2020 Hindsight | Lessons Learned & New Goals To Achieve

New Decade, New Me ... sorta!!

Where to begin?

2019 has come and gone, and with it a grip of memories both good and bad. I won't go into too much of what this year was like as I have already done this in previous posts. But I will dedicate this post to what I learned in the past year and what I want to accomplish. The goals remain the somewhat the same, but with a renewed dedication. It has to happen this decade!

Top-5 Lessons Learned

• Digital Agencies are no longer the place I want to work at. There's barely a place for Automation Engineers there.
• Layoffs can happen even when you are working in an optimal way, with zero problems. Its never personal.
• Always make time to travel. This was one of the greatest highlights to happen. This will be a priority in 2020.
• Always be relevant in the things you do, be it at work or at home.
• Failure is the best possible teacher. Getting caught unprepared for a tech interview was embarrassing.

Top-5 Goals

• Get Certified. I came dangerously close last year to accomplishing this. It happens this decade. The aim is summer (June).
• Never stop learning. Keep practicing, keep growing in your skillset.
• Be better today than you were yesterday. Lofty, but ideal.
• Travel more. At least 2 cruises per year, after all debt is paid down.
• New career opportunities. I hope to have a new gig by end-of-month. TBD!!

There you have it! A super-short listing of experiences I took away from last year, and the promises I will keep (I like this word as "goals" is flaky). While its odd that I no longer have a chip on my shoulder about workplace management, I remain true to my ideals and hold myself accountable for the positives and negatives. I am not proud of my conduct (as it relates to my relationship with management) at my former gig, but I did a lot of good and I take with me nothing but the best of memories. I should have lived up to their expectations, but as these were not apparent, it's true that unwritten expectations become hidden resentments.

I kiss last year, last decade good-bye and I welcome this new decade with positivity. It's only fitting that we can call this the 'hindsight' decade. Looking back, a lot of good happened. Looking onward, we stay true to ourselves, true to what we believe, and march forward with steadfast courage and confidence.