Goals in 2K9

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I lost about 20lb the month or so before I moved I have not been keeping good tabs on it since moving, although the gym scales show a little more progress (although much slower due to the crap diet) Once I'm settled and working I anticipate a big improvement

 

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Wow, here we are again, getting scary how quickly the years are flying by...

So then, 2008 review so far...

Work/IT Related...

1. Pass Network+ early in the year - I did pass, but not early in the year!
2. Pass 70-270 - Still on the list for this year
3. Pass 70-290 - On the list for late this year, or early next year, I feel im pretty close to both 270 and 290 at the moment
4. Pass 70-291 to complete MCSA. - Carried over to next year
5. Continue working hard in my current job and be earning 5K more by the end of the year - Yeah, managed to complete this one

Personal

1. Being strong and caring for my Aunt as she finally beats cancer, and take her out and about whenever I can. - Sadly lost my aunt to cancer early in the year, but had a few really great days with her before, which looking back, im really pleased about.
2. Keep saving hard for a decent deposit on a flat/house for my girlfriend and me. - Split up early in the year, oh well, got a new one...

Looking back, it really wasnt a great year.. I was saying the same last year, just seem to be going through a really horrible patch with illness in the family. I'll be vague with next years aims, and hopefully abit more sure after seeing how the last 2 months of this year pans out.

IT/Work Related...

• Pass 70-291 to Complete my MCSA
• Pass 70-620
• Pass 70-622 to Complete MCITP: Enterprise Support Technician
• Continue working hard and gain another 5K raise over the year

Personal...

• Finish paying off my Car, another 5k to go...
• Go on a few weekend trips to cities around Europe
• Continue learning and playing golf

......

 

Well lets see, good to have goals, for motivational purposes if nothing else

Starting with a copy and paste job
What i had planned for 2008 were:

Well still no drivers license, have gotten back with old GF (if thats a good move only time will tell lol), im hoping to do the 70-294 before christmas, leaving me 2 exams (which i think will be the 70-297 and i plan to do the exchange 284 exam as my elective), which I will try to achieve somewhere around the middle of the year.

The CCNA is done, currently I have no plans to upgrade to CCNP, as of yet i dont work with the technology in my current job (as im unemployed) and also the experience i have cannot justify going up a level, however if i do pull a sweet role I would like to do this, I may even learn it without taking the exams.

The debt stands at around 750 quid, so is managable, the health is better, I have an exercise bike, which i havent used for a month due to works being done in the flat meaning the shower is out of order, and i dont want to be too smelly.

Anyways for 2009 I plan to:

Drivers license (and cheap, fuel efficient car)
Once i have a role and save up a months wages this is priority Number 1, and IM STICKING TO IT THIS YEAR lol

MCSE, 2 or 3 exams to go, is easily doable.
I would like to do more exams, but I may take a break and actually get some non exam oriented books to see what im missing, netshell is something id like to look at, along with SQL, maybe a programming language, i must stop giving myself too many options lol.

Finance wise, I will kill the remaining debt and save save save, I want to move to Sheffield, and analysts say the house prices will be back on track by around 2013 so that gives me 3 years to save as much as possible to try and buy at the best price possible.

Id like to look at improvement in other areas, for IT side of things maybe ITIL, but looking long term some courses or books on time management, motivation, communication and so on.

Id like to think the last few years of work on myself are enabling me to lead up to a better future, I put a lot of effort into clearing debt, cutting back on drinking, sorting my head out, which has enabled me this past year to get all the training materials ive needed without having to worry too much about the cost, now im hoping this gets me a better job (which i know i am able to do) thanks in part to the certs and what this shows, so I can save quicker and get my foot on the property ladder.

Oh and 2009 is when i hit 30

Im still looking good though ;)

 

Well for my year, bit of a mixed bag.....

MCDST - only 70-272 left and I'm hopefully for the end of February SUCCESS but in March!
70-270 and Net+ by year end - Alas, neither yet, but Net+ before the end of Nov, and 70-270 before my OU course starts (more later)

Change jobs, either a server support role, or maybe something along the lines of system management. FAILED! Applied for some though, and got interviews - now take a bit of a back seat while the recession takes hold
Decide whether I want/am able to stick with my current company or whether I'll need to move on to progress. SUCCESS - I want to leave it

Personal Goals
Get fitter and lighter - use to run quite a bit but I've made a push for the last cert and have dedicated much time to it. Lighter - half a stone over the year. Fitter - just in the last 2 weeks with running

Practice my photography more - my dSLR has been sat idle for the past month or 2, I want to start exploring that more. SUCCESS - hopefully making a calendar of my flower photography for the in-laws for Xmas
Keep in contact with my friends better - been really poor on that recently also! FAILED - no excuse at all really!
Make a serious attempt to become a trustee board member for a local charity. Failed - haven't given it any thought

In addition - Passed ITIL Foundation in July

I'm starting my Bachelor degree in Mathmatics in January/February - so I'm going to be "taking" my A-levels again in Maths and Further Maths between now and the end of January - not going to retake the exams as I can't improve on them, but I can get back up to speed with it as I haven't touched most of the material for about 10 years.

Goals for 2009
Pass Net+ by January (assuming I haven't done it in 200
Pass 70-270 in Q1, preferably end of January.
Pass 70-290 by end of the year.

Start, finish with top marks in 3 OU courses - all starting in January, finishing in September.
Starting (if they start then) a 4th course in October.

Keep applying for jobs, but be selective in which industries I jump into due to the economy.
Keep saving like crazy for a place to buy in a year or 2.
Keep running - just for fitness, and hopefully loose weight in the meanwhile!

As dmarsh said

Snap those are the ones I'll be doing too

 

I occasionally hear this unit of measurement, which begs the question: how heavy is a stone?

...and don't say "about 10 pebbles, or an eighth of a boulder".

 

Google '1 stone in lb'
(its 14lb btw)

To remain on topic, I've decided I want to finish the whole MCITP:EA by the end of the year, its only two exams, working my way through the 70-647 book right now (oddly enough, the PRO exam not the MCTS composite exam)
I want to get the 2k8 qual in 2k8, not let it drag on for years like my 2k3 MCSE

 

Plans for 09...

Graduate
CCNA
Then the world can watch out im going to make bill gateslook like a monkey!

 

Yeah, but if I always searched Google, I'd never ask a question on here.

 

...and so with sooo many other members here

 

I've found the MST 121 to be ok, but it does take 11 hours per booklet and there is something like 14 booklets for MST121.

If you scale this up to three courses you are basically studying full time, that will leave very little time for work or any of your other goals. The standard OU courses runs January to October, I started mine out of sync in September, if I take MST221 in January I'll be in sync.

I wish you the best of luck with your plans.

 

I did consider that 3 may be too much, but then I did consider already having 2 a-levels in maths and a degree may help, but TBH I'm not sure.

Whats your background with maths?? GCSE/A-Level etc. Interested so I can attempt to guage how I may fare.

(The reason for doing 3 - ie MST120, is that its an extra 30 points, which you need 60 randomly made up points from somewhere at the end of it, and they do say you can use it as such a course.)

 

I'm not saying its impossible, but if you have a fulltime job or any other commitments it might be too much, I'd just think about it.

I took double maths then combined them to single maths at A-level. Beer and women took precedence at the time, it was not one of my finer educational moments.

I also have a BSc in Computer Science that included a little maths, mainly stats.

My main point was that MST121 and MST221 in combination mean pretty much one book per week, which is 10 hours every week for a year, add to that another course and you must do say 15 hours every week. Add to that certs, gym, job, commute, you quickly run out of time !

If you can still remember your A-level maths and have good grades then you could probably skip level one maths courses, they do give prior learning credit so maybe you could claim some points rather than trying to rush through stuff you already know.

 

It's in my signature now, so I'm committed!

 

^ stealing craigs list. Will try to change job this year(2009) so will either do VMware studying or Cisco depending on my new role. But i do want to get my MCSA:M before i move and will want to have my MCSE in 2009.

 

08 Goals:
Settle into my first/new house - Not a very specific goal, but it's certainly all decorated and everything is unpacked
Lose weight down to 11 1/2 stone - Not achieved
Learn to manage my state better - Once again not a very specific/measurable goal, but I've improved

Ands there were others I cannee remember, shows I didn't review them often enough this year

09 Goals thus far:

Pass the A+ 1st exam by march 31st and 2nd exam by april 30th and MCDST by ???
Lose weight - I'm gonna take one of these trendy new fad diets and just modify it slightly
Listen to more drum n' bass

There are others still pending, I just have a temporary mind blank now I'm on the spot
And it would be nice to actually gain some knowledge and contribute to this forum

 

Hmmn, now let me see. It has to be :


Get a job
Get a job
Get a job

MCSA/MCSE
70-632 Project 2007

Maybe look at CCNA or PRINCE2

Oh and get a job !

 

CCIE R&S Written (could the lab be next??? )
MCSE: Security
MCSE: Messaging
CCNA: Security

Continue to train and mentor new writers.
Would like to start running again.
Definitely going back to East Asia.

 

IT Goals in 2009.

take the 70-270, 70-290, and 70-291 exams to make me an MCSA, and 70-622 exam to make me MCITP.

Learn a bit more about email and admin scripting.


Non IT.

Try and finish the upstairs in my house. Get out on my mountain bike more. Learn how to use Ableton Live. Read more books.

 

Professional:
Complete CCNP (this was 2008’s goal but I’m short one exam)
Complete CCDA (Personal)
Complete CCDP (Personal)
Get Project Management Course (Employer endorsed)
Start PMP studying (Employer endorsed)

Personal:
- Spend more time with the kids (I feel like I’m not doing enough)
- Get involved in playing sports again (I miss competitive activitiy)
- Exercise (this needs some attention)
- Spruce up the house (this needs some attention too )