Opportunities – Past and Future

I’ve been thinking lately about all the great opportunities that I’ve had through 2019. I’d have to say that this past year was a pretty good one for me in the SQL Community.

* I’ve spoken at 6 SQL Saturdays and 2 user groups, including my first remote presentation.

* I was on the planning committee for SQL Saturday Boston 2019 and am on the board for the New England SQL User Group (serving the Greater Boston area).

* I was selected as an IDERA ACE Class of 2020.

* Have I mentioned that I competed and won Speaker Idol at PASS Summit yet? (I know – I’m truly taking advantage of those “bragging rights.”)

* In addition to speaking, I’ve also written 14 blog posts, including 3 for T-SQL Tuesday, and had close to 1000 views as recorded by WordPress metrics over the past year. While this may not seem like a huge impact in some ways, I’m still pretty proud that I reached as many of you as I have. Thanks to everyone who has been reading!

I’m already planning all of the SQL Saturdays that I want to attend over the next year, including some that require traveling further than what I may be used to. I have a backlog of blog posts I want to write as well as a couple new presentations to develop. I have at least one User Group presentation on the calendar and will hopefully do some more, including at least one virtual group. Needless to say, I’m hoping 2020 will be an even better year than 2019.

This brings me back to the idea of opportunities.

We are so fortunate to have a community where we can participate in so many different ways – whether it’s just as an in person or virtual participant or as a speaker or an organizer. And even with all of these opportunities, there are people who don’t take advantage of any of these things. By being involved, I have made connections to people who help me be better at my job. While I may not get a chance to work directly with the technology, knowing it exists can make a difference in the decisions made day-to-day. Discovering that I’m part of a supportive network, both professionally and personally, has given me confidence to push myself to learn more, improve my existing skills, and a desire to give back to the community. Most importantly, I love being a part of all of this because it’s really what turns my job into my career.

I encourage all of you to take advantage of all of the opportunities our community has to offer in some new way over the next year – your career is worth it. And I hope to meet more of you over the next year.

Here’s looking forward to a great 2020!