Evaluating 2017

Published by Christian Mohn · Read in about 3 min (510 words)

Keeping up with tradition (you thought I was going to say Kardashians there, didn’t you?), it’s time to evaluate 2017.

My list of goals for 2017 and the verdict is as follows:

  • Get that VCAP6-DCV Design exam out of the way. Done and dusted (for 6.5 that is, not 6.0). I’ve also updated my VCP to 6.5, and I’m currently waiting for the VCAP6.5-DCV Deploy exam. Score: 10/10

    • AWS Associate Certifications Didn’t happen. Haven’t done any of these, nor really studied for any of them (yet). Other certifications or time sinks have completely eradicated these. Score: 0/10

    • Learn something new This one is hard to gauge, but 2017 has definitely been a learning experience in many ways. Not all that much tangible and measurable items here, bit I’ll still rate it as medium. This category needs to be easier to assess for 2017. Score: 5/10

    • Attend an industry conference VMworld 2017 in Barcelona was awesome, as I expected. Score: 10/10

    • vNinja.net **Well, the In The Bag series didn’t last that long, which was one of the main goals. I have kept posting whenever I feel like it, without any pressure, and in total I’ve posted more in 2017 than I did in 2016. I have a theory as to why there isn’t as much technical VMware posts though, but I’ll keep that as a separate post for later. All in all, not bad. Score: 5/10

    • Photography I’m still not really happy with the amount of photography done in 2017, but I’m really happy with a few of the shots I did manage to take and publish. Huge improvement from 2016. Score: 8/10

As far as my more “soft” goals for 2017:

  • I need to get better at planning things out — I think I’ve managed to do this, to a degree. I’ve become much better at breaking larger tasks into smaller ones, and follow them through. Productivity is always an ongoing process, but I notice that compared to many I interact with, I seem to have a better grasp of the tasks I need to complete, and don’t forget nearly as much as I used to do. It’s an ongoing process, but I’m definitely moving in the right direction.

  • Clearer focus — Close correlation to the point above, but I’ve improved in this area as well.

  • Get more sleep — I still sleep less than I think I should, but it’s better than it has been for years.

All in all that gives me a personal score of 38 of a possible 60. Not quite what I wanted, but it’s an improvement of the 28 rating for 2016. One of the major categories did get a 0/10, which really puts a dent in the score. I should have put in a general certification category instead, that would have helped bring the score up as I did a few ones I didn’t plan on initially.

All in all, 2017 has been pretty good both professionally and personally. Now it’s time to breathe, relax and make sure 2018 will be even better.

Post last updated on January 2, 2024: Add author

About

vNinja.net is the digital home of Christian Mohn and Stine Elise Larsen.

The primary focus is on IT architecture and data center technologies like virtualization and related topics, but other content also pops up from time to time.

Sponsors