2018 Goals
I have been reading some excellent posts recently about Goals for 2018 that people have been making. I have goals set for me at work but it’s a great idea for me to set goals for myself here in public. If they are public I can hold myself accountable to be completed.
2017 Reflection
First a recap of 2017. It was quite a year for me! I feel I really got involved in the IT community through various avenues. The first was this blog. I started this as a just another IT blog out there amongst many others that are truly excellent. I thought one post a month would be good but I managed 34 in the year. That was helped by participation in Blogtober.
The image above is from Google Analytics. I only have from July onwards when I migrated to GitHub and added analytics to the site.
I wrote a series of posts on Terraform that were very popular. It led to be presenting a vBrownBag session. If you had asked me at the beginning of 2017 I would have been doing that I would have laughed my ass off.
Another highlight was applying for vExpert and being awarded it in August. It was a massive honour for me and has been one of my best achievements for 2017.
The last thing I really enjoyed in 2017 was participating in the Scottish VMUG. I really learned a lot at the two meetings and met some great people. In the past I would not speak to anyone and go straight home right after. This year I actively participated in sessions and actually talked to people at the vBeers. I really enjoyed talking to other IT folks and hearing the challenges and things they are working on.
2018 Goals
I have a number of goals I want to meet in 2018. This is the first time I have written them down instead of just ideas in my head. I want to provide quarterly updates on them in the blog as this will motivate me to get them done.
- Obtain VCAP6-DCV Deploy. I failed this exam in November and know I can pass it in 2018. I just need to schedule the exam
- Stretch goal of obtaining VCAP6-DCV Design by end of 2018
- 20 blog posts in the year. This should be pretty straightforward
- Present at the Scottish VMUG. I have a couple of ideas on topics people might find useful. As part of this increase my participation at the VMUG. Can’t wait to talk to more people
- Attend VMworld in either Barcelona or Las Vegas. I have verbal approval from my boss for this
- Obtain vExpert status for 2018. This is already in progress as I submitted my application
- A goal set at work was to obtain my Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate in Windows Server 2016
In general I want to be even more active in the community and give back. A few of those goals reflect that desire.
Wish me luck!