The year 2017 was great for me. A lot has happened that I’m very grateful for in 2017. As always, a person has ups and downs during the year, but it is important to focus on the ups to set the new year on a positive tone.
Life
The biggest change and best change in 2017 for me was the birth of my third child in February 2017. That caused the house to become very busy with three children around. I also have to do better planning to find time to keep up with technology changes and reserve time for programming like getting up at 05:00 in the morning before everyone else is awake.
I can recommend getting up early in the morning to do some research and programming while your mind is fresh after a good night’s rest.
Technology
As always, the exciting world of technology is ever-changing. A lot has happened in 2017 that makes me excited to learn constantly. In 2017, I focused on increasing my knowledge around Microsoft ecosystems like Azure, Office 365 and dotNet Core developments. I have learned a lot through the year to build better solutions on the Microsoft ecosystem.
Another aspect was trying to keep up with the Web front-end frameworks like Angular and React. It is difficult to keep up, but it was great to see the development of each framework and rapid releases of Angular and React. All I can say is choose wisely which web framework to use that will solve your solution problems.
Every year I try to learn a new programming language. Not to become an expert in the language but to understand the constructs and design thinking around the programming language. In 2017 it was the Elixir programming language, and I was very impressed by Elixir and recommend everyone to play around with the Elixir programming language.
Another area of focus for me was around increasing my knowledge and understanding around architecture at the Enterprise and Software level. At Enterprise Architecture level it was around getting deeper knowledge in information architecture and governance. In Software Architecture it was the design and usage of micro-services with containers. I almost want to say that micro-services with containers are a silver bullet to building solutions, but things can change. It is to great benefit to learn at these two different levels of architecture to understand and see the bigger picture in the architecture landscapes.
Work
In the last four and half years, I have been working in the chemicals and paints sector which was a great experience and to see how the usage of paints, chemicals, and technology comes together to create a better world for all. In October 2017, I started to work at a new employer in the aviation sector. So far it has been a very interesting journey and again a lot to learn about the aviation sector. Technology and aviation work together to make it easier for people to see the world and goods to become available everywhere in the world. I’m excited to be part of the aviation sector and contribute to improving the systems.
Studies
My initial ambition to get certifications in certain aspect did not come to reality since I was over-committing myself. The highlight for me was in starting and participating in the master class in Enterprise Architecture of the Netherlands Architecture Forum. This course was an eye-opener and has given me more insights and new perspectives on implementing and using Enterprise Architectures. Some of my learnings in the study I will write articles about in the coming months in 2018.
Focus for 2018
What is my focus in 2018? In 2018, I want to focus more on stability and not over-committing myself to keep track of all technology changes. From a life perspective, I want to continue improving my personal productivity.
In technology side, I want to focus on Angular, dotNet Core and Azure. Additionally, I want to learn more about Kubernetes to orchestrate containers. As mentioned earlier every new year I would like to pick up a new programming language to learn. In 2018, I will focus on the Rust programming language. I have poked around the last couple of weeks in Rust and looks like a very interesting programming language. Maybe it will replace my love for the C# programming language. 😉
One extra study focus for me would be Cloud Security Architecture certification. I believe that every developer and architect should get some form of security certification. Especially what is happing around security breaches in the world, it would help all to build better-secured systems.
Summary
In summary, I’m excited to see how technologies will change over the new year and affect our lives. Hopefully for the greater good. There are many developments I still want to get into like block-chain, AI, and quantum computing. For now, I will hold off until 2019 when these technologies are more matured. What is your focus for 2018?
