It’s been an interesting year
Security alerts, Cyber threats, Fake news, and more critical patch updates than you can shake a stick at. Robots are competing in the job market, A.I is looming, and cold air from the far north is sweeping across the land. Whether it was a good year, a bad year, or nothing too impressive, it’s just about over now. The new year is coming fast. Are you smarter than you were a year ago at this time? Hopefully, the answer is yes if you put any effort into improving your skills, knowledge, and confidence level. Now you can set down some goals for next year. You can also reflect on your hopes for next year.
New Year Goals
One of my goals is to continue to improve and refine my command line skills for both Linux and Windows. It’s the same goal every year, but I know I can continue to improve as operating systems and applications are further developed …..which is inevitable if such technologies remain relevant. Amazing enough will be the number of outdated operating systems that remain in operation. Over complex and poorly understood system designs will continue to frustrate many. Buzzwords will be bantered about as opposing views on remote vs local support, maintenance, and storage are pondered. Computer hardware and software skills will still be required in many industries, but knowing more about the core business these components support will also be crucial. Sadly this is often overlooked. If you are reading this then you most likely already know this. Will this all change next year? Probably not. Will more people drop Windows and move over to Linux and OSX? Some might, but most won’t, so you’ll still need to sharpen your “Microsoft” skills unless you’re adamantly opposed to all things “Windows”. Good luck with that. Most of the generic questions and issues techs get presented with are based in the Windows realm.
Sometimes Windows and Linux techs working together enhance each other’s skill sets and often the customer or end-user is the beneficiary. I guess that’s a plug for “work with others” it isn’t always as painful as you may expect.
If you can navigate your way through all the “Fake News” (technology related of course) and Silo building you may encounter, plus sharpen and learn new skills, you should do well next year.
You don’t need anyone to tell you how good you are at anything. You know how good you are. That’s the bottom line. Resist the urge to speak when often it’s more productive to listen. Learn from any and all mistakes you or others may make, and try not to stress out too often. Make next year a great year whoever you are or wherever you are. Practice, practice, practice, it might just pay off in ways you don’t foresee. You can always improve your skills. The trick is to avoid wasting time and energy on the technology you’ll never use or won’t encounter often. Distractions are everywhere. Know your strengths and weaknesses, but also be realistic about your limitations. Try to get the most out of what you already have. Your “experience” is often an asset, but getting more out of less is a skill. Re-read some of those tech manuals that are still relevant. My best advice though will be to take a break once in a while. Enjoy all the non-tech parts of life. Take time to unplug and recharge.