Personal Goals for 2022

Goals have been updated as of July 27, 2022.

It’s been quite some time (too long, in fact) since I’ve published anything to my personal blog. I remember thinking back in late 2019 that with my new TAM role at VMware, I was going to have the additional time needed to work on creating new content for the #vCommunity, both on this blog and over on my YouTube channel, as well. Unfortunately, I haven’t been very disciplined in that regard, as I’ve had maybe one or two blog posts since then. I also see that my last “Personal Goals” blog post was back from 2019.

With this being the start of a new year, however, I really want to try and get back into creating more content for 2022. My hope is that putting this post out into the world, I’ll hold myself more accountable by sticking with it. Here are some of my other personal goals for this coming year:

✅ Maintain VCP-DCV Certification for 2022 [Completed]

✅ Maintain vExpert status for 2022 [Completed]

✅ Present at another local VMUG meeting [Completed]

⚪️ Create and publish at least 10-20 (or more) new blog posts in 2022

⚪️ Create and publish at least five new YouTube videos

⚪️ Participate in Blogtober, where bloggers create five new blog posts in the month of October

⚪️ Reach 40 hours of community service

At the time this post was published, the applications for the VMware vExpert program are currently open through 28-JAN-2022. If you have questions about the program, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or other vExperts in the community for help. I also encourage anyone who’s currently a vExpert to get their applications in or updated before the deadline. (Even if you’ve not been able to contribute much to the community this year).

I’ll be sure to check back and update this post throughout the year. As always, I appreciate you reading and stopping by!

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VMware vForum Online 2019

If you weren’t able to make it to VMworld US earlier this year, be sure to mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 16th for VMware vForum Online 2019.

What is vForum Online?

VMware vForum Online is a like a mini-VMworld, except that it’s 100% online and doesn’t require all the travel (or travel planning). The day starts with an opening keynote by VMware’s CEO Pat Gelsinger on ‘Tech in the Age of Any.’ Afterwards, there are over thirty (30) breakout sessions to choose from that focus on these three categories: Accelerating Your Cloud Journey, Transforming Networking & Security, and Empowering the Digital Workspace. In addition to the breakout sessions, there are opportunities to chat with fellow VMware experts or choose from a number of related Hands-On Labs. The full agenda can be found here.

My Personal Experience

When it comes to vForum Online, I like to block off my day as if I were heading to a training or other conference event. I set my out of office for the day and find a quiet spot where I can truly attend the online breakout sessions with very little distractions.

Even though I attended VMworld earlier this year, there is A LOT of activity that can pull you away from attending the breakout sessions live and in-person. Sure, they’re recorded, but I find it’s even harder to commit the necessary time to sit down and truly catch up on the sessions I missed or wanted to see. Enter vForum Online.

Although the breakout sessions are streamed virtually, there are still opportunities to ask questions to the moderators and/or presenters. If there isn’t a breakout session that interests you for a particular time slot, head over to the Hands-on Labs and take a test drive of a technology you’ve been meaning to try or learn.

There’s plenty of great content to choose from, too. It’s not all just about Kubernetes, containers, and cloudy things. In looking at the agenda, there are several breakout sessions (and labs) covering vSAN, NSX, vROps, Horizon, Workspace One, Security, and Hyper-converged Infrastructure (HCI).

How Can I Attend?

That’s easy! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 16th from 12:00 – 6:00 EDT (UTC -4) and be sure to register using the link below! Even if you can’t make it for the entire day, at least register and attend the one or two breakout sessions that interest you the most. I look forward to seeing you there!

Register here for VMworld vForum Online 2019!

My Personal Goals for 2019

So… I’m REALLY behind in getting this post published! Last year, I my “Goals for 2018” post was written and published by the 2nd week of January. This year, however, I’ve clearly fallen behind in getting this post out to the world. (BIG ‘Whoops’). It’s been in a draft state since mid- January, but I never took the time to sit down and put the rest of the post together. But, better late than never I suppose.

Last year, I missed the mark on a few of my goals, and I hope this post continues to serve as a reminder of what I hope to accomplish this year. As a matter of fact, because I waited so long to get this post published, I’ve actually accomplished two of the six goals listed, already.

I’m Officially a Pittsburgh VMUG Leader!

Hey everyone! I’ll be kicking off the start of 2019 with some exciting news! I am now officially the newest member of the Pittsburgh VMUG Leadership Team! Though I’m technically the rookie of the group, I’ll be helping the other leaders plan meetings, find venues, coordinate food and drink, find presenters, find sponsors, and of course, set the meeting dates (among other things). I know I’ll need quite a bit of guidance at first, but I also know I have a great team that’s here to help!

So why did I want to become a VMUG Leader? Years ago, when I first started coming to these meetings, I was just as an attendee looking to learn what I could from others. Over time, I kept seeing familiar faces and began making friends. Then in October 2017, I was finally convinced to give a community presentation about how I learned PowerCLI. That changed everything! After that talk, I wanted to:

• Get even more involved in the vCommunity
• Share even more knowledge and experiences with others
• Help others overcome fear presenting in front of others
• Help others grow and excel in their careers
• Attend other VMUGs outside of my region to learn more and meet others
• And of course, continue learning