I read a post on Reddit that advised people to write down accomplishments, important moments, etc., on strips of paper and put them in a jar. On December 31st grab the jar and a little bourbon and read through your past year. I...didn't do that, although I intended to. I also intended to write a blog post every week, and you can see how well that went. So without further ado, and completely off the top of my head, here are my 2017 list of accomplishments.
- Moved from Biloxi, Mississippi to Charlotte, North Carolina. This was a big one for my significant other and me. Mississippi was very good to us professionally but I wanted to see what path I could carve out for myself in a bigger city.
- Finished my Bachelor's Degree. What a doozy! It still hasn't settled in. Thank you to the University of Massachusetts for a top rate online degree program.
- Passed the Project Management Professional Certification (PMP). This has been on my road-map for a few years. After moving to Charlotte and getting settled in I decided it was time to make it happen.
- Passed the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Another huge certification that's been a pie-in-the-sky goal of mine ever since I first read about it. It's not up in the same rarefied air as the CCIE, but I'm still hugely proud for passing it.
- Went to Chicago! Chicago has been at the top of my list of cities to visit ever since I crossed San Francisco off the list. The pizza was not a let down.
- Tried Pappy Van Winkle...twice - This isn't the first year I tried Pappy's but it's the first time since I learned to appreciate Bourbon and Scotch.
That's all for now. Let's raise some Pappy to 2018!