to get a clear expectation of what work on the game will be done when.