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Personal Progress Update #2: 2024-03-11

Welcome back to the blog! It's been too long.

As we're over two months into the year already, I wanted to revisit my blogging I started back in 2022. The start of this venture feels like a lifetime ago and so I feel it in order to start with revisiting my goals as I've committed to for 2024. One of my goals is at least quarterly (or 4 times a year) to blog; this shall be the first. Let's get started!

  1. Professional
  2. Personal & Academic
  3. Summary/Links
  4. Conclusion

Professional

In December of last year (2023), I made the transition from my role as a Senior Data Analyst at DISH to Charter Spectrum as a Senior Data Developer (Software Engineer IV). Many factors played into this decision to move, such as:

  • 📈 Potential for accelerated career advancement!
  • 💰 Immediate significant total compensation increase!
  • 🤓 Increased percentage of technical ownership and tasks directly in AWS!
  • 🏠 Shifting from 5 days on-site to a hybrid schedule (3 days on-site, 2 days WFH)!
  • 🚙 Reducing commute 80%+!
  • 😬 Giving W2 contract work a try!

My days now are spent in AWS (Amazon Web Services) Step Functions, AWS EMR (previously Elastic MapReduce), AWS S3 (Simple Storage Service), and GitLab. I've had to do a lot of growth already coming from a primarily RDBMS (Relational Database Management System) background that wasn't dealing in "Big Data" close to this scale!

In my last Personal Progress Update, I mentioned the pursuit of cloud certifications to further advance my knowledge of cloud systems as it applies to the data engineering sector. At the time, my role at Arrow Electronics was tempting me to focus on the Azure track; yet again, I feel influenced by my current workplace's framework (in AWS) as well as the fact AWS is the largest cloud provider. I've started on this path with a series of LinkedIn Learning preparatory courses (example) for the Amazon Web Services Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam. I've also set up my own AWS account to leverage Free Tier services and build alongside my LinkedIn Learning coursework so I can combine that knowledge with practical application.

All of the above considered, I'm setting the goal of increasing my knowledge and skillset as much as I can to aid in realizing a promotion to a Lead Data Developer. I've been following the posts and community of some of the industry greats (like Zach Wilson) as they talk about topics like going from Senior to Staff (or Lead, equivalently, in a lot of companies) to try and give myself the best chance to do so in my own career! I recently had a career discussion with my direct manager on my development plan to go from Senior to Staff; together, we came up with some of the following:

  • Practicing Peer Mentorship / "Lead by example"
  • Identifying and solving for horizontal & vertical impact opportunities
  • Continuing to build my brand ("Do it right the first time", "Put a task in the Jira backlog now, otherwise you never will", "Bus Factor", etc)
  • Seizing further technical growth of data engineering skills (within AWS, Hive, Spark, Python)

Personal & Academic

My personal goals this year are a bit varied. From my years of hunkering down with full-time work and college, I'm turning a new chapter this year by focusing more on rest. From 2012 through 2023, I attempted 76 college courses (finishing most of them). After reflecting with my wife, family, and friends, I realized I've achieved the current level of education I want considering other commitments in life and present circumstances; with this, you'll notice my goals are much more relaxed than is normal for me (especially for those of you who know me personally):

  • 📚 Read five books this year
  • 👨‍💻 Write four blogs posts this year
  • 🏋️‍♂️ Workout twice per week
  • 😴 Weekly focus on R&R (rest & recharge)
  • ☕️ Go on monthly date day with my wife

I can say 2+ months into the year that it's been a really enjoyable change of pace and I feel I'm much more just "enjoying" life than I was previously!

  1. My Personal Progress Update #1 post
  2. Sample LinkedIn Learning preparatory course for AWS CCP exam
  3. Homepage of AWS CCP Exam
  4. AWS Free Tier Services Homepage
  5. Zach Wilson's post on moving from Senior to Staff (a MUST-read!)

Conclusion

After finishing writing this post, it feels good to be sitting down and writing again. It's been nearly eight months since my last post and almost a year since the one before that! I'm looking forward to coming to you with more lessons learned, reflections, and casual musings.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. Until the next time we learn (or discuss) something together, have a wonderful Monday!