The +1 Is Now Done...

 My MCSx journey has come to an end. I previously wrote about obtaining MCSE: Data Management and Analytics., and I have now finished up the one test that I didn't have to take, but just wanted to take. Yesterday, I completed 70-761 to earn a second MCSA. I know it's actually a lower cert than the MCSE I just earned, but I already paid for the study materials and the voucher to take the test. 

My original goal was to take the tests for the two MCSAs and combine them into the MCSE, but that got re-prioritized to just aim for the one MCSA then the MCSE. And to be honest, I originally thought that I could take this test without any effort. It's on SQL Development, which I've been doing for many, many years. I thought I'd just take a practice test to see if there was anything I needed to work on and then go in and take the cert when I did the first test. 

So I took the practice test and got a 36%. Talk about an ego-buster. I was extremely disappointed in myself. I'm not sure what I did, but that test got immediately de-prioritized and moved to the back. I pretty much wrote it off so I could focus on the others that I actually needed to do. 

After I passed the first two, I ordered the study materials for both 70-762 and 70-761 together, since I got a discount for getting both at the same time. I set the 761 book aside and didn't look at it until I finished the MCSE. 

After Christmas, I pretty much decided I had a month until Microsoft retired the exam, and I had already bought the stuff, so why not. If I borked it again, no biggie; I'd already spent the money. It was very nice to have absolutely no pressure on this thing. 

I used pretty much the same study method I used for the other tests. 

Study materials:
Udemy Courses
MeasureUp tests - which was the practice test that I did so horrible on
Microsoft Press Exam Ref books
Exam Skills
Microsoft.com Exam Reference

MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Development

This test was difficult, but mostly because of some of the answers weren't very good answers. There were several questions that required me to write out the query, that weren't difficult, but were time-consuming. There were other questions that had correct answers that used old-style ANSI 89 JOINS, like SELECT * FROM x,y ..., that absolutely drove me nuts. I really should have left a comment on those questions, but the cert is being retired in a couple of weeks anyway. Meh.

When I submitted the test, I knew I'd passed it this time, but wasn't sure by how much. I crushed it: 900. I feel slightly vindicated for the horrible practice test score. 

I didn't need to take that test, but it added one more cert to my resume. In addition to the previous MCSE: Data Management and Analytics and MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Administration, I now also have a MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Development.  

Just in time for retirement. 

Welcome to 2021! I actually got stuff done this year!

2020 was definitely a year to remember. We made it through, but it's been an adventure. 

January and February weren't too bad. I got to lament about the things I didn't accomplish in 2019. Or 2018. Or 2017. Or.... you get the picture. I also participated in T-SQL Tuesday #122 about Imposter Syndrome. - I need to write more about this topic. I finished January on a high note: I got accepted to talk at Into The Box 2020 down in Houston. Golden Hammer: Confessions of a Recovering Database Abuser

But then March came along and set a different pace for the year. 

> March 3. I woke up around midnight to a tornado that came less than 1000 yards from my house. I watched that broadcast on Channel 5 News while it happened, and saw the radar moving towards my house. I didn't realize exactly how close it was. It moved through quickly but destroyed large parts of Nashville and left us with no electricity for over a week. We were lucky. We lost most of our trees, including part of one that landed on my wife's car, but no severe damage to our house. We had to spend the week in a hotel, but a lot of people in town lost their entire houses or businesses. There was lots of damage, including a lot of damage at the school my wife teaches at. 

>> Then COVID lockdowns hit. People needed to clean up storm damage, but nothing was getting done. 

>> Later in March, I changed to W2 @ SysPlus from 1099 contractor with ISPA. 

April - 

>> I finally bought a new office chair. My old chair made it almost 20 years. Not too shabby. 

May - 

>> Adobe ColdFusion Developer Week - online 

>> Into The Box was supposed to be live. This was going to be my first time speaking. But thanks to COVID, the conference was changed. Many conferences cancelled outright, but Ortus did an amazing job putting together a very nice virtual conference. I still got to speak, and this was to be the first of this year's online conferences. I missed seeing some of these people, but I'll catch them when we can be in person. Regardless, it was a lot of fun. Thank you, Ortus. 

June - 

>> On June 3, my wife and I have been married for 25 Years. We had grand plans for our Silver Anniversary, but thanks again, COVID. Hopefully we'll be able to do something next year. 

July - (Birthday month!)

>> T-SQL Tuesday #128. 

>> I bought a pool. Then began the wait for installation. 

>> I got traded. I ended the contract with SysPlus and started a new contract with Jacobs. All without ever leaving the same seat I've been in since the end of 2016. The life of a Government Contractor. :-)

August - 

>> August 13. The pool is installed! Finally

>> August 17. Back in to the office. 

>> August 27. And back to working from home. Thanks yet again, COVID.

September - 

>> Time to begin winterizing the pool. :-(  At least I got to swim for a little bit before it started getting too cold.

October - 

>>  Microsoft 70-764 test 1 for MCSE.  -- Took several days to get scheduled, but I got it done and passed the test.

>> Renewed my Flight Instructor Certificate again. https://www.acecfi.com

November - 

>> Vote for President. And then the drama that followed.

>> CF  Summit - Online  -- Day 1 & -- Day 2

>> Nov 26 back to 50% staff. Only come in as needed.

>> Microsoft 70-765 test 2 for MCSA & MCSE  -- I got in and passed this test, but on the day I came in to work, I got exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID. I tested negative, but it was still a little worrisome for a few days. 

December -

>> Advent of Code is live. I wanted to do better than I did last year. Technically I did; I made it to Week 7. But I would have liked to have gone a bit farther. Next year, I hope to finish up some of these exercises from previous years. https://github.com/shawnoden/aoc

>> Microsoft 70-762 test 3 for MCSE -- So I did a thing...  

>> I finished off the year as a winner in our =VX9= Holiday Raffle. I won an Asus 1080 video card, which is older, but still a good card, and a pricy prize. Thank you, =VX9=. ONE TEAM!!!

We made it through the year without an alien invasion, so next year can't be so bad. Right?

On to 2021.