2010 Goals

I’m really excited about 2010. Things are changing and I’ve never felt more sure about the direction of my career and personal life than I do now. So to kick things off, I’m posting a list of my 2010 goals and I’ll track them through out the year with the 2010Goals category.

The goal criteria is, it needs to be measurable and attainable within 2010.

1. List and read every book I’ve purchased that I still own

   This is a challenging goal because I have a ton of books I still need to finish or read. I love books and when I find a good one, I buy it. The problem is I pushed off reading a bunch of them, telling myself I would read them later. This goal will insure I finally get to them.

2. Build a hobby robot with my son

   I’m into hobby robotics and my son loves robots as well. He seems to be into building things and this would be a perfect project for both of us. Maybe it will help pick up toys

3. Teach my kids the abacus

   The abacus is amazing and it’s proven to improve mental capabilities, plus it’s easy and fun. If you want to know more, just do a search for abacus on YouTube.

4. Give at least 5 presentations for any .NET based event or user group

   I enjoy speaking about technology I’m passionate about. The challenge is I don’t speak enough and I should. So even though I set this goal at 5 presentations, I hope to do more based on time, availability, etc.

5. Take an active role in the .NET community

   I need to become more active in the community, so this goal translates to, obtain a position within a .NET user group. I will contribute to the community in many other ways, however this will insure I consistently provide support to the community through out the year.

6. Read at least 2 books on mortgages or home loans

   I recently became employed by Quicken Loans and this goal is to help me understand that domain and industry.

7. Become a MCPD (Microsoft Certified Professional Developer)

   I find they are a great way to define and drive the direction of my career. The technology landscape is continually changing and I need to insure I do as well.

8. Take at least 2 general education courses for college

   I need to get this party started. I’m looking forward to taking a ton of math, finance and business classes, however I need to start with my gen eds.

9. Get more F# in my life

   Almost forgot this one, but this year I’m going to get more F# in my life. I’ve had a small taste of functional programming and I want more. Also, F# seems to be the coming up language of choice for developing finance solutions.