Chaos Tamer
Lessons learned about life; pearls of wisdom I’ve gleaned through pain, failure and honest reflection
I think the greatest challenge for people with any greater than zero amount of ambition is choosing what not to learn. For me, there are so many things I want to learn. About three lifetimes worth. Finding focus is hard. Focus means saying no to other, often great, opportunities. My goodness, that’s hard.
One thing that I need to do better: value my contributions. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of “my work does nothing”. This mindset sucks life away. Contributes to depressing destructiveness.
Remember: you have value. Your work matters. Your life matters.
I just finished my final in Enterprise Architecture. By successfully completing this class, I’ve completed the requirements for some additional certificates:
I also have applied for the following certificates:
I’m done being a student for the near term, but I think I’ve accomplished a lot during these past 2.5 years. I’m proud of all I’ve done and look forward to finding ways to implement all I’ve learned.
Another goal is to land a full-time role with a company that will pay for me to continue my studies. There’s so much more to learn! I plan to start a new role sometime around the end of this year, and then be able to start classes with that company in 2023.
A blogger I highly admire, Bernie Michalik, posted this article looking at the whole Dark Brandon meme that’s running through the internet right now: On The Good and Bad Aspects of Dark Brandon (a quick aside for those unaware of the meme “Let’s Go Brandon”, it’s basically an anti-Biden euphemism. If you wish to explore it further, here’s the Wikipedia article.)
I understand that it feels good, at one level, to meet political invective head-on. However, I find it counterproductive. Bernie pulls an apt quote:
“Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”
George Bernard Shaw
So, my thoughts? As Luke Skywalker put it, “This isn’t going to go the way you think”.
It’s best to keep our end goals in mind. Which, hopefully, isn’t just to score pyrrhic points in the eternal game of poltical one-upmanship.
I’ve long admired the wit and wisdom of Dr. Feynman. This quote took me a bit, though, to fully embrace. For so much of my life, being “wrong” was embarrassing, something to be avoided at all costs. Generally by avoiding speaking out, by avoiding risk. I’m pleased to have passed through that, worked to embrace humility, and to risk being wrong in order to learn. That is what’s most critical.!
So, a lot has happened since my last post in May (so much for posting more often!). Last month, I completed the last of my coursework for a Web Application and Cloud Developer Associate in Technical Arts degree at Edmonds College. This is in addition to completing the coursework for these certificates:
Currently, I’m taking a class in Enterprise Architecture (first day is today). Upon completing that class, I will that have earned these additional certificates:
So, I’m rather pleased with the results of the past two years of study. I feel well suited for my goal of moving into an IT career.
Another thing that happened: in April I accepted a role at Trinity Lutheran Church, where I’ve been involved for years. I also have worked there covering for the communications coordinator’s paternity leave a couple of years ago. This role is as the Pastoral Administrative Assistant. As it’s part-time, it gives/gave me room to continue studying while earning some income (my unemployment benefits have expired). It is also a contract position (until December of 2022), which will work nicely for me. I plan to find a new, full-time position this fall. Once I’m in my new role, I plan to continue with my technological education. More about that soon.
That’s the status and plan for the next few months. Do you have any advice or guidance? Or, even better, lines on IT roles in the greater Snohomish County/Seattle area? Let me know!
I have one more quarter after this one. One! Currently, my post-school plan is to return to the workforce after I’m done. As much as I love web development, I feel that I can offer the most to a company within the realm of project management or systems analysis.
One of my “superpowers” is communication. I am excellent at connecting with people. As I’ve worked across a number of business functions, I understand the information they need, and how they think. With my developer skills, I think I would do an excellent job as the intermediary between IT and business units. I have been told that I communicate IT and other technology issues in a way that doesn’t make users “feel like idiots”. Plus, my career has a solid amount of project work (project coordination, documentation, etc). And I really enjoyed my project management and systems analysis and design coursework.
I intend to continue my studies, too. At this point, I’m looking at pursuing the Bachelor of Applied Science in Information Technology and Administrative Management degree at Central Washington University (ain’t that a mouthful) here in Lynnwood.
The past few years have been full of change and growth. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities that have presented themselves. Now I look forward to using all that I’ve learned to add value wherever I may roam (queue up Mettalica) and make the world better.
As we approach the middle of February, and the middle of Winter Quarter, I think it’s a good time to talk about plans.
I have one more quarter: spring 2022. My goal is to land a new role promptly after that. More specifically, late June/early July. I intend to focus on project manager/coordinator or systems analyst roles. Though I’ve spent the past two years focused on learning web development, I see my greatest value add is in the convergence of that with my project and team coordination history. I know the language of the different project stakeholders, from financial to operational to technical. Being able to keep disparate groups of people engaged, on the proverbial “same page”, is something of a superpower. One that I’m looking forward to using.
Pooja over at Life’s Fine Whine posted some goals for 2022. Made me think it was a good time to post some of my own.
I’m not sure what else to add at this point. Do you have any suggestions? What are your goals for 2022?
This quarter I’ve heavily focused on data. Of my three classes, one is on SQL and another is focused on database theory and design. As part of the theory and design class, I’ve been thinking a bit about Business Intelligence (BI) systems.
What are BI systems?
Business Intelligence Systems are tools that enable management (and other people) to analyze business activities. This includes past and current activities. Additionally, these tools are extremely valuable in predicting future behavior. They enable organizations to assess their effectiveness, strategize and plan for the future, as well as control various elements of the business. Ultimately, their function is to assist and guide decision-making.
How do BI systems differ from transaction processing systems?
Transaction processing systems, aka: operational systems, facilitate and monitor primary business operations such as sales, purchasing, and inventory control. They are involved in the ongoing stream of daily business operations. Operational systems are, generally, the core program of the business.
Business Intelligence Systems focus on management’s decision-making and analysis needs. Often, BI systems are disconnected from operational databases. BI systems pull their data from three possible sources:
I am finding data systems to be incredibly fascinating. Though it is one of the “areas of the future”, that’s not the whole thing. I see how valuable data is to, well, everyone. There are so many ways to benefit any organization and so many ways to misuse it.