#SQLPASS Summit 2010… Here we go again…

Just finished the first night of PASS Summit, and it’s been a great day.  Saw a lot of friends that I don’t get to spend enough time with, and it was a real blessing to talk about all of the changes that had happened in my life over the past year.  It’s hard to believe that nearly a year ago, I was leaving Summit and headed toward a divorce.  Life has changed in the last year, and I think for the better.  I haven’t progressed as much professionally as I had hoped, but nonetheless, I think I’m doing OK.  I’m happy, healthier, and the future looks bright.

I reflected on this a bit this weekend during Brent Ozar’s FreeCon, where I was lucky enough to sit in the room with some very brilliant people, and spend time about what it takes to be a better technical writer.  I enjoyed the experience, and walked away with a lot of rough ideas for future blog posts, and one key thought burning in my brain: I’m not doing enough fun work.

Fun work? Let me try to explain.  As a technical person, I enjoy challenges, and I especially enjoy learning new ways to solve problems.  I’ve spent a lot of time in my career solving problems, but unfortunately (and I think it’s due in part to personal issues I’ve faced over the last year), I’ve lost my way a bit.  I believe that a technical person should spend at least 10 hours out of a 40 hour work week learning something new (fun work); my balance isn’t there.  I probably spend 38 hours out of the week doing work that needs to be done, but isn’t really fun anymore; my goal is to change that balance over the next year, and to find ways to enjoy my career again.

I’m still fleshing out what this means to me as a blogger, but I’m excited about the possibility of mastering my craft.   Hopefully, I can use this blog as a vehicle to take me there.