Hi guys,
It’s been tough to get myself to start writing blog posts again after holidays and vacation, but, finally, I am here, so let’s do this.
2020 was a challenging year for all of us. Unlike most countries, in Estonia, quarantine restrictions weren’t that severe, and most of the facilities were functioning normally (with some restrictions).
Career
Nevertheless, I was mainly working from home this year. I am not sure about others, but it boosted my productivity. In March 2020, I started working at Ericsson Estonia as a Scrum Master. That month was the toughest during corona time, so I started a new job virtually. I even met most of my colleagues after 2-3 months. Although it was hard to get to know people onlinenand this type of communication had its disadvantages, it allowed me to streamline all my focus and time to work. There were minimum outside distractions; I didn’t have to get ready to go to the office, choose the outfit, catch a bus or freeze in the office building etc. I was waking up, wearing my sweatpants, pouring some tea and just getting to work. Another advantage, I was always on time for meetings (I am not that punctual usually). In the end, my company recognized me for my extraordinary impact on business at my yearly evaluation (check out my post about my journey on the way of transforming my department creating cross-functional, dedicated teams for better flow and delivery of value to customers).
New people, new experiences
I met so many new people last year, and it was great to get to know my colleagues, especially my team. I hope they think the same when I say that we had a lot of fun together, even virtually 😊
Learning new things
There was fun, and there was learning. I learned A LOT this year in my new job. My eagerness to learn even more led me to decide to apply to a new position last year. So, currently, I am working as a Test Product Owner at Ericsson Estonia. Hopefully, more challenges and learning experiences are ahead of me in 2021.
Professional certifications
Another thing that happened last year was that I got three new professional certifications:
- PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) was one of the most important ones for me as I worked hard to get it, didn’t want to fail.
- Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO I). I already have PSM I certification, and as I wanted to continue my career as Product Owner/Product Manager, I decided to take this exam. If you have PSM I, then it would be easier to pass PSPO I, so go for it (you can read my blog post on how to prepare for PSM I certification).
- Ericsson Certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. This course was great, and I am sure it will prove useful in my current position as my company is applying and improving Lean-Agile WoW continuosly.
Gandalf the White
I got a cat! His name is Gandalf the White, and he is the best cat in the world. I dreamt about having a cat for a while now, so this was huge for me. He brought so much joy in my life, especially during quarantine days.
Dancing
I tried dancing this year. It was a nice experience, I gained a lot of confindence and positive energy out of it. However, I think it’s not my thing. I’ll try to find some new hobbies in 2021.
Mental health
Mental and phisycal health were hot topics of my last year contradicting each other. I tried to go to the gym, even hired a personal trainer. It started good but mental health stuff got in the way, so it is on hold right now.
Victory year
2020 was important not only for me but for my homeland Azerbaijan as well. I won’t go into details, but 2020 is a victory year for my country as we finally got back what belonged to us, and, hopefully, established peace in the region. I am proud to be Azerbaijani. My heart will always be in Baku, in the city where I was born. Rest in peace, martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the peace and prosperity of their homeland.
Personal website
Finally, I launched my website and started writing blog posts! Will try to write more often though.
2021 resolutions
- Eat more healthy food. As I am stress eater, this has been a struggle, so I’ll try to fight the urge for snacks and fast food.
- Exercise. Finally, use my gym subscription and get those abs.
- Be successful in my new position. Do my best to succeed and gain experience.
- Start my own courses. I would like to launch Agile trainings this year. Let’s see how it will go.
- Read more books. Honestly, I have a long list of books piled up which I need to start reading.
- Stay away from negativity and toxic people. My New Year’s Eve experience taught me a lesson. I must get rid of all the negativity in my life, starting from people who only bring the worst in me. So, this year, these people won’t be in my life anymore.
- Learn to drive. Ashamed to admit this, but I still can’t drive a car. So, I must learn in 2021.
- Cultivate friendships. Being in another country (countries) for a long time destroyed some of my friendships, and some just faded away. I want to try to keep in touch with my old friends and make new friends in Estonia.
- TRAVEL. I hope that this would be possible in 2021. I need to discover so many places yet!
Indeed, there are more things that I’ll try to do next year, but those were the highlights so far. I hope it was an exciting read; I wish you all to have a great 2021, so that all your resolutions, goals and dreams will come true!
Cheers! Ayten