Category: Editorial

This is the last day of 2014, and we begin a new calendar year in 2015. It’s a time that many people make resolutions and I’ve got a few you might think about for 2015.

The first one is that I’d urge you to be sure you find some balance in your life in 2015. Whether you’ve had balance or not, remember that life is short, and you never know when you will leave. I’ve had friends die early, and I was touched by recently reading this last post from Derek Miller. We can look forward, we can plan, but we never know what the future will bring and what life will drop in our path.

If I look back at my life, there are many things I’ve chosen to do, or lived through, that I might not have imagined even five years before the experience. It’s unlikely that I’ll be able to guess with any accuracy what will happen in the next five. No matter what your beliefs, I do think that you must continue to live you life while you are on Earth, and hopefully the best parts of that life are outside of your career.

That being said, while you find a balance with life outside of work, don’t neglect your career. For many of us, our careers have grown over time as we learn more and gain skills. Make time in 2015 to do this somehow. I’ve got two suggestions for you to work on building skills, no matter what your job.

The first is to pursue a certification. I’ve been interested in Collen Morrow’s series on prepping for Exam 70-463. We can argue about whether the certification proves anything, but I do know something it does do. It guides your knowledge growth and gives you a goal. Both are good things that can help you improve your skills. It’s also motivating to learn new skills and pass a test. Colleen has inspired me a bit as this is the last exam I need for certification and I may follow along with her and take the test in 2015.

The second thing I might suggest is tackle a project of your own. It could be a piece of software, a database design, a web site, anything at all. Build something, write about it, display it to the world. Whether it’s practical or not, whether it’s useful to others, it will showcase your skills in whatever areas you tackle. This also gives you a goal to work towards, as well as a potential resume item that can help you in your next job search.

It’s amazing to think that 2015 starts tomorrow. I hope you all have a happy, safe, and enjoyable celebration tonight.

Steve Jones

I’m not leaving; I have the best job in the world, and I could easily see this being my last job. However, we’ve had a few people leave Red Gate recently, a few of which I have known for some time. It’s inevitable as a company grows that there will always be some people that find better opportunities or need a change of jobs. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times, but I doubt that many of us in technology will keep the same job for decades.

Leaving a job isn’t a bad thing, and it certainly doesn’t have to be antagonistic. I’ve left quite a few jobs on good terms, with both myself and my employer wishing each other well in new endeavors. I have found most people will behave as adults and professionals, even when one side is not happy with the way in which the employment relationship ended. Being open and honest certainly helps, as people usually respect a position if they understand it, even if they don’t like the circumstances.

One of the things that typically happens at Red Gate is that the person leaving sends a note around to the department(s) affected, and sometimes the company. Recently we had an interesting one come out that was broken into different sections. Each section looked back at this person’s time at Red Gate, and the note got me thinking. How would I look back at my time in various companies?

The sections talked about good times, things learned, mistakes made, memorable events and more. It’s the type of perspective I like, and what I’d like to write if I ever leave. Then I thought maybe it’s the type of thing I should write every year, looking back at the good and bad times I’ve had at the company.

Taking stock of your situation, the good, bad, challenging, growing, and other events, is a healthy way to examine your employment. I might encourage each of you to write a “leaving letter” as we close out the year. Write down the things you’ve had fun doing, the achievements you’re proud of, the mistakes you’ve made and more. Don’t limit it to 2014, but look at your entire time with this employer. Use the letter to evaluate your position and career. Maybe you’ll think about how you’d like next year to proceed, or even if you want to change companies. Either way, stepping back and reviewing your career is something that is valuable to ensuring you continue to move in a direction you want.

Steve Jones