Thinking Paragraphs

25/02/2024: The right job will find you

I think I spent most of my 20s being in a rush. I was always in a hurry. To finish my studies, to do a PhD, to finish that PhD, to get a job, to get a better job, and a better job etc. Covid slowed things down, but what wasn’t impacted from Covid. In the past few months, I worked crazy hours daily and spent most of my free time upskilling and applying for promotions. That all familiar rush and restlessness were officially back. Did I get that promotion? Absolutely no. Have I used any of my new skills? Also no. But did I get my dream job? Surprisingly, that, I did! In an unbelievable series of impossible events - that would take much longer than a paragraph to describe. So now, I have a new theory, while I purposefully try to spend my days calmer: the right job will find you.

17/02/2024: The magic of Power BI

Recently a colleague pointed out that many people, including me, light up when they talk about Power BI. This made me think why. I got introduced to Power BI at my first job post-PhD. Yes, it was pure joy! Millions of rows, years of data entries; they danced and sang their stories in my Power BI reports. It would either take few clicks or few fun hours of building cool data models to answer the most complex questions. Loved it. Second-job PhD; same story. Publishing stuff on Power BI Service and having colleagues going “Wow!”. Power BI provides an opportunity for your users to explore the data for themselves. This means that I can watch other people have that beautiful ‘aha’ moment when data becomes a story and everything clicks together. This is the magic of Power BI!

21/01/2024: New Year, new certification

I am very pleased to say that I passed the Microsoft PL-300 exam, which means I now hold the Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification. Certifications are often listed as desirable or even essential criteria in job ads. Having worked extensively with Power BI, I wanted to improve my knowledge and add this credential to my CV. I started my preparation in Oct 2023. Microsoft Learn is a great starting point. There are also many videos, articles, and blogs of people who went through the process sharing their own hints and tips. Although in the beginning it felt like a daunting experience, I am very pleased that I have now successfully gone through it. I obtained my certification in Jan 2024. Looking back, it now somehow feels like a pleasant experience. I am considering having a go at some more certifications. Maybe 2024 should for me be: New Year, new certifications.

21/12/2023: Wrapping up the year with a website

“I loved working with Quarto for our project and I discovered you can actually build websites with it. I am now building a website for me!” I shared with my colleagues. I was expecting them to be impressed, which I think they were, but then, a brave one asked: “What do you, actually not you in particular, I mean anyone, might need a website for?”. Yes, I had a no clue. Although that did not go well (at all!), I built the website, and here it is: ta-daa! This is my way of wrapping up the year, even though I am still not sure what I will do with it. I always wanted to have one and now I do. I’ve built it based on resources I found online, and I am happy to help if you contact me. Happy Holidays everyone!