From about 2012 to 2014, this was my about-me slide at the start of a presentation:
I’d show that and say, “I’m Brent Ozar, a Microsoft Certified Master and MVP. That just means I’ve made a lot of expensive mistakes, and now I try to help other people avoid those mistakes. I cofounded a consulting company with a couple of my best friends, and it happens to have my name on it.” Then I’d go on to the next slide.
In early 2015, we switched to widescreen presentation templates, and for a quick temporary fix, I switched to six boxes:
Yeah, I know it’s ugly – I whipped it together in like half an hour. I was just temporarily putting off a big problem: I needed to find a new way to define myself in a single slide.
Sadly, some of my badges have expired.
Microsoft killed the Certified Master program over a year ago, and it’s clear that a replacement isn’t coming. That’s a shame, but I understand – it was a money-losing program, and like any company, Microsoft’s gotta make money. Microsoft already makes awesomely big community donations in the form of the MVP program.
I’ve got other current Microsoft certifications, but I’m not putting those on the about-me slide. I don’t think people should measure me by those certifications because I’m not wild about what they measure.
I’m taking the book off too. I was proud of my contributions, and I think it’s still a great book to read today, and I’m proud of the book’s reviews, but c’mon. It’s SQL Server 2008, and I can’t coast on that. I definitely won’t be writing another conventionally-published book because the economics blow.
I started by asking, “What am I really proud of?”
I had two quick answers: the huge variety of stuff we’re building at BrentOzar.com, and my work/life balance. Communicating the company is easy, and then I thought, “Why not communicate my personal life with something like my Instagram feed?”
From left to right, top to bottom:
- With Jeremiah and Kendra at é by josé andrés
- With Erika, sailing
- In Cabo at the company retreat
- Teaching at SQLSaturday Lisbon
- With Dad at Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska
- With Ben Block, finishing the Disney Half Marathon
- With Ernie
- With a fellow Parrothead at a Jimmy Buffett concert
- With the America’s Cup trophy
They’re not my 9 favorite moments from life or anything, and they’re not my 9 favorite photos, but they do a good job of explaining me.
And if I don’t respond to your comment quickly, it’s because I’m on vacation with Erika this week. Timed that one pretty well.
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I’ll be curious to hear what you say along with this slide now 🙂
I’ve loved you like my own blood for years. But now that I know you’re a Parrothead, I must disavow you forever.
Kevin – HA!
Interesting take. Not sure how I feel about so many pictures. I like seeing one or two, but it seems a bit overdone to me and distracts from the company stuff on the left.
It’s different, and that’s good. Noticeable. I’ve gone to a simpler format as well. Mine is here: https://voiceofthedba.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/who-am-i/
Steve – thanks sir! Yeah, I like the pictures because it gives the audience’s eyes something to roam over and maybe bond with. Odds are they’ll find at least one likable thing out of the 9, heh.
About yours – I’d actually rather just have one URL, and have all of the other URLs on there. The audience isn’t going to write them all down, so might as well just give ’em one that they might, and then branch off from there.
Did you ever finish your own self published book?
Parvinder – no, that’s still in my Epic Life Quest list of things to do, but I’ve pretty much lost interest in that. The payoff just isn’t there.