A retrospective of 2018

It is that time of the year to reflect on what has happened over the past twelve months. The New Year is rapidly approaching and 2018 is ending quickly. 2018 was certainly filled with its ups and downs. It definitely kept me on my feet and I am looking forward to seeing what 2019 has in store.

In reflection of what happened this year. I have accomplished many of my professional and personal goals. I have traveled across the United States while working and pursuing my goals. I have obtained several professional certifications and I grew as an Engineer and Individual.

After hard work and determination, I have obtained my Carrier Ethernet Certification (MEF-CECP), SIP School Certified Associated (SSCA) and the Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA.) Obtaining three certifications within a year is hard yet rewarding.  I believe the certifications will unlock more opportunities and I shall continue to learn and earn them.

I have travelled throughout the United States. I visited Cerritos in California, Tampa and Orlando in Florida and I have driven between Charlotte, North Carolina to New York.  Most of my travelling was for work. I attended our yearly department summit in California and flew to Florida for both training and Cisco Live.  The rest of the travelling was to visit family and friends in New York.

Over the past twelve months I have participated in many projects. I have performed countless firmware upgrades and device swaps. I have led several projects and I know in 2019 I will be doing more than I have this year. I am looking forward to seeing what comes down the pipe and to see how that goes.

In between working and pursuing my career goals I have started some new hobbies and personal projects. I recently started learning 3D printing. I have a small 3D printer I have been hit with the 3D printing bug. I find that is fun and useful. There have been many things I have printed from little tchotchkes for my desk to functional items like RasberryPi cases and Cable management clips. In the future I will purchase a larger format printer to work on projects such as cosplay Props for conventions to larger tools and items to use around the house.

Other projects I have worked on this year have been wiring a new network cabinet for my home network, creating several cosplay props for conventions I have attended this year and for next year and I have been learning 3D modeling which is a whole new set of challenges I am looking forward to.

Overall 2018 has been like a roller coaster. There have been many ups and downs like a SINE wave. I feel that I have weathered the year quite well and I have reached a good chunk of my professional goals. Though I have fallen short of the timeline for some of my career goals, I am pushing through.

In 2019 I am looking forward to obtaining some additional experience and certifications. I have completed a Juniper JNCIA-Junos boot camp several weeks ago. I am looking forward to taking the certification exam. I am waiting on a voucher before I can take the exam and I am going to working on going up the Juniper Certification ladder. I am also starting to study for the CCDP certification. This certification is going to be tough but I am going to see if I can get that completed before the end of 2019 so that I can renew my CCNA, CCNA Security, CCDA and CCNP with the CCDP.

Other Goals I am working towards is progressing up the career ladder within the company. I would like to move up to a NE3 or higher. I feel that I have grown as a professional and as a person. My job responsibilities have grown and I am taking on more and more projects and I am starting to get more responsibilities with those projects. I would like to see that grow into career progression.

I am looking forward to seeing what 2019 brings. I will be working hard to achieve my goals and better myself. I wish that the year will be happy and merry to everyone and I wish everyone reading this a Happy Holidy.