Tag: progress

Forward Motion

Carl Setzer3 Comments
gray and black laptop computer

I haven’t written about this much, but my current career development focus is on Data Analysis. To start with, I like working in Excel. I’ve found spreadsheets fascinating since the days of Lotus 123. In addition, as many of you know, I spent the Pandemic working on a degree in Web Application and Cloud Development at Edmonds College. During that, I spent a huge amount of time studying data: databases, database construction, SQL, database theory and design. That was some of my favorite coursework.

Recently, I discovered the role of data analyst. It looks like a fantastic blend of these elements. And it’s a growing field, which says a LOT in today’s economic climate! This looks like a way I can make a solid contribution now, and have lots of room to grow. It seems a great blend of my past, my studies, and where I am right now, in order to grow into the future.

Digging a bit deeper, I see some key areas for growth in the short-term.

  • Data Visualization:
    • I have not worked with Tableau or Power BI…or any of the other visualization tools. I have created presentations where I manually built visualizations (yay PowerPoint!), mostly graphs, but a few times with PhotoShop. I’m really looking forward to diving in deeper to what I can do with Power BI (which is my next series of course work on Coursera).
  • Excel:
    • I’m a solid user of Excel, having it used it extensively in pretty much every role I’ve had in the past 20 or so years. Budgets, project tracking, dashboards, project feasibility, and operations analysis, I’ve done all of these in Excel. But there’s always room to grow! And it’s an evolving product, so even more to keep learning.
  • Statistics:
    • I have only a rudimentary understanding of statistics. I want to expand that greatly. I think I’ll take statistics at Edmonds College soon.

These are the short-term learnings I’m planning on feeding myself with. I also think that the WGU BS in Data Analytics looks really interesting. And having that Bachelors will be valuable, and that knowledge critical.

During my studies at Edmonds, we touched on big data, data lakes, data warehouses, as well as No SQL based stored data. This all looks fascinating to me.

So, I’ve launched into the Data Analytics studies with Coursera’s Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate. I finished the first course yesterday, Preparing Data for Analysis with Microsoft Excel. It was solid review of my skills, which I appreciated. Now, I shift to Power BI, which will be new. I’m pretty excited for Power BI. And I’m excited at what my future holds.

I hope the same for you!

Some Valuable Advice

Carl Setzer3 Comments

I love this post I found this morning on Instagram:

I’ve often found myself torn between my mind’s competing interests. Recently I figured out that at those moments, THIS is what I need to do: “pursue myself”. Become better, healthier, happier…all those things make for a better life. Much more so than simply getting some promotion or a new job.

Anyway, I wish a happy Friday to you all! May you move closer to your dreams.

Always Seek Out Hope

Carl Setzer2 Comments

Always seek out hope 

Then our end will be better 

Beyond what we guess 

Moving through my life’s various trials in constantly struck by how often the results don’t match my predictions. At times, my conceptualization wasn’t even close. The best results achieve when I abandoned expectations and acted. Simply moved forward. Even if the end isn’t clear, the next step often is. 

Success Leaves Clues 

Carl Setzer

This morning I woke early. It was not planned (generally isn’t). 

I brain-dumped on how I could be managing all my projects better. All the things I think I could do better. 

I realized how weird it might be to get excited about this. 

Remember: I’m focused on growth. I don’t want to be focused in maintaining an illusion of perfection. If there are no challenges in my life, I’m not challenging myself. I’m not growing. I have no interest In staying in that state. Now, I admit that there’s something to be said for a stresses existence. And there are times I wonder why I do THIS to myself. 

I want to grow. I want to do better each time. That doesn’t happen by sitting around congratulating myself. 

So, yeah, I’m pretty stoked about my analysis. There are things to grow. Success leaves clues. I spent time looking for them.

Overactive Mind

Carl Setzer

I’m getting a lot done, but accomplishing very little. I don’t find it satisfying. I enjoy checking off to-dos, but without direction it’s, ultimately, empty. Way too many directions in my life. I need focus.

Examples: the hundreds of email news sources I subscribe to. And the dozen, or more, tasks I load into a day. That’s a weakness in the electronic-tools age. Keeping those emails to read “later” is so easy. Or just shuffle those tasks to another day. Then I get to a point where I have several hundred emails waiting to be read. Or I’m spending 15 minutes moving my collection of overdue tasks to today. It all creates a sensation of “spinning my wheels”.

I’m tacking this, slowly, carefully. First, I’m now aggressively deleting email. And also unsubscribing. For things I’ve been subscribed to for years, I feel discomfort. But with so many I haven’t even opened in years, it’s just time. Time to accept that, though I see the value, I don’t feel the value. And give myself permission to feel that. Also, I’m culling tasks. Some have lingered for months, even years. My mind is telling me something here. Time to listen.

The next step for me requires stepping back, reprioritizing and focusing. I know it will be painful. Selecting that which I won’t do; ugh. I want to do everything. I see, though, I can’t do even half of everything well. Quality is important. Much more so than quantity. Time to embrace it, and live it.

Perhaps I’ll embrace an agile approach. Re-evaluate every few weeks/months. Ensuring I’m meeting my needs; watching for those needs to change. I like that idea. Allowing my life to flow, fluid-like. Accepting my needs will change, and seeking to be ahead. Rather than waiting until I swirl into misery. There’s zen.