The 2015 Plan

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The 2015 Plan

Steve Jones - SSC Editor

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December 30, 2014 at 8:32 pm

#313324

Comments posted to this topic are about the item The 2015 Plan

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Phil Parkin SSC Guru Points: 246960 More actions · Answer 1

Nice and well-balanced article Steve.

The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
- Martin Rees
The absence of consumable DDL, sample data and desired results is, however, evidence of the absence of my response
- Phil Parkin

rohitc 87397 SSC Enthusiast Points: 168 More actions · Answer 2

Thanks Steve. I would like to take a moment to thank you for this excellent service you provide. I look forward to your daily emails in 2015!

andrea.martoranatusa SSC-Addicted Points: 461 More actions · Answer 3

Thank you for your urge, Steve. I want to pursue it.

My goals for 2105:

- to achieve the 70-461 certification.

- to speak for the first time at one SQL Saturday. I want to propose me as speaker.

Best wishes and Happy New Year.

The_Police! SSC Enthusiast Points: 100 More actions · Answer 4

The_Police!

SSC Enthusiast

Points: 100

December 31, 2014 at 3:58 am

#1767156

Same to you Steve. Have a wonderful NYE!

akljfhnlaflkj SSC Guru Points: 76202 More actions · Answer 5

Thanks for the thoughtful guidance. Balance in life is often overlooked.

chrisn-585491 SSCoach Points: 16006 More actions · Answer 6

As a Jack-of-All-Data-Trades, certification is huge time suck for me. As soon as I'm ready for an exam, it's retired and there's yet another two new versions of SQL Server on the tread mill. Plus there's not enough time to focus solely on a single product that is only a smaller part of my data universe.

What works instead are projects large and small that help me learn, practice and absorb various skills. I might use two programming languages, a RDBMS and handful of utilities on a project.

Going forward this year, I have a new programming language to master, and older one to teach and hopefully a new job. Juggling that and family is challenge enough.

Phil Parkin SSC Guru Points: 246960 More actions · Answer 7

chrisn-585491 (12/31/2014)
As a Jack-of-All-Data-Trades, certification is huge time suck for me. As soon as I'm ready for an exam, it's retired and there's yet another two new versions of SQL Server on the tread mill. Plus there's not enough time to focus solely on a single product that is only a smaller part of my data universe.
What works instead are projects large and small that help me learn, practice and absorb various skills. I might use two programming languages, a RDBMS and handful of utilities on a project.
Going forward this year, I have a new programming language to master, and older one to teach and hopefully a new job. Juggling that and family is challenge enough.

I'm sure that you're not alone in having to spread yourself across lots of technologies – it seems to be the way work is evolving. So learning on the job is a necessity, but that does not mean that you must/should/could not study one of those technologies too, whether it leads to certification or not.

The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
- Martin Rees
The absence of consumable DDL, sample data and desired results is, however, evidence of the absence of my response
- Phil Parkin

INCREDIBLEmouse SSC Eights! Points: 835 More actions · Answer 8

INCREDIBLEmouse

SSC Eights!

Points: 835

December 31, 2014 at 7:13 am

#1767179

+1 for this editorial.

Sqlraider SSCertifiable Points: 5441 More actions · Answer 9

Thanks and Happy New Year to all those on SQL ServerCentral that have shared their knowledge!!

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736212 More actions · Answer 10

rohitc 87397 (12/31/2014)
Thanks Steve. I would like to take a moment to thank you for this excellent service you provide. I look forward to your daily emails in 2015!

You are welcome

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736212 More actions · Answer 11

chrisn-585491 (12/31/2014)
As a Jack-of-All-Data-Trades, certification is huge time suck for me. As soon as I'm ready for an exam, it's retired and there's yet another two new versions of SQL Server on the tread mill. Plus there's not enough time to focus solely on a single product that is only a smaller part of my data universe.
What works instead are projects large and small that help me learn, practice and absorb various skills. I might use two programming languages, a RDBMS and handful of utilities on a project.
Going forward this year, I have a new programming language to master, and older one to teach and hopefully a new job. Juggling that and family is challenge enough.

Two things. One, pursuing the cert is more for learning. If you went through the process and the exam retired, I wouldn't consider that a loss if you use the skills. I assume you spend time on things you don't know well, not everything.

The other is that you balance life and that might mean you learn slower.

Charles Kincaid SSChampion Points: 13593 More actions · Answer 12

Goodbye to 2014 and hello to 2015. Happiness to all in the new year. That is what I mean by Happy New Year.

Steve is so right. You never quite know what the future holds and you can't prepare for everything. In February I got a serious infection. In short order I lost my house, my car, my job, and part of my body. No pity please. The only reason that I even mention it is to prove the point that Steve was making. One of the things that I did while in 6 months of recovery was to plan what I was going to do when I got out.

Now that my time is my own and I'm not on anybody's crew I can do what I choose. Like Steve suggests I'm working on a software project. I thought that it would be very freeing. To make my new tool work the way that I want imposes severe restrictions. I believe in abusive testing. Being part of a software team means no only having to put up with team members but being able to call on folks when the going gets rough.

So new tonight look around at your family. Let go of the bad things that happened and celebrate the good things. Love everybody. Cheers!

ATBCharles Kincaid

pavithra.vs Newbie Points: 5 More actions · Answer 13

Wish you Happy New year 2015 :-). SQL SERVER CENTRAL guided greatly in 2014 year.

batgirl SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4979 More actions · Answer 14

I have a grand plan for 2015!

1. Downgrading my "job" - this is my last week of a full time high pressure job (on call 24 x 7) and going back to a previous tech support position where I will work at home, regular hours. Full time to start, but cutting back to 30 hours per week in a few months.

2. Husband is retiring - he'll figure out later exactly how to fill his days. Some volunteer work, fishing, hunting, assisting his elderly parents, etc.

3. Moving across the country - leaving Ohio and going to the coast of Oregon (Coos Bay area). We are already getting packed and will be listing the home for sale before the week is over. We've already consolidated vehicles - traded two cars in for a van.

There will be a lot of weekend road trips around the Pacific Northwest - lots to see and explore. I will be able to work anywhere there is decent internet connectivity, so maybe more than just "weekend" trips. Some family in Portland and they have a beach home up in Washington that we will definitely visit often.

This will be the first major step in tipping the scales towards home life. I have worked full time for 40 years and will continue to work, but it will not be my primary focus any more. I'm pretty excited and happy about this!