University of Calgary – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Graduation Day: Relational Databases

So back in October I had described my journey to earn a shiny new Certificate in Relational Databases. With all the craziness that has occurred in Calgary in the last few days, I didn’t get around to this post, but on Wednesday, the day before the flood, I had my graduation ceremony.

Truth be told, I wasn’t sure I was going to go. But after discussing with Sony, she made me realize that I had to go. Of course, for the occasion itself and the celebration of completing the courses, but we actually thought that the fact I was graduating would be entertaining. Anyone who knew about this certificate would remember that it wasn’t the most fun undertaking. I was happy to be doing the courses, and the first few were great (fundamentals of relational databases and SQL querying 1 and 2). But administration wasn’t quite my thing, and business intelligence turned out to be one of the most poorly delivered classes I’ve ever taken. After the disaster that was BI (i.e. it received the worst feedback ever for the ICT department of continuing education), the certificate in relational databases was discontinued and replace by a certificate in database administration. And I completed the certificate using tuition support from the university, and because of the availability of the credits and the timing of the courses, the certificate took over a year to complete! In any case, there was a certain hilarity to all of it. Also, since my friend Paul graduated recently with a PhD, I thought I could ‘one up’ him with my certificate. In order to do so, I had to attend the ceremony 🙂

So I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sony and I arrived at the Red & White Club at the Olympic Volunteer Centre and we were surprised by what we saw. A lovely banquet area with chairs set up for a ceremony; refreshments with space for a full reception afterwards; and the number of people in attendance. There were so many families there- individuals with proud significant others and spouses; mothers and fathers who had worked hard while raising a family to get a leg up in their industry; recent immigrants to Canada upgrading or developing skills in order to successfully enter the workforce; and business leaders gaining extra credentials to help them in their careers. Looking around I felt proud to be among the graduates. Even though there’s a certain hilarity in my own path to getting the certificate, it was amazing to see many proud individuals around me, all celebrating lifelong learning and continuing advancement. Dr. Elizabeth Cannon, president of the University of Calgary, was there to shake hands, as well as Scott McLean, Director of Continuing Education. I guess it was nerves, but apparently I ran across the stage in lightning speed! That’s okay, I went back afterward for a photo with the two.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening. The ceremony was great, and the selection of food, drinks and snacks at the reception did not disappoint. Maybe it’s time to restart my journey for the Spanish language certificate! Let’s just say it didn’t go so well the first time…

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

“Congrats Son!!! They say a rolling stone gathers no moss.” That’s what my dad wrote me when I sent the family news about a change that’s happening…

Today is my last day with the Alberta Kidney Disease Network (AKDN) at the University of Calgary. Although I am excited for the opportunity to come, I am sad to be leaving such an amazing group of academics, researchers, colleagues and friends. I have spent the last several weeks wrapping up studies, transitioning tasks, and documenting several details that my brain has accumulated over the last few years. Over time, my workspace had become a reflection of me, so it was interesting and a bit disconcerting to clean it and remove all of my personal belongings. It has also been strange to hear that my computer and accounts will be deprovisioned and my access will cease at the end of today. It all just seems so formal and official. Well, I guess it is pretty official… today IS my last day :S.

It’s crazy to think that 3 years and 8 months ago, I boarded a plane, suitcases in hand, to start a job in Calgary. I remember telling people that I was moving, and they proclaimed, “You’re finally going somewhere hot!” Well, not really. In fact, Calgary was never on my radar until I stumbled upon a posting for an analyst position with the nephrology group at the UofC. After a quick phone interview and some reference checks, I was offered a position. At that time, I was also offered a comparable position in Toronto, but given that I have an odd yearning for adventure, Calgary seemed like the better choice, for me. I told myself that I’d give it 6 months to a year. Little did I know that the decision to uproot myself and head to Calgary would be one of the best ones I’ve made. At this rate, it could be a while before I return to the GTA. Crazy!

As for where I’m going…

During the summer, I came across an opportunity for a Senior Analyst position in Chronic Disease Management Provider Education within Alberta Health Services (AHS, the health authority for Alberta). I can’t quite remember how I found the posting, or why I was looking in the first place, but after reading the description, something told me that I should send in my CV. So I did. Months passed by and I kind of forgot about it…

One morning in mid-October, as I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for work, my phone rang. It was someone from AHS wanting to arrange an interview a few days later. It was a funny conversation exchange, since I was literally in the middle of brushing my teeth, so after the initial introduction, my muffled response was “I’m brushing my teeth. Can you hold on a second?” What followed was an interesting few weeks, with an interview at the AHS Southport office, some further discussions, and eventually an offer of employment. I weighed the pros and cons heavily, but in the end, the opportunity was too good to pass up. And now I start next Monday. Yikes!

I truly believe that my experience with the AKDN has been amazing, and I could never thank my bosses enough for taking a chance on me. It’s quite the risk to hire someone over the phone! I have watched the research group grow from fairly humble beginnings to the research powerhouse it is now, with many analysts, trainees, knowledge translation personnel, principal investigators, and staff. I have met some of the most genuine people who I can truly call my friends, and although I know I will continue to see them, it won’t be the same without the random chats in the hallways, the intellectual stimulation of a multi-faceted team, the collaboration within the group, and the walks to the cafeteria for lunch. I’ll miss YouTube video breakdowns, the judging of workplace attire, and the general jokes, ridiculousness and hilarity. Working with the AKDN has also provided amazing opportunities to take courses at the University of Michigan, attend the SAS Global Forum in Las Vegas, return to Guelph for the SSC, and travel to Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax. These trips have helped me grow professionally, but have also affected my life in very significant ways :). Lastly, I couldn’t have asked for a better boss and mentor, Brenda. She has been such an incredible role model in many ways, and has supported me in my professional growth at every step, including this change. Even though she did not want to see me go, she is happy knowing that I will continue to grow in my career and be challenged. I have ambitious goals of working my way up to the management level, and I know that if I can emulate Brenda, even a little, I will do okay.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the last few years so special.

There was a day last week, as I was driving to work, when I couldn’t help but notice how pretty everything looked. Snow had fallen the night before and so the trees had a generous dusting of snow. I love that look. And then I began to feel kind of sad and anxious because I realized that I would not be making that drive much longer. But sometimes change is a good thing, and I am quite optimistic that this new venture will be an amazing one. It’s similar to the feeling I had when I decided to move across the country for the unknown and trust that it would all work out in the end. And so, I’m nervous about the upcoming transition, but I’m excited nonetheless. A rolling stone gathers no moss :). I’ve always liked that saying. Moss is kind of icky anyway.

SQL Database What?

This may or may not depict how I feel right now.

I’m sitting in my database class right now. That’s right. I’m in class. I will attempt to focus for the next 3 hours (6 pm – 9 pm), but I make no promises. Actually, as I write this, my instructor is discussing something about how SQL server uses FILESTREAM, which stores data in a shared folder outside of the database, but SQL stores the location pointer in the database. Awesome! (Actually, I bet that description is completely wrong. That’s what happens when you don’t pay attention, ha!).

SQL Server Administration class. Coffee is neccesary.

You see, the class I’m taking is Microsoft SQL Server Administration, which is part of my Certificate in Relational Databases through the University of Calgary. I’m all about learning and stuff. The first two courses in the certificate were related to SQL programming. At work, my statistical and database programming is done using SAS, and I can use the SQL procedure for my data manipulation. It makes life easier. So the first two courses were very helpful. However, SQL Server Administration? Say what? Exciting topics include installation and configuration, database management, SQL security, backup and restoring, automation, server monitoring, and high availability. Basically, I’m learning things that I probably won’t ever use, but I think they’re good to know. You never know when or what information will come in handy! For example, apparently it’s not a great idea to put your database on the C: drive. Makes sense I guess :). And a question was just asked- What are the important reasons for a transaction log? My answer: [Umm…. thinking… thinking… nothing]. Correct answer: backup, restore, and performance. Well then… *shrugs*… close enough. Obviously, I need to pay more attention.

Wrong answer. Close enough.