Year In Review (2019)

Accountability can come in a lot of different forms. For some people, it could strictly be a professional concept where somebody else holds them to account through disciplinary measures. Others can have their own methods of motivation, using metrics such as weights, calories, or even time.

For all of its pitfalls, I've realized that social media can be a strong motivator for me personally. If there's something that is critical for me to work towards, I'll post about it through Facebook or Snapchat. As the end of the year has approached, for as little as I've utilized this particular platform, I've found myself dedicating a lot of mental energy thinking about what I would say about this year. The fact that I've done this for two other years has helped motivate me to make sure to continue that practice for a third year straight.

Granted a lot of what I've written in the past has been deleted (either through technical accidents or intentional purging) but this process has been instrumental in creating sort of a roadmap for the following year. In that spirit, instead of organizing this year's post by accomplishments, I feel as though it would be better organized by what I learned.

Learning to Roadmap

Interestingly, this iteration of the blog started with an impromptu, unplanned midnight trip to California. Absolutely nothing had been planned, not even the trip itself. As the next two years went on, I learned to not only set goals, but to follow through on them. Last year's big goal was that I wanted to finish a full marathon, but I had also had shorter goals of getting back to a goal weight, which required sticking to a diet.

This year, I knew what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to Begin a New Career in IT. Building on prior learnings, this goal would require a thorough plan.

SeaWorld had been an amazing place for me. It helped me grow in numerous different ways, and was absolutely formative to who I am today. I met a lot of outstanding people, many of whom I hope stay in touch. If I'm honest with myself though, after 15 years, I had burnt myself out. At the stage of life I found myself, the annual grind of a theme-park season, as well as the weekends and holidays spent working, while fun, were no longer appealing.  In choosing to do something different, I had to ask myself what I wanted to do for the remaining 30 years of my career. Because I had always had a strong skillset when it came to working with technology, setting a goal of getting into IT was an obvious choice. But at 31 (now 32), with only SeaWorld on my resume, it would be tough to find an entry-level role.

To find a job, I knew I'd have to appeal to recruiters and hiring-managers.  To do this, I decided to Pursue IT Career Certifications to make that transition possible. I began in March by studying for what's called a CompTIA A+ Certification, which required passing two exams that had to be taken at testing centers.

Learning to Be Disciplined

One thing I've never been good (but I had improved vastly on) is being disciplined. When you are self studying to pass exams, with no set date, and no penalties for not trying, it can be understandably hard to motivate yourself to study. To push myself, I followed the common knowledge approach to achieving goals: beginning with the end in mind.

For each test I've passed this year I researched the average time it took for most to pass the exam, put a test date on the calendar based on that time, and I created a spreadsheet accounting for each day leading up to the exam. I then take any learning materials, divide out the number of chapters (or videos) by day, and fill out the spreadsheet accordingly. To hold myself to account, each day I would check the sheet, and mark off the number of days left. As I completed each video, and read every chapter, I would then do the same. Using this method, I Passed 3 Exams; the 220-901 in March, 220-902 in April, and the ICND1 in November.

Learning to Take Risks

Armed with a stronger resume, I began the job-seeking process, putting my name in the hat for numerous IT positions. Understanding that I had zero experience in that field, I knew that I would be looking at entry-level positions. I also understood that this would likely come with a reduction in pay, which would require me to utilize my 401k to bridge the gap – a risk that can't be understated.

Ultimately I had two interviews, SWBC and NISD. Skipping details, when it was all said and done, I was more than happy to Accept the Technology Support Specialist Position with NISD.

Leaving a job you've had for 15 years is difficult, and even moreso when you're leaving your comfort zone to pursue something completely new. You're giving up familiarity, established relationships, and a knowledge of how things work to put yourself in a position that you know little about.

In the end, I absolutely enjoy what I'm doing. The job itself has such a wide variety as to always be challenging. Besides the usual troubleshooting one would expect, I've been able to coordinate small projects, develop promotional videos, do some minor web-mastering, as well as conduct small-scale training. The people have all been great, and overall this has been a rewarding experience. This job has utilized so many transferrable skills that SeaWorld had helped me develop, and there's no way I would have been successful without my time there.

Looking Forward

Looking to next year, I'm already continuing to roadmap and figure out what my next steps are. I'm currently studying for the ICND2 which I'm hoping to pass late-January.

While my main goals in 2019 were fairly professional in nature, I still was able to have fun. Though I didn't get to travel this year, I Saw Quite a Few Concerts, including John Mayer, Bad Suns and Max Bemis. I may not get to travel in the coming year for some not-so-obvious reasons, but my goals are pretty straight forward.

Obtain a CCNA, Network+ and Security+.

Get back to running and be able to complete a half-marathon.

Write here twice a month.

Oh, and I'd like start learning guitar.