2010 resolutions – professional

2009 was a great year for me professionally. I learned a ton, made some great connections and even got a new job. While I didn’t quite accomplish everything that I had hoped for, the year was definitely successful. In 2010 I’m adjusting my goals a bit. Some of my goals last year were too lofty in my opinion, and actually detracted from what I wanted to accomplish. I’ll go into that more in a little bit. For now, here are my resolutions:

1. read 1 technical book a quarter
2. develop a usable web application on my personal time
3. drastically improve my domain expertise at work
4. continue involvement in local tech community get certified (probably MCTS: .NET Framework 3.5 Windows Forms Applications)
5. learn PowerShell

So the first goal is one that is clearly a big step back from what I tried to do last year. There is a huge difference between 12 professional development books and 4 technical books. Basically, I felt like I was having to rush through books last year when I would have been better served taking my time and really digging into the books. Also, some of the general personal help books were helpful, but I feel like I need to put more focus on sharpening my technical skills right now. That’s why I went with this goal for 2010. If I blow through it and decide to add more books later there will be no penalty, of course.

The second one is related to the “analysis paralysis” that I mention in the About Me page on this blog. Basically, I’ve had at least 3 ideas for web applications that I wanted to develop but just have not done it. This goal is my way of forcing myself to get something out of my mind and into the real world. It may turn out that the ideas really aren’t that useful, but I would be better off having them developed regardless. It’s as much about exercising my skills as it is about the ideas themselves.

The third resolution is one that will be difficult to measure. It’s going to come down to whether or not I am more comfortable discussing the various aspects of our product’s industry (banking) than I  feel now. While this one is probably one of my weakest resolutions, I do feel like it’s an area with room for improvement and hopefully this will bring that about.

The fourth is another weak resolution on the surface, but I needed it in writing as a reminder of what I want to accomplish. I’ve put a lot of effort into getting out of my bubble in the past year and I don’t want that effort to be for naught because I stopped participating in things as regularly. I know there is a lot of value in being involved, but I also know how easy it can be to let other things of less importance get in the way.

ed. – the fourth resolution is still something that I want to accomplish, but I don’t feel like it is worthy of an official resolution anymore. It’s been bumped by a resolution that I have wanted to do but had slipped my mind while I was making the list

For my fourth resolution, I want to take my .net knowledge to the next level. While I don’t put too much weight into certifications as an indication of someone’s ability to develop quality software, I do feel that they offer wonderful learning opportunities. When I played basketball in high school, we would spend the first half of every practice working on nothing but fundamentals. This gave us the foundation that we needed to excel when things got more tricky. I believe the same principal applies to certifications. It’s not about proving that I can develop, so much as it’s about making sure that my foundation is solid.

My last professional resolution is pretty direct. I’ve heard so many good things about PowerShell and I’m tired of being on the outside looking in. This one will likely involve reading a book that would fit under the first resolution in this category, but I don’t want it to stop there. It is a tool that’s great for a software developer to know, and I want to make sure that my level of knowledge is such that I know when and how to use.