Identifying Strengths And Weaknesses Education Essay

This aim of this portfolio is to illustrate and reflect my personality, skills, and experience. Moreover, different personal assessments and analysis will be included to discover my weakness and strengths, suitable ways for learning styles and future career. After that, the action plan and some factors that could improve or stop my achievements will be included.

About Me

This section of portfolio demonstrates my skills, experiences, knowledge and mental model during my life. It gives briefly various activities and interesting topics that affected my decision about future job.

Experience

The majority of my experience is about computer networks and maintenance, because it is my interesting topics. I was interested in computer when I was 15 years old, before I graduate from intermediate school. I founded myself tended to computer subjects, lectures and labs. After I graduated from secondary school, I joined King Saudi University in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) in Computer Engineering Department. I learnt different computer networks, logic, maintenance and few of electricity subjects. My graduation project is about speech recognition, which consider as part of computer signalling.

After I graduate from university in second term 2004, I started searching for a career. I searched for a job that could give me the chance to improve my skills and experience in my major. After a few months, I joined College of Telecommunication and Electronics in Jeddah as a lecturer. Through many years of teaching computer networks and maintenance, I have gained good experience from my colleagues and my searches for new technologies and information. Later on, I joined Cisco Networking Academy Program and got several different certifications such as CCNA1 (Cisco Certified Network Associate, CCNA2, IT1 (Information Technology) and IT2. As a result of that, I became the Legal Main Contact of the academy inside the college. Meanwhile, six months of hard work the college transferred from local to regional academy, which mean becoming as supervisor of the other local academies in the same region.

Mental Model

To understand my personality type, I have examined myself through an online website (Personality type.com)(Appendix 1 ) , which illustrates my type as ISTP. This type has various strengths such as self-confidence and respect what the others need. On the other hand, it has some weaknesses such as becomes insensitive with others feeling and trend to be alone (davenevins.com). Additionally, I have test my personal traits via signalpatterns.com , which gave me various positive traits like cautious and responsible (Appendix 2).

Skills

Since I was in undergraduate, I was keen to learn new skills, especially in my major. After I got the job, my ambition increased to gain extra new skills. During my career (from 2004 until now), I was improving my knowledge about networking and related topics. As a result of working in department laboratories as a part of teaching, I gained various practical skills in the field of computer maintenance and network implementation. I have chosen by the head of the computer department to improve the way of registering students’ schedules in college system, and transfer it from manual to automatic. At that time, I was responsible of coordinated with different department in the college and listening to different ideas from instructors. That experience improved my perception about solving problems and sharing my ideas with others.

One of the positive points that I was proud every year, I schedule learning plan and encouraging myself to achieve the goals. The result of that, I got several certificates such as Cisco certificates (CCNA and IT). As a consequence of all above-mentioned about skills and certificates, I got the chance to continue my higher education (Master Degree) in the field of Network System Engineering at Plymouth University. Additionally, I had to accomplish an IELTS test as a condition to join the university, which gave me another chance to improve my English language.

Knowledge

After several years of studying computer engineering and networks, I have a good knowledge about the basics of computer programming, computer database and architecture as well as the basics of electronics. In addition, I have deep knowledge in computer networks and maintenance, Information technology support and help desk. Moreover, when I was in the English language year in Plymouth city, my English language was improving day after day, which gave me more opportunity to read more about my major especially networking.

Personal audit and Assessments

This section of the portfolio will illustrate my strength and weakness points through various tests. Every single test will show my personality from different side. The benefits from tests results are enhance the strength points and improve the weakness point as possible as I can.

Methodology

I have tested myself in specific criteria such as time and stress management by using questionnaires from FTGS 501 module booklet and various web sites that provide these assessments.

Audit and Assessments

Stress

I have tested myself through a BBC website questionnaire (Appendix 3) that shows my stress level was moderate (8/18). Additionally, the test gave me a medium level of problem solving and ruminating that could improve my stress level in case of improving them.

Time Management

To test myself in factor I used University of Arkansas time management Quiz (Appendix 4), which illustrated may I have a plan however, I do sometimes things that sidetracked.

3.2.3 Skills

I have examined my skills through ‘Academic and Key Transferable Skills Development Self Audit’ from FTGS 501 module booklet material (Appendix 5).

3.2.4 Creativity

I used Creativity Self-Assessment Questionary Form from CREAX website, which shows my creativity result equal 55.87 while the typical result is 62.46. In addition, I have good ability in abstraction, perspective and complexity, while little ability in boldness (Appendix 6).

3.2.5 Learning Style and Preference

I used online assessment for knowing my learning style. This assessment available on the Accelerated Learning website (acceleratedlearning.com) (Appendix 7) that demonstrates I learn from mathematical methods and logical more than musical and naturalistic methods. In addition, I am trying to learn from my mistakes in order to avoid falling again. Moreover, I have tested my learning style from vark-learn.com website on the internet, which explained I have ‘a mild kinesthetic learning preference’ (Appendix 8).

Assertiveness

I have done the Assertiveness test from queendom.com site (Appendix 9). My result was 38 out of 100, which illustrates my strengths as not an aggressive person. Generally, feeling about my desires is very important as others desires. I am not assertive person and I found some difficulty being assertive person once I deal with special people. In many cases I avoid being in a vulnerable position.

Career Management Skills

I have chosen the career management assessment from FTGS 501 module booklet material. The assessment has different parts starting from where am I? until reaching my goals and keep improving my career skills. After I finished the assessment, I have quiet clear idea about my poor or good career skills. This idea will help me to create my action plan well (Appendix 10).

CV

I have written various C.Vs during my life, but the C.V in the Appendix is one of the best I have written in English language. It has more details about my education and skills (Appendix 11).

Identifying strengths and weaknesses

According to my previous assessments, quizzes and questionnaire, I can identify my strengths and weaknesses in various areas. Additionally, these information will help me to design my action plan.

Weakness

Stress: I need hard work to avoid myself the stress that become an obstacle in my life.

Assertiveness: I am not assertive person and I found some difficulty being assertive person. However, I would like to improve it to face my problems in good manner.

Career management: I need to improve my skills in various methods that help me to solve problems.

Communication with people: I have a special way to communicate with my family and special friend. On the other hand, I found some difficulty to communicate with non-known people.

Boldness: I need more practise in this field.

Strengths

Time Management: I need to improve some of my work plans to be good as others.

Learning from my and other mistakes: when I learn from my and other’s mistakes, the proportion falling into the same mistakes will be reducing.

Creativity: I have a good level of creativity that could lead me to do amazing work in my career.

Career management: I have a good experience to identify my career situation and set my future goals clearly.

Teamwork: I have good skills when I work with a group. I share my ideas and cooperative.

5. Conclusion

This portfolio contains important details about myself. I learnt various things such as my strengths and weaknesses that I could not know before. Moreover, creating an action plan and make specific goals is improving my knowledge about who to deal with my weaknesses and goals in the right method.

I have learnt different useful material that will help me in the future such as: building a good C.V and discovering myself through different assessments.