This is a random collection of thoughts on personal development, both in and out of the workplace.
Developing your skillset
Jeff Hunter has a very nice post on the relevance of certification called Does Certification Matter Anymore? The comments section includes some of my own thoughts.
On a more general note we all have to make choices about whether to try and progress our skillsets or stick with what we have. I’m reading and learning constantly, but now and then I start “the next big push” and for a moment I’m filled with dread. The more I learn the more I understand the process of learning and the more I realise there are no short cuts. The only way to understand something is to chip away at it until it all makes sense.
Putting yourself on the line
The first time I posted on a forum I was terrified. I watched the thread for ages waiting to see if someone trashed my answer, which they did. My choices were to (a) stop posting or (b) get myself up to speed and try again. I picked (b).
The same thing happened again when I started to write articles for my website. I hate to think what rubbish is still lurking on my site, but at the time I wrote it I believed it to be true…
Even after all these years it’s still happening to me. I’ve just sent out a batch of books all over the world to get reviewed. I could have picked people who would say good things out of loyalty to me, but instead I picked people who would tell me the truth. If the reviews say the book is rubbish I would rather people didn’t waste their money on it. If the reviews are positive then I know I’m moving in the right direction. Either way these reviews will have a positive affect on my life. This conveniently links into my next point.
All experiences are good
The dedication in by book reads,
“This book is dedicated every person I’ve met, every place I’ve been and every event I’ve experienced.”
OK, it sounds a little cheesey, but I believe it’s true. Sometimes even the worst situations turn out to be the source something good.
I carry a small effigy of Ganesha, a Hindu deity who is known as “the remover of obstacles”, a well-timed present from a friend. Ganesha is part man, part elephant, part God and part demon. Now the interesting thing about Ganesha is that he also places obstacles in your path, as a way of teaching you a lesson. I’m not a religous person, but I love what he represents. We can learn a lot about ourselves by our reactions to both good and bad situations.
Acknowledge your ego
We all have an ego. It’s a contributing factor in our desire to progress. I heard this quote a few years ago,
“To deny your own ego is the most egotisitcal thing you can do.”
I can’t remember the source, but I think it’s pretty neat. I guess we all need to keep our egos in check from time to time 😉
Closing statements
I have two quotes to round off this post. The first is from a great sage called Jeff Hunter who said,
“Can’t we all just get along?”
I don’t know where I got this next one from, probably some hippy Yoga teacher,
“Life’s a journey, not a destination.”
Cheers
Tim…
Thanks for the links.
I’ve said it before, but I believe you have to treat your career as a business. You offer your services for a price. If you want to expand you business you have to either take on more work or become more efficient at what you do. Part of that process is learning and keeping current so your business stays marketable.
I watched the thread for ages waiting to see if someone trashed my answer, which they did. My choices were to (a) stop posting or (b) get myself up to speed and try again. I picked (b).
I lurked on DBASupport.com for a couple months until someone posted that you had to add more redo logs to avoid an ORA-1555. I was safe in knowing that they were wrong, but I’ve been corrected several times where I have commented out of my knowlege realm. Still, the education process of trying to debug another person’s problem is priceless.
We all have an ego.
I don’t have an ego. I know because I am always right. 😉
LOL
dear sir
Myself is Aman Sharma.I am a student of Masters in Computer Science.I have read your posts over several blogs.I really liked the way you present and say your point.Its good to see that you like karate(I too,got my Ist degree Black-Belt long time back).I am an OCP DBA(9i) too.At the start I had an impression that OCP is really the last thing to be done to be a knowledgeable professional in the world of Oracle.But my thinking was changed all the sudden when I started it.Oracle is so much vast,so much in-depth that it will take for anyone quite a time to call him/herself know the in-hows of it.Choice of authors,material is very important I think(I guess I was lucky enough that I got on the track lead by the bests in the industry).I dont what I really want to say but I just wanted to share my thoughts.
Oh yes,will you please post about your books?Which area they will cover of Oracle?
with best of luck and best regards and Belated Happy Bday to you.
Aman Sharma said …
Thanks for the encouragement. I’m glad you found the blog interesting.
My website (https://oracle-base.com) contains loads of articles to read. My first book was released recently. It focusses on scheduling and task management. You can check out the table of contents at:
http://www.rampant-books.com/book_2005_1_scheduling.htm
I’m nearing the end of the second book, which focuses on improving the performance of PL/SQL. I guess it will be a few months before it’s published.
The best advice I can give anyone about Oracle is to keep reading and keep trying stuff out for yourself. The more you experiment the more understanding you’ll get.
Cheers
Tim…
Hi sir,
Thanx alot for your reply.Yes I browsed your web-site yesterday and I am going to print all the 10g upgrade exam articles today.I was brought to your site when was reading a blog entry(I cant remember whom:-()it was called the best source for the installation of Oracle.Its a nice,clean and very informative source of Oracle information.
I am not sure that I will be able to get Rampant Press books in India but I will reconfirm today.Wish you all the best for the upcoming one.
Oh yes,I wanted to ask you one more thing.Which style you practise of Martial-Arts?I am assuming you are still in practise as I read your post;-).So any special preparations for 2012 Olympics?
With best wishes and regards
Aman
Hi sir,
Thanx alot for your reply.Yes I browsed your web-site yesterday and I am going to print all the 10g upgrade exam articles today.I was brought to your site when was reading a blog entry(I cant remember whom:-()it was called the best source for the installation of Oracle.Its a nice,clean and very informative source of Oracle information.
I am not sure that I will be able to get Rampant Press books in India but I will reconfirm today.Wish you all the best for the upcoming one.
Oh yes,I wanted to ask you one more thing.Which style you practise of Martial-Arts?I am assuming you are still in practise as I read your post;-).So any special preparations for 2012 Olympics?
With best wishes and regards
Aman
Yes I still do Martial arts. I do Shotokan Karate, which is a traditional Japanese form. It’s a big and some whould say brutish form. Not as elegant and subtle as other forms.
My approach has softened in recent years do to the influence of my Yoga practice. I think this is a good thing, but some insructors would say it not 🙂
Regarding the olympics, I’m going to try and get a TV by then 🙂
Cheers
Tim…
** I’m going to try and get a TV by then** LOL.well said Sir.
I do Shorneo Subukan form.Shotokan,as far as I know is one of the oldest forms that are there and very well structured too.And I am perfectly in agreement with you about Yoga.It really helps in every way to one.
Your articles about Oracle 10g are very nice.Thanx a lot for them.I will be back with my doubts very soon.
regards
Aman
Just read this article posting. though it was way back in mid 2005;
will always be relevant. like your quote:
“Life’s a journey, not a destination.”
Cheers,
Personal Development
In reference to Shotokan, been “in” for number of years, and I do prefer traditional Katas for power as well as general exercise. Some videos of Old Masters doing Kata are at:
http://www.advancingthecurve.com
if you’d like to see the power difference.