In the beginning...

So, I've decided I fancy keeping a blog to talk to myself about how things are going as I throw myself in at the deep end of learning new stuff. So, for anyone who comes across this and has no idea whats going on, or for myself in the future who has actually had a brain meltdown and forgotten, heres where I am now.

I started working for Red Gate Software just over 4 months ago as a Customer Service Rep. Since then I have discovered the wonders of PowerPivot, started to investigate into the intricacies of SQL and signed up to learn C#. I have the opportunity to choose between learning to be a tester, or going into Business Intelligence, which is, I think, the side that now appeals more to me (hence the blog title). Or, being Red Gate (who are awesome) I could probably decide to learn to do both.

Except my brain might explode.

Might be a risk I'm willing to take though - could be interesting along the way.

So, at the moment, I am collecting an impressive number of books on my desk, and at some point I even have vague plans to read them. I have been watching a series of lectures from Stanford University that will hopefully teach me the basics of Databases (and if I keep up with the actual course that the uni is running I can even get a little statement saying I did it, which would be cool - and hopefully not overly taxing). In 2 weeks I start my C# course, and a week after that I go on holiday, where I think I will not allow myself to look at any of this stuff. Its the first holiday I've had in 6 years, and I intend to spend it relaxing.

As a CSR, things aren't hugely interesting, I keep an eye on what the sales guys are up to, I put information up on the whiteboards, and I spend a lot less time doing it that I think they expected me to. This means I have plenty of time each day for more interesting projects, so I think a run down of what I have at the moment might be cool. Here it is:

• Develop a dashboard that provides at a glance information about the sales activity and results
• Analyse the sales figures over the past couple of years to try to find out what works and what doesn't
• Try to establish the sales patterns and how downloads then process through to become income.
• Learn SQL
• Learn C#
• Learn about databases
• Learn about Testing

So I have a fair bit on. I don't mind this at all, as its great to be learning stuff, and its wonderful being in the sort of environment where they encourage this.


I am getting really positive feedback and I think I have some amazing opportinities here, and hopefully will have moved into a Business Analyst role pretty soon. Theres one currently advertising, but I understand they are wanting someone who knows what they are doing, however after that they will be looking at getting a graduate in - which I could easily be in spite of lacking the degree part, thanks to being an internal candidate. That would be dinstinctly awesome. I feel like I'm suddenly starting to have career options opening up to me which I never really considered before, and its a really good feeling!

Enough for today. This week I've not got any major things to get done, but Zara (my counterpart) is on holiday so I'm keeping an eye on her stuff too, which is a little distracting. On Friday I get to be a film extra for a company ad campaign, so that should be pretty interesting too. Maybe they can manage to get a half decent picture of me!