I Am All Over the Place

In these last few weeks here is a list of what I have actively studied:

• Service Now Certs, specifically Application Developer

• Security+

• Network+

• AZ-104

• Python

• Django

There is nothing inherently wrong with this. Studying and expanding your landscape of knowledge is something that should be admired, but it can come to a detriment to any long-term goals. I am getting caught in the trap of learning everything because I have lost focus.

I’m losing focus because I am going through an Azure Admin Cert course, and some of the topics leave me scratching my head. I’m often confused and I am panicking.

I’ve backtracked and started to research ways to fill the gaps in my knowledge. The Security and Network certs have caught my attention because it helps me understand the concepts in Azure. Service Now, Python, and Django are additional add-ons because I have always been interested in learning them.

This loss of focus is causing me to spiral down a rabbit hole of technologies and certs I might not need. It’s delaying my goal of transitioning to a Cloud Engineer.

Here is what I need to do to get back on track:

1. Realize that is okay to backtrack

   • I am trying to transition into a new career. I have to remind myself that it won’t be done smoothly. Some of the concepts will be foreign to me and I have to be patient in learning them. If I have to re-route my learning then so be it. You don’t want your foundational knowledge to be built on shaky ground.

2. Realize your spiraling

   1. You have to catch yourself before you drift too far off track. I realized I was doing this when I started to dabble with Service Now. It was a “What am I learning this for?” If you can’t answer this question in a way that relates to your end goal. Drop it!

3. Refocus energy

   • Some of the certs and technologies I am learning have no business being in my rotation I have to remind myself what it will take to be a Cloud Engineer. If it is not needed in your goals, it is okay to drop it and then revisit it when you have time!

I am going to continue with learning Security and Network certs. These will help me move along my studies with Azure so that I can feel confident proceeding with the course.

Am I disappointed in this development?

No.

I have a chance to learn something new and it’s moving me closer towards my goal. If your actions do that, you are on the right track!