Voice of the DBA

Tag: goals

  • Goal Progress– October 2020

    This is my report, which continues on from the Aug report. After that report, I made an effort to work a little harder. This is where I am.

    Reading Goals

    Here were my goals for the year.

    • 3 technical books
    • 2 non-technical books

    Books I’ve tackled:

    I made an effort during some lunches and breaks to work on Making Work Visible and finished it. The middle of the book was hard, but the end got me thinking again. I’ll write a review soon.

    No Power BI or White Fragility. I’ve been a little unfocused and struggling to cope for a couple months and trying to let my brain relax when I can.

    I added the last book after hearing the author talk about poker and how it relates to life and decision making. So far, it’s a mix of poker, fear, and the challenges of imperfect information.

    Project Goals

    Here were my project goals, working with software

    • A Power BI report that updates from a database
    • A mobile app reading data from somewhere
    • A website that showcases changes and data from a database.

    I started compiling some data, grabbing some stats from my life. I’m loading that into a db , as a part of life and some content work, so I’ll write about that. Once I get that loaded, I’m thinking to use that db as a way to kick start some of these items.

    Work is not slowing this fall,but I did take a bit of time and start to build a PowerBI report that has some data in a database. Early days here, and I really think this is about 10% done, but it’s moving.

    Nothing on the mobile app, nothing on the website for now.

  • Career Goals and Inspiration

    Many of us start working in technology because we enjoy programming or software or data or some other aspect of computing. We usually have some excitement that gets us motivated to start learning or apply for a job. Over time, we may move our area of focus, pick up new platforms, change jobs, and more. I’d like to think that most people actively make choices, rather than fall into the next situation, but I see the latter more often than the former. People take jobs quickly, when offered, even if the opportunity isn’t one for they were aiming.

    This certainly isn’t all bad, as there are times when we get opportunities we weren’t expecting. We may not realize what possibilities are available. However, I do regularly see people not thinking about the next step in their career until they need a job or they hate the one they are in. With that in mind, asking you to think about where you might want to go or what to achieve, I have a question for you.

    What things have  you seen others do and accomplish in their careers that you want to do as well?

    If you look at people you read about in the media, or see speak at an event, or hear about from friends, are there things that impress you? Are there jobs, roles, projects, or something else you’d like to accomplish?

    I think there are some neat goals that Brent has written about in his Epic Life Quest. These are bucket list items, and it’s a mix of business, career, and personal goals. I’ve had a similar bucket list, but I let it go and only started to rebuild it this year, along with my partner as we think about our future together.

    I will say that one of my big goals was speaking at the Ignite (formerly TechEd) conference. That was one of the biggest events in my industry, and I wanted to get there. I did get accepted, but a surgery required me to cancel, which was disappointing. Still, it’s a high point of my career.

    I still have a few private goals that I am aiming for in my career, but we’ll see if I get them. If you don’t have any, perhaps this weekend is a good time to stop and think of a few. You don’t need to set them all, or even commit to them, but just start actively managing your career and make a few goals.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.

  • Goal Progress Report–Aug 2020

    This is my every other month report, which has worked out better than every month. Last year I tried every month and when I didn’t make progress, I started ignoring reminders. For me, the too often a reminder was demotivating. It might be a better check for others, but not for me.

    I do have a weekly reminder to spend some time, which sometimes works, but not enough. I likely need to move this to a different day/time.

    This is an update on where I am.

    Reading Goals

    Here were my goals for the year.

    • 3 technical books
    • 2 non-technical books

    Books I’ve tackled:

    I made an effort during some lunches and breaks to work on Making Work Visible and finished it. The middle of the book was hard, but the end got me thinking again. I’ll write a review soon.

    No Power BI or White Fragility. I’ve been a little unfocused and struggling to cope for a couple months and trying to let my brain relax when I can.

    I added the last book after hearing the author talk about poker and how it relates to life and decision making. So far, it’s a mix of poker, fear, and the challenges of imperfect information.

    Project Goals

    Here were my project goals, working with software

    • A Power BI report that updates from a database
    • A mobile app reading data from somewhere
    • A website that showcases changes and data from a database.

    I started compiling some data, grabbing some stats from my life. I’m loading that into a db , as a part of life and some content work, so I’ll write about that. Once I get that loaded, I’m thinking to use that db as a way to kick start some of these items. Work is slowing slightly in Sept, so I think I’ll fold some of this into my focus at work. Maybe this will be a way for me to make more progress.

  • Goal Progress Report–June 2020

    It’s time to evaluate where I am with learning this year. I didn’t set goals until March, as I was gone early in the year. This is my first quarter review of what I am doing for myself this year.

    I’ve broken this down into the areas from my first post.

    Reading Goals

    Here were my goals for the year.

    • 3 technical books
    • 2 non-tech, related books

    Books I’ve tackled:

    Not a great stat, given I’m a third of the way through the year from March. I should have completed a book already by this time, but I’ve been using reading to escape from the stress of the world, and reading these books isn’t too relaxing.

    I also pivoted slightly with the #BlackLivesMatter movement to add the third book, which does impact work. That one is going slow, as I need to try and digest the information and relate it to life and work.

    Project Goals

    Here were my project goals, working with software

    • A Power BI report that updates from a database
    • A mobile app reading data from somewhere
    • A website that showcases changes and data from a database.

    Work done is essentially zero. I did a class on Power BI and am working through the book, so this has had some prep, but I haven’t added in any of the books or resources I have to actually set up a website, database, or anything else.

    I start building a database of some personal items, but it’s not ready for a report. However, that’s no excuse. I have data generators, so I should just get started. Moving to a new machine disrupted me slightly, as I had to install and configure some software. Not a good excuse, but writing this post at least makes me think about getting going with planning.

    Especially with no travel coming anytime soon.