It’s the last day of 2014, so I just have to take a look back at the ride it has given me. So let’s have one last look at some very special moments of the last 12 months.
My first published tech book!
When I was studying for my Master of Computer Science at the University of Twente I quickly became the hostess for the “Thea studeert techniek” introduction days. These days were all about promoting technical studies to senior high school girls and showing how computers could be used to support business processes. I had so much fun sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm with these girls and seeing how simple examples of using computing power spun new ideas in their heads as well. Sharing my knowledge has been a returning theme ever since, with numerous in-house presentations and master classes along the way.
So when I was approached by Packt Publishing and asked if I was willing to write a technical book I knew there was only one answer. What better way to share my Citrix XenApp knowledge with the entire community than to write it down in a Citrix XenApp 6.5 Expert Cookbook.
By the end of January the big moment was finally there and I got my first book published. That was a very proud and special moment to kick of 2014!
Spread the word!
Most definitely 2014 is the year of the presentations! After two very nerve racking first public appearances at the Dutch Citrix User Group (DuCUG) and E2EVC in late 2013, I really got the hang of it this year and discovered how much fun presenting can be. So this year I signed up for even more events to present my knowledge.
- Citrix User Group UK: An updated StoreFront presentation
- Citrix Synergy 2014: A Citrix XenMobile session
- E2EVC Brussels 2014: A Citrix XenMobile masterclass
- E2EVC Barcelona: A Citrix ShareFile presentation
(teamed up with Sander Bierman)
(teamed up with Karen Sciberras, Martijn Hulsman and Rink Spies)
(teamed up with Martijn Hulsman and Rink Spies)
I loved presenting at CUGUK due to the wonderful interaction with the audience. And teaming up with Karen, Martijn and Rink made some great magic happen between me and them during the presentations that got me even more excited about presenting!
But being selected to present at Citrix Synergy was such a great honor and does mark another very special moment for 2014.
Where did my energy go?
The first symptoms of feeling a bit tired after my book got published were ignored by me. I thought I just needed to catch up on my sleep. Unfortunately planning in extra sleeping hours did not recharge my batteries as expected. After Synergy and my summer break I didn’t have much energy left and had a wake-up call (pun intended 😉 ). It eventually took a sleeping test in the hospital to figure what was going on. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder that prevents me from recharging those batteries at night.
Luckily there is a cure that brings out the nerd in me 🙂 … I now have my very own Darth Vader sleeping device that aids me during the night and ensures I can recharge those batteries and get my energy back up.
Even with my struggle to keep my energy level up this year, looking back at 2014 still shows an impressive track record. And I am very proud of all my achievements.
So these last two months of 2014 have all been about regaining a normal energy level and even though I’m making progress I’m not quite there yet. That doesn’t stop me however from making new ambitious plans for 2015. With a renewed energy level sharing my knowledge will be fun again, so be ready for some great blogposts, presentations …. and who knows …. I might just add another book to the list 😉
So let’s see what the right energy level, enthusiasm and technology fun can do for 2015 🙂
Esther has been working in different roles and functions as an IT consultant ever since she finished her Masters degree in Computer Science in 1997. She has worked as a web developer, database administrator, and server administrator until she discovered how Server-Based Computing ( SBC ) combined servers, desktops, and user experience in one solution. Esther has been specializing in virtualization solutions such as SBC, VDI, application, and server virtualization for over eight years now and is currently working as a Senior Consultant at PepperByte, where she designs and implements Citrix® solutions for both small-business and large-enterprise infrastructures scaling from 100 to 15,000 users.
In january 2014 her first book Citrix XenApp 6.5 Expert Cookbook was published by Packt Publishing.
Esther is awarded as a Citrix Technology Professional (CTP) from 2015 - 2017.
Esther is awarded as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in 2017.
Esther is a Citrix Certified Expert – Virtualization (CCE-V), Citrix Certified Professional – Mobility (CCP-M), Citrix Certified Professional – Networking (CCP-N) and RES Software Certified Professional (RCP).