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SQL Milestones
The past few months have been full of firsts for me.
- I started working at Apparatus February 17th. I wanted opportunities to learn new things, and I have not been disappointed.
- Last night, I gave my fourth presentation of the year. With user groups lined up from now through August, I am on pace to meet my goal of averaging one presentation per month this year.
- March marked the second anniversary of this blog. In that time, I've written 61 posts. While this is well short of my initial goal of a post a week, I'm hoping the constant learning opportunities at Apparatus will help me pick up the pace.
- I hit 1,000 views on this blog for the first time in a month. I am really excited about this, but at the same time, it shows me how much room I have to grow.
It is just about four years since I attended my first SQL Saturday. Thanks to Jes Borland (b|t) for inspiring me to make my voice heard. And it's just about three years since I attended SQL Skills' Interals Immersion Event. Thanks to Paul Randal (b|t) and Kimberly Tripp (b|t) for giving me my first opportunity to present on SQL Server outside of work. Finally, I want to thank the members of the SQL community who have taught, helped, and inspired me. There are too many of you to mention, but you've made the past four years the most enjoyable and fulfilling of my life.
A New Chapter
This week marked the start of a new chapter in my life as a SQL Server DBA. I am now a Senior Technology Specialist at Apparatus. The company is based out of Indianapolis, but I'll be spending the majority of my time working from home. The job is going to be a mixed bag, combining operations and project work for multiple clients. The project work is going to involve Analysis Services and Reporting Services. These are fairly new areas for me, as is working from home, but I really think I am up to the challenge and I'm extremely excited to jump in.
The major lesson I learned since my previous job change is to focus on the positive in all situations. When I left my previous job 18 months ago, I had been there for 13 years and there were a number of things I found frustrating. I was so frustrated that I failed to recognize the things I valued about the job. I accepted the first offer I received, because it was different than where I was. It took me a few months to realize I had run from my old job than running to a new opportunity. I don't regret my experience over the past year and a half, but it's taught me to always focus on the positive.
Chicago Data Professionals
