2017 Recap

The year has come to a close, below is a recap of the 2017 goals I've completed for 2017:

• Completed the CCDP exam: This was a big one for me as my CCNP was set to expire this year. The difficulty studying for this certification was at the same level as the CCNP but for different reasons. While the CCNP requires hours of labs and deep diving into CLI configuration, the design exams are on the opposite end of the spectrum. It requires hours of tedious reading of the most obscure white papers and videos. What got me through this exam by far had to be the note taking and Anki flash cards I practiced every day.

• Implemented Wireless Solution from Scratch: I've always been listed as the SME for our wireless solution for the few companies I worked for by happen stance. I never had the opportunity to build out a wireless controller from scratch, survey and deploy AP's, and configure the wireless network. I had my chance a few months ago with Aruba and it was a good experience. If nothing else it gives me the confidence to deploy wireless on a larger scale which is the plan for next year.

• Created useful Python scripts: If you look to the right menu, you'll see my meager attempts here. While these tools are far from optimized they help get my job done when needed. After finishing up the AWS Solutions Architect cert, I plan on digging deeper in Python scripting.

• Finally began Amazon Web Services learning: For the past year I felt like I was falling behind current technology trends. There's only so much OSPF and Spanning-Tree you can learn and provide value to a business. If you look at the latest IT business trends, the shift from on-premise to cloud is a huge thing. I honestly do not know of a decent sized business that's not at least looking at cloud infrastructure. To get a head of the curve, I've jumped head first into Amazon's cloud services.

•  No better way to do this than by studying for a certification to help track your learning progress. I expect to have the AWS Solutions Architect Certification completed in early 2018. I'm currently studying the following book (which is awesome), click the image if you want a copy:

• Committed more time to blogging: This wasn't on my initial list of 2017 goals honestly. But earlier this month, I realized that I've neglected a very useful tool that's helpful not only for my certification studying, but also for my career. It's been a good December getting all of my thoughts and notes on digital paper. I plan on keeping this momentum going throughout 2018.

Well that's it, not too long of a list. I have even more goals for 2018, don't worry I'll be sharing them in the near future. Let me know what your 2017 were and if you completed your all of your goals below!