About a year after failing to pass the Microsoft 70-411 exam, I decided to rewrite it, and scheduled the exam for November 8, 2016. It was a very challenging year, especially trying to find time to study, and there was a lot of self doubt and worry as to whether I could actually pass this exam when I took the rewrite.
Leading up to this, I decided to change my study habits slightly. Instead of working through each book or course all the way through, I decided to tackle the 70-411 exam by objective. I felt that thoroughly studying each point in each objective, using every resource available to me, would be more effective, as I could allow myself the luxury of taking those 'rabbit trails' deeper into each topic. The notes that came out of those sessions are, I feel, thorough enough to write blog posts, or an entire series of blog posts on, and I might just do that.
I also knew that I needed a lot more hands on practice than what was in the books, so I set up a lab environment, and added new servers as required for each objective. The result was a lab environment with about a dozen servers in it. It was nice to have a sandbox to play in and experiment with.
The final piece to the puzzle was the Microsoft Virtual Academy course: Mastering Microsoft Certification Exam Prep. I highly recommend that anyone taking a Microsoft Certification Exam take this course first. The information in this course was quite valuable, and turns out, was the final push I needed.
I got to the point where I knew I needed to at least take an attempt at the exam, pass or fail. If I passed, great! If I failed, at least I would have an idea as to where I needed to focus on in future study sessions. I scheduled the exam, and made a promise to myself that I wouldn't reschedule it.
I did not study at all during the last few days before the exam. I felt I needed to take the brain break, and knew that the additional couple of days of study weren't going to sway the outcome of the exam very much. It was nice to take a couple of days off without the exam stress.
On the test day, I also didn't stress myself about the test. I just told myself that this is just an attempt to gauge my knowledge. Even during the exam I told myself this several times. At the end of the exam, when I clicked the 'Finish' button, I was happily surprised to see the "Congratulations! You passed!" message on the screen. I must have sat there for over a minute re-reading the message, not quite believing it. To say it made my day would be an understatement.
I am quite happy to see that the couple of changes I made to my study habits made a big difference. Knowing that, I intend to keep using these new methods to study for future exams. I won't say that these methods will work for everyone, but they did work for me. The best I can do, is tell you to find what works best for you, and if you do fail an exam, don't let it take the wind out of your sails.
The next step for me? Taking the third, and final exam for earning my MCSA, 70-412. I must say, I am really looking forward to it!
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Sunday, July 31, 2016
MCSE Studying - Week Ending July 31, 2016
Overview
The study path for 70-411 has been going a lot better over the past two weeks, as I have finally got back into the groove and have found the time to study. I have also validated the fact that studying by exam objective is working out better for me than studying each resource all the way through. Using multiple resources for each objective, sometimes over a dozen different courses, books, and blog posts is working out quite well. It is somewhat luxurious to be able to explore each exam objective thoroughly, gathering every detail possible.
This time round, I have not been going through the objectives in order, but instead, starting with the areas that were identified as my weakest. The confidence level is finally on the rise, and I feel I should be able to take the exam in the next month or so.
Cool Stuff
The coolest thing I covered in the past week was virtual domain controller cloning. When I first got into this objective, I was thinking to myself that it wasn't that big of a deal. Once I started into it, however, I discovered that it is an awesome way to deploy additional domain controllers. It was nice to be able to get one set up, just the way I like, and then be able to clone it. The new domain controller then has the same configuration, folders, updates, and preferences set up, and it only took 20 minutes!
PowerShell cmdlet of the Week
This weeks cmdlet will in fact, be the two cmdlets related to virtual domain controller cloning, along with a few other cmdlets sprinkled in for flavor.
Get-ADDCCloningExludedApplicationList
New-ADDCCloneConfigFile
Here are the basic steps for cloning a virtual domain controller:
Source DC: DC-01
Cloned DC: DC-02
Step 1: Add the source domain controller to the 'Cloneable Domain Controllers' security group
Add-ADGroupMember -Identity 'Cloneable Domain Controllers' -Members (Get-ADComputer -Identity DC01)
Step 2: Check for excluded applications that would cause cloning to fail
Get-ADDCCloningExludedApplicationList
Check the results. If the excluded applications are from Microsoft they will need to be removed. If they are from a third party vendor, check with that vendor to see if the application is compatible with cloning. If not, remove the application, if it is, add it to the user defined inclusion list using the following parameter
Get-ADDCCloningExludedApplicationList -GenerateXML
This adds the CustomDCCloneAllowList.xml to the C:\Windows\NTDS folder (by default)
Step 3: Create the DCCloneConfig.xml file
New-ADDCCloneConfigFile -CloneComputerName "DC02" `
-Static `
-IPv4Address "192.168.2.157" `
-IPv4SubnetMask "255.255.255.0" `
-IPv4DefaultGateway "192.168.2.1" `
-IPv4DNSResolver @("192.168.2.151","192.168.2.152")
Step 4: Shut down the source domain controller
Stop-Computer
Step 5: Copy the source VHD to a new location and rename it to match the new domain controller
Once the copy is complete, you can restart the source domain controller
Step 6: Create a new virtual machine and attach the copied VHD,
$ClonedDC = New-VM -Name DC02 `
-MemoryStartupBytes 2048MB -Generation 2 `
-BootDevice VHD -Path E:\Hyper-V\VM `
-VHDPath E:\Hyper-V\VHD\DC02.vhdx `
-Switch "Virtual Switch - Training"
Set-VM -VM $ClonedDC -ProcessorCount 2 `
-DynamicMemory
Step 7: Start the new virtual domain controller
Start-VM $ClonedDC
At this point, the new domain controller starts up and begins the cloning process.
Step 8: Remove all of the domain controllers from the 'Cloneable Domain Controllers' group
Remove-ADGroupMember -Identity "Cloneable Domain Controllers" -Member (Get-ADGroupMember -Identity "Cloneable Domain Controllers")
That's it! Easy. Although, I do suggest reading through the documentation thoroughly, and practicing in your test environment before trying it in Production.
Studying Stats
Total time studying: 10 hrs. 10 mins.
The study path for 70-411 has been going a lot better over the past two weeks, as I have finally got back into the groove and have found the time to study. I have also validated the fact that studying by exam objective is working out better for me than studying each resource all the way through. Using multiple resources for each objective, sometimes over a dozen different courses, books, and blog posts is working out quite well. It is somewhat luxurious to be able to explore each exam objective thoroughly, gathering every detail possible.
This time round, I have not been going through the objectives in order, but instead, starting with the areas that were identified as my weakest. The confidence level is finally on the rise, and I feel I should be able to take the exam in the next month or so.
Cool Stuff
The coolest thing I covered in the past week was virtual domain controller cloning. When I first got into this objective, I was thinking to myself that it wasn't that big of a deal. Once I started into it, however, I discovered that it is an awesome way to deploy additional domain controllers. It was nice to be able to get one set up, just the way I like, and then be able to clone it. The new domain controller then has the same configuration, folders, updates, and preferences set up, and it only took 20 minutes!
PowerShell cmdlet of the Week
This weeks cmdlet will in fact, be the two cmdlets related to virtual domain controller cloning, along with a few other cmdlets sprinkled in for flavor.
Get-ADDCCloningExludedApplicationList
New-ADDCCloneConfigFile
Here are the basic steps for cloning a virtual domain controller:
Source DC: DC-01
Cloned DC: DC-02
Step 1: Add the source domain controller to the 'Cloneable Domain Controllers' security group
Add-ADGroupMember -Identity 'Cloneable Domain Controllers' -Members (Get-ADComputer -Identity DC01)
Step 2: Check for excluded applications that would cause cloning to fail
Get-ADDCCloningExludedApplicationList
Check the results. If the excluded applications are from Microsoft they will need to be removed. If they are from a third party vendor, check with that vendor to see if the application is compatible with cloning. If not, remove the application, if it is, add it to the user defined inclusion list using the following parameter
Get-ADDCCloningExludedApplicationList -GenerateXML
This adds the CustomDCCloneAllowList.xml to the C:\Windows\NTDS folder (by default)
Step 3: Create the DCCloneConfig.xml file
New-ADDCCloneConfigFile -CloneComputerName "DC02" `
-Static `
-IPv4Address "192.168.2.157" `
-IPv4SubnetMask "255.255.255.0" `
-IPv4DefaultGateway "192.168.2.1" `
-IPv4DNSResolver @("192.168.2.151","192.168.2.152")
Step 4: Shut down the source domain controller
Stop-Computer
Step 5: Copy the source VHD to a new location and rename it to match the new domain controller
Once the copy is complete, you can restart the source domain controller
Step 6: Create a new virtual machine and attach the copied VHD,
$ClonedDC = New-VM -Name DC02 `
-MemoryStartupBytes 2048MB -Generation 2 `
-BootDevice VHD -Path E:\Hyper-V\VM `
-VHDPath E:\Hyper-V\VHD\DC02.vhdx `
-Switch "Virtual Switch - Training"
Set-VM -VM $ClonedDC -ProcessorCount 2 `
-DynamicMemory
Step 7: Start the new virtual domain controller
Start-VM $ClonedDC
At this point, the new domain controller starts up and begins the cloning process.
Step 8: Remove all of the domain controllers from the 'Cloneable Domain Controllers' group
Remove-ADGroupMember -Identity "Cloneable Domain Controllers" -Member (Get-ADGroupMember -Identity "Cloneable Domain Controllers")
That's it! Easy. Although, I do suggest reading through the documentation thoroughly, and practicing in your test environment before trying it in Production.
Studying Stats
Total time studying: 10 hrs. 10 mins.
- 70-411: 10 hrs. 10 mins.
Objectives Covered
IT News, Blogs, and Podcasts
- 70-411
- 5.2.1 - Transfer and seize operations master roles
- 5.2.2 - Install and configure a read-only domain controller (RODC)
- 5.2.3 - Configure domain controller cloning
IT News, Blogs, and Podcasts
- Nothing this week
In Closing
It is nice to finally feel like I am making progress with my studies. I am going try to add a few more hours of study time next week and see if I can complete 1-2 sub-objectives per week. Some will require more effort than others as I am still struggling with these concepts. Others will go very quickly as they are topics that I am quite familiar with and have used regularly. Within a few weeks, I should be able to tell when I can write 70-411.
Have a great week everyone!
It is nice to finally feel like I am making progress with my studies. I am going try to add a few more hours of study time next week and see if I can complete 1-2 sub-objectives per week. Some will require more effort than others as I am still struggling with these concepts. Others will go very quickly as they are topics that I am quite familiar with and have used regularly. Within a few weeks, I should be able to tell when I can write 70-411.
Have a great week everyone!
Monday, May 9, 2016
MCSE Studying - Week Ending May 8, 2016
Overview
I missed last weeks summary, so I will combine them both into this weeks post.
I successfully finished the "Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches" book, though it did take a week longer than I had planned. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of learning the basics of PowerShell and I am looking forward to getting the next book, "Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches". I also spent some time doing some lab maintenance and getting the Windows Server 2012 R2 GUI and Core images patched and ready in order to speed up the deployment of test servers. I also spent a little bit of time learning about Office 365 and studying for the MCSA 70-411 exam.
Cool Stuff
The coolest thing I covered in the past two weeks was the DISM PowerShell cmdlets. I had previously been doing my image servicing using the classic dism.exe utility. I found it to be frustratingly inconsistent in it's usage. During the process of image servicing, I found that dism.exe had no less than three different switches, referring to the same piece of information, depending on what specific task you were performing. I always had to refer to a cheat sheet to successfully make it through the process.
I made a point of learning the PowerShell equivalents for these commands, and found that they are refreshingly easy to use. After just one run through, I was able to do the rest of the servicing tasks without referring to a cheat sheet, or even a help file. The cmdlets referred to the same information by the same parameter in each cmdlet that I used. Go PowerShell! I am becoming a bigger fan of PowerShell every day.
PowerShell cmdlet of the Week
This weeks cmdlet will in fact, be a set of cmdlets. Referring back to the previous section, I thought it fair to post a link to the page for the DISM cmdlets. Also included is a brief overview of the commands I used to add Windows Update packages to the install image for Windows Server. I will cover these steps and cmdlets in more detail over on The Frozen Geek sometime in the next week or so. (link to follow)
DISM Cmdlets
Listed below are the four cmdlets and the parameters I used:
Get-WindowsImage -ImagePath e:\Images\install.wim
Mount-WindowsImage -ImagePath `
e:\Images\install.wim `
-Index 1 -Path e:\Mount
Add-WindowsPackage -Path e:\Mount -PackagePath `
e:\msu\Core -Verbose
Dismount-WindowsImage -Path e:\Mount -Save
Studying Stats
Total time studying: 5 hrs. 5 min.
I missed last weeks summary, so I will combine them both into this weeks post.
I successfully finished the "Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches" book, though it did take a week longer than I had planned. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of learning the basics of PowerShell and I am looking forward to getting the next book, "Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches". I also spent some time doing some lab maintenance and getting the Windows Server 2012 R2 GUI and Core images patched and ready in order to speed up the deployment of test servers. I also spent a little bit of time learning about Office 365 and studying for the MCSA 70-411 exam.
Cool Stuff
The coolest thing I covered in the past two weeks was the DISM PowerShell cmdlets. I had previously been doing my image servicing using the classic dism.exe utility. I found it to be frustratingly inconsistent in it's usage. During the process of image servicing, I found that dism.exe had no less than three different switches, referring to the same piece of information, depending on what specific task you were performing. I always had to refer to a cheat sheet to successfully make it through the process.
I made a point of learning the PowerShell equivalents for these commands, and found that they are refreshingly easy to use. After just one run through, I was able to do the rest of the servicing tasks without referring to a cheat sheet, or even a help file. The cmdlets referred to the same information by the same parameter in each cmdlet that I used. Go PowerShell! I am becoming a bigger fan of PowerShell every day.
PowerShell cmdlet of the Week
This weeks cmdlet will in fact, be a set of cmdlets. Referring back to the previous section, I thought it fair to post a link to the page for the DISM cmdlets. Also included is a brief overview of the commands I used to add Windows Update packages to the install image for Windows Server. I will cover these steps and cmdlets in more detail over on The Frozen Geek sometime in the next week or so. (link to follow)
DISM Cmdlets
Listed below are the four cmdlets and the parameters I used:
Get-WindowsImage -ImagePath e:\Images\install.wim
Mount-WindowsImage -ImagePath `
e:\Images\install.wim `
-Index 1 -Path e:\Mount
Add-WindowsPackage -Path e:\Mount -PackagePath `
e:\msu\Core -Verbose
Dismount-WindowsImage -Path e:\Mount -Save
Studying Stats
Total time studying: 5 hrs. 5 min.
- PowerShell: 3 hrs. 50 min.
- Office 365: 15 min.
- 70-411: 1 hr.
IT News, Blogs, and Podcasts
- Blog - Keeping it simple – Line breaks in PowerShell
- Vlog - Tuesdays with Corey: Azure Container Service GA Announcement
- Vlog - The Ops Team #018 - "Bruised Banana"
- Podcast - PowerScripting Podcast - Episode 314 – Live
- Vlog – The Ops Team #019 - "Studio Upgrade"
- Vlog - Thursdays with Corey - the new ALIAS feature of AzureCLI
In Closing
I had a great couple of weeks finishing off "Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches". It deserves a lot more than the brief mention that I am making here, so I am contemplating doing a full review of the book in a separate post. To be brief, however, I will say that the book was awesome!
Next week, I will be starting back into my studies for 70-411, and I will be setting a date for writing the exam. Now that the lab environment is set up (more or less) the way I want it, it should serve as less of a distraction from this point forward.
These posts will hopefully become a little more frequent, as I firmly believe that reviewing my studies a week at a time like this helps to solidify the information in my brain. Learning is something that I am enjoying thoroughly, and I am finding it easier than every to focus in on my studies. I don't see that ever changing, and I hope all of you are also adopting a philosophy of life-long learning. So, on that note...go learn something!
Have a great week everyone!
I had a great couple of weeks finishing off "Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches". It deserves a lot more than the brief mention that I am making here, so I am contemplating doing a full review of the book in a separate post. To be brief, however, I will say that the book was awesome!
Next week, I will be starting back into my studies for 70-411, and I will be setting a date for writing the exam. Now that the lab environment is set up (more or less) the way I want it, it should serve as less of a distraction from this point forward.
These posts will hopefully become a little more frequent, as I firmly believe that reviewing my studies a week at a time like this helps to solidify the information in my brain. Learning is something that I am enjoying thoroughly, and I am finding it easier than every to focus in on my studies. I don't see that ever changing, and I hope all of you are also adopting a philosophy of life-long learning. So, on that note...go learn something!
Have a great week everyone!
Sunday, April 24, 2016
MCSE Studying - Week Ending April 24, 2016
Overview
I have opted to slightly change the way I track my studying. One change will be to post the weeks results based on "Week Ending", rather than a numerical week number. Another change I will be making is to separate out the studying from my efforts in keeping up on IT news, blogs, and podcasts. I will still be including both topics here, just listed individually.
This week was probably the first full week back at studying that I have had in a while. It has been quite hectic, both at work and at home, therefore, my studies have suffered a bit. Things are still quite busy, but I have decided I am going to have to become a master of scheduling, and work with the busy schedule, instead of surrendering to it. I expect it will take several weeks to master this time management, and once I have, it will still take constant vigilance to maintain.
This past week was almost exclusively about PowerShell. I spent the last couple of weeks going through the "Learn PowerShell 3 in a Month of Lunches" book. I have tried to finish this book several times over the past year or so, but I always managed to get distracted. No more! I have made it most of the way through the book, with only 5 chapters left to cover. This past week I covered Chapters 19-23. I expect that next week will see the book completed.
Cool Stuff
The coolest thing I learned about this week was scripting with PowerShell. I really enjoyed learning how to take a series of commands and put them into a reusable script. If that wasn't enough, I also learned how to parameterize the script so that certain variables can be entered at run time, set up the script for taking advantage of the help system, and finally, add the ability to utilize CmdletBinding to add even more power to the script! Very cool, exciting, and useful. I already have plans for two scripts that I can use at work to make life easier.
PowerShell cmdlet of the Week
This small, unassuming cmdlet stood out a little this past week:
Read-Host
This cmdlet allows you to add a prompt for input from the user. With the addition of the -Prompt parameter, you can add some detail for the user about what you would like to have them enter. Say for example, you want to prompt the user for the computer name, and assign it to the variable $ComputerName. Simply enter the following:
$ComputerName = Read-Host -Prompt "Please enter the computer name"
It then displays the following:
Please enter the computer name:
I like the fact that the -Prompt parameter automatically appends a colon to the end of the prompt.
Studying Stats
Total time studying: 3 hrs. 15 min.
I have opted to slightly change the way I track my studying. One change will be to post the weeks results based on "Week Ending", rather than a numerical week number. Another change I will be making is to separate out the studying from my efforts in keeping up on IT news, blogs, and podcasts. I will still be including both topics here, just listed individually.
This week was probably the first full week back at studying that I have had in a while. It has been quite hectic, both at work and at home, therefore, my studies have suffered a bit. Things are still quite busy, but I have decided I am going to have to become a master of scheduling, and work with the busy schedule, instead of surrendering to it. I expect it will take several weeks to master this time management, and once I have, it will still take constant vigilance to maintain.
This past week was almost exclusively about PowerShell. I spent the last couple of weeks going through the "Learn PowerShell 3 in a Month of Lunches" book. I have tried to finish this book several times over the past year or so, but I always managed to get distracted. No more! I have made it most of the way through the book, with only 5 chapters left to cover. This past week I covered Chapters 19-23. I expect that next week will see the book completed.
Cool Stuff
The coolest thing I learned about this week was scripting with PowerShell. I really enjoyed learning how to take a series of commands and put them into a reusable script. If that wasn't enough, I also learned how to parameterize the script so that certain variables can be entered at run time, set up the script for taking advantage of the help system, and finally, add the ability to utilize CmdletBinding to add even more power to the script! Very cool, exciting, and useful. I already have plans for two scripts that I can use at work to make life easier.
PowerShell cmdlet of the Week
This small, unassuming cmdlet stood out a little this past week:
Read-Host
This cmdlet allows you to add a prompt for input from the user. With the addition of the -Prompt parameter, you can add some detail for the user about what you would like to have them enter. Say for example, you want to prompt the user for the computer name, and assign it to the variable $ComputerName. Simply enter the following:
$ComputerName = Read-Host -Prompt "Please enter the computer name"
It then displays the following:
Please enter the computer name:
I like the fact that the -Prompt parameter automatically appends a colon to the end of the prompt.
Studying Stats
Total time studying: 3 hrs. 15 min.
- PowerShell: 3 hrs. 15 min.
IT News, Blogs, and Podcasts
- The OPS Team – Episode 17
- Early look at containers in Windows Server, Hyper-V and Azure – Mark Russinovich
In Closing
I feel a bit better about my studies now that I am back into them. Next week, I plan to finish the last few chapters in the "Learn PowerShell 3 in a Month of Lunches" book, and get solidly back into my MCSE studies as I prepare to retake the 70-411 exam.
Have a great week everyone!
I feel a bit better about my studies now that I am back into them. Next week, I plan to finish the last few chapters in the "Learn PowerShell 3 in a Month of Lunches" book, and get solidly back into my MCSE studies as I prepare to retake the 70-411 exam.
Have a great week everyone!
Friday, March 4, 2016
Just One of Those Perfect Days
I've had an absolutely amazing day! No, really, I mean it. You know, the kind of day where everything goes right, and the entire day feels like it keeps getting better and better.
It started in the morning, after a really good night of sleep. I woke up a full forty-five minutes early, feeling completely rested, and discovered that my beautiful wife was also awake and ready to start the day. No groggy start, wishing that we could sleep in more. Nope, just a great, high energy start to the day!
After arriving at work, and taking care of some minor issues, my amazing day continued as I started into a server upgrade. It felt really good to be back in the role of a sysadmin, even if it is just a short term project. I have really missed this kind of work, and I am extremely thankful that I have been given this task to work on. The upgrade work was engaging, fun, and helped the day to pass quite quickly. I was almost sad to see the end of the work day.
In the middle of my work day, my wife and I decided to meet for lunch at a favorite buffet here in town. It was nice to be able to go out and have lunch with her without the kids interrupting the conversation, or even the silence. I will admit, I probably ate way too much! I just about had to roll out of the restaurant. I felt good though. I had a great lunch, and had a chance to spend some quality time with my wife.
After work, the day continued to improve, as myself, my wife, and kids were treated to dinner by a really good friend who was in town for a couple of days. The fact that she chose to spend that time with us, when I know she had a lot of work to do, really meant a lot to us. We had a chance to catch up and have a few laughs. Thank you! We all had a wonderful time!
So, here I am, at the end of my day. A day that I am thankful that the Lord has provided for me. I'm still feeling really good about the day. I had a great start, a chance to be a sysadmin again, ate way, way too much food, and had a wonderful time with family and friends. All in all, it was just one of those perfect days that you can treasure for years to come.
It started in the morning, after a really good night of sleep. I woke up a full forty-five minutes early, feeling completely rested, and discovered that my beautiful wife was also awake and ready to start the day. No groggy start, wishing that we could sleep in more. Nope, just a great, high energy start to the day!
After arriving at work, and taking care of some minor issues, my amazing day continued as I started into a server upgrade. It felt really good to be back in the role of a sysadmin, even if it is just a short term project. I have really missed this kind of work, and I am extremely thankful that I have been given this task to work on. The upgrade work was engaging, fun, and helped the day to pass quite quickly. I was almost sad to see the end of the work day.
In the middle of my work day, my wife and I decided to meet for lunch at a favorite buffet here in town. It was nice to be able to go out and have lunch with her without the kids interrupting the conversation, or even the silence. I will admit, I probably ate way too much! I just about had to roll out of the restaurant. I felt good though. I had a great lunch, and had a chance to spend some quality time with my wife.
After work, the day continued to improve, as myself, my wife, and kids were treated to dinner by a really good friend who was in town for a couple of days. The fact that she chose to spend that time with us, when I know she had a lot of work to do, really meant a lot to us. We had a chance to catch up and have a few laughs. Thank you! We all had a wonderful time!
So, here I am, at the end of my day. A day that I am thankful that the Lord has provided for me. I'm still feeling really good about the day. I had a great start, a chance to be a sysadmin again, ate way, way too much food, and had a wonderful time with family and friends. All in all, it was just one of those perfect days that you can treasure for years to come.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Blogging Consistently - I'm Doing It Wrong
Well, here we are, 33 weeks since my last blog post. I was trying to post regularly, usually on a Sunday evening, but that seems to have stopped, and I'm not sure why. It is possible I became too busy or perhaps disorganized. Either way, I'm not going to dwell on the past. What's not done is not done. It's time to move on!
It is once again the new year. I slept through the transition of the arbitrary point in Earth's orbit that we call New Years Eve. Seriously. It's a completely arbitrary point. It marks neither the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, nor the closest point of the Earth in its orbit around its star. Please do not misunderstand what I am trying to say, as I'm not really complaining. I am simply stating that it's just an arbitrary point. It doesn't really matter when the new year starts. Calendars are just a convenient way to track the passage of time and to ensure you don't miss important events, like the start of the new season of Doctor Who.
All that being said, I will not be setting a whole new batch of resolutions. I kind of like the one I have; 1280x1024. That's a little geek humor for you. What I will be doing, is reaffirming my current goals, as they have not yet been met, nor abandoned. Progress on achieving them continues, albeit slowly.
The first goal is to earn my MCSE: Server Infrastructure certification on Windows Server 2012 R2. I did pass Exam 70-410 in April after a little confusion at the test center. Unfortunately, that was the only exam I passed in 2015. I failed exam 70-411 in September. The passing grade was missed by one question. To say that failing this exam took the wind out of my sails is an understatement. For a day or so, I considered packing up, pulling my boat out of the water, and selling it. Thankfully I did not choose to quit. I picked myself up and I took a look at the results, which include the weak areas I need to work on. After reading that list, I nodded to myself and thought "I agree with this list.". Since then, though, I have not been tackling my studies full time, so I am still not quite ready to retake the exam yet. I soon will be, then it will be on to exam 70-412.
My second goal was to find permanent, full-time employment. I haven't found that yet, but do I have a full-time term position at a local college. The people and work are a good fit for me and I am happy to be working, helping others, and applying my skills to the daily challenges. Will I find that permanent position this year? I don't know, but I am ever hopeful. Who knows what this year will bring.
I'm not sure which motivational phrase I'll use to get through the challenges this year, but here's a few good ones: "Don't panic" "Never give up, never surrender." "Geronimo!" "Do, or do not. There is no try." Any, or all of these are "Fantastic!". Regardless, I do plan to continue blogging on a more regular basis, and I will also be resuming the posts about my progress in my MCSE studies on Sunday this week. So, stay tuned, and as always, thank you taking the time to read my musings.
Have a great week!
It is once again the new year. I slept through the transition of the arbitrary point in Earth's orbit that we call New Years Eve. Seriously. It's a completely arbitrary point. It marks neither the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, nor the closest point of the Earth in its orbit around its star. Please do not misunderstand what I am trying to say, as I'm not really complaining. I am simply stating that it's just an arbitrary point. It doesn't really matter when the new year starts. Calendars are just a convenient way to track the passage of time and to ensure you don't miss important events, like the start of the new season of Doctor Who.
All that being said, I will not be setting a whole new batch of resolutions. I kind of like the one I have; 1280x1024. That's a little geek humor for you. What I will be doing, is reaffirming my current goals, as they have not yet been met, nor abandoned. Progress on achieving them continues, albeit slowly.
The first goal is to earn my MCSE: Server Infrastructure certification on Windows Server 2012 R2. I did pass Exam 70-410 in April after a little confusion at the test center. Unfortunately, that was the only exam I passed in 2015. I failed exam 70-411 in September. The passing grade was missed by one question. To say that failing this exam took the wind out of my sails is an understatement. For a day or so, I considered packing up, pulling my boat out of the water, and selling it. Thankfully I did not choose to quit. I picked myself up and I took a look at the results, which include the weak areas I need to work on. After reading that list, I nodded to myself and thought "I agree with this list.". Since then, though, I have not been tackling my studies full time, so I am still not quite ready to retake the exam yet. I soon will be, then it will be on to exam 70-412.
My second goal was to find permanent, full-time employment. I haven't found that yet, but do I have a full-time term position at a local college. The people and work are a good fit for me and I am happy to be working, helping others, and applying my skills to the daily challenges. Will I find that permanent position this year? I don't know, but I am ever hopeful. Who knows what this year will bring.
I'm not sure which motivational phrase I'll use to get through the challenges this year, but here's a few good ones: "Don't panic" "Never give up, never surrender." "Geronimo!" "Do, or do not. There is no try." Any, or all of these are "Fantastic!". Regardless, I do plan to continue blogging on a more regular basis, and I will also be resuming the posts about my progress in my MCSE studies on Sunday this week. So, stay tuned, and as always, thank you taking the time to read my musings.
Have a great week!
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