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2022 in review

2022 over already. Time truly is flying. It’s been such a busy year and by the time that Christmas came around I was very ready for a break.

2022

What did I get up to?

I’m not going to dwell too much on the details of 2022, rather look at the highlights and whether I achieved the goals I set out for myself.

I collated some numbers to see just how busy I’d been. These numbers dwindle in comparison to some in the community, but I’m really pleased that I managed to get as much as this done. Something to build on in 2023.

I was fortunate enough to see other parts of the world on 3 occasions in 2022.

With my partner, we took a summer holiday to the Canary Islands - it was lovely to spend some time together relaxing and explore somewhere new. It’s something we try and do at least once a year, as her job in healthcare requires taking the opportunity to properly switch off from time to time.

I visited Turku and Helsinki in Finland for the EMEA Summit of AWS Ambassadors. It was such a unique experience and great to connect with some real industry experts, sharing knowledge and experiences from within the AWS ecosystem. Rounding out the year, I attended re:Invent in Las Vegas. I’m still trying to figure out how to process the spectacle that is Las Vegas - however the conference itself was brilliant, I really enjoyed catching up with lots of different people, including some that I’d met online but never in person.

Did I achieve my goals?

At the start of 2022, I set myself a motto for the year as well as three goals, to help guide my personal and professional activities throughout the year. Let’s look at how I did against those.

I set myself the motto of: “Be someone that others go to for knowledge.” I am fairly comfortable in saying that I achieved this to an extent. I had opportunities made available to me during the year, where people reached out to me rather than me applying to them. I’m so proud that I’ve reached this point and the first time that it happened was such a surreal moment. Imposter syndrome for sure!

I wanted to increase my depth of knowledge by studying for and achieving more AWS certifications. Of the 4 that I wanted to pass, I managed two of them (Machine Learning Specialty, Security Specialty). A shame to not have got more done, but it gives me something to aim for in 2023.

I wanted to share my knowledge by applying for the AWS Community Builder program in January when it opened. As well as this I wanted to increase the cadence of blog posts and speaking. I’m pleased to say that I was accepted into the Community Builder program and am now coming up for 12 months. Not only this, but I also became an AWS Ambassador - something which wasn’t on my radar for 2022 but has opened lots of doors.

I wanted to expand my network by engaging with more people on Twitter and in general AWS communities, to get more opportunities to help other people upskill themselves to where they want to be.

Looking ahead to 2023

This is the year when I can no longer hang on to being in the first half of my 20’s - the ripe old age of 26 is incoming!

Much like last year, I’m going to set an overall motto for the year with supporting goals that enable it. This is inspired by Allie K. Miller’s Goal Planning Template.

I don’t want to treat these mottos as exclusive to each year. I don’t want to stop trying to “be someone that others go to for knowledge” just because it’s no longer 2022. I see these as cumulative.

I’m looking forward to grasping new opportunities with both hands and seeing where my career takes me next.

Motto

Become a better version of myself, in order to further my ability to support others.

Goals

Be healthier (physically and mentally)

Increase my depth of knowledge

Learning is a crucial part of progressing in the world of tech, so this goal makes a re-appearance for 2023. I’d like to do the following certifications:

I’m not motivated by wanting to complete all the certifications (the fabled golden jacket isn’t exactly to my taste), but they will give me a professional challenge and some directed learning throughout the year - plus they’ll automatically re-certify some of my expiring ones!

Be more creative as a content creator

Towards the tail end of 2022 I experimented more with forms of content production other than blog posts, such as podcasts and videos. I’d like to try those more in 2023, in addition to live streams.

Commit to a cadence

In 2023, I want to commit to publishing 26 blog posts - one every two weeks. I plan to release these on a Wednesday, with the first coming on the 11 January.

Do more to support others

Something I want to do more of (and believe that we should all try to do) is supporting people get into the world of cloud, especially if they’re from backgrounds that makes it more difficult. I’m not just talking about problems with IDE&B, but also those switching careers as well as students. I’m still figuring out how to get started with all of this, but I’ll be sharing ideas as soon as I’ve got them!