Posts on John Bowersox

2024 – Year in Review

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The year 2024 is now in our past. Let’s take a look back.

Faith

Continued Growth! I continue to enjoy watching the faith of my wife and children grow and mature. God continues to grow and stretch my faith. Over the past year I have really been struggling with finding my purpose - especially at work. Insight and direction have started to become more clear during the month of December - looking forward to what God will reveal!

End of an Era

Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It’s probably around 8:30AM ET on Wednesday, February 7, 2001 as I drive up to the main entrance of the IBM Southbury Campus. I spent the previous two days in my new hire orientation at the IBM Learning Center in Armonk, NY and it’s now my first official day as an IBMer. I’m both nervous and excited to start my career as I sit in the lobby waiting for someone on my team to come and get me.

GitHub Certified: Advanced Security Resources

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

After passing the GitHub Administration exam, I started studying for the GitHub Advanced Security exam. I chose the Advanced Security exam based on topics I was discussing with my customers at the time. I wanted to prove that the effort I put in learning about this subject had given me the knowledge to pass the exam. Full disclosure - I was able to take this exam at no cost through my employer.

GitHub Certified: Administration Resources

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I learned that GitHub was offering certifications some time in early 2023. Even though I work at Microsoft, I missed the initial announcements as they were directed at GitHub partners. Being a Microsoft employee I was also eligible to take the exams. Full disclosure - I was able to take these exams at no cost through my employer. Since joining Microsoft, upskilling on GitHub has become a required skill as more and more of the customers I work with are using the platform to support their DevOps initiatives. It was time to prove to myself that I had the knowledge to pass the exams.

From WordPress to Hugo

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been writing on this site in some form since July of 2011. I’ve had multiple restarts, but I’ve always used WordPress to power the site. As of today that has all changed. I’ve migrated the site to Hugo.

Why Hugo?

Below are a few reasons:

Speed - The site will be much faster loading from static pages and no longer have to rely on dynamic generated content and a database backend.
Cost - Storing the site on GitHub and utilizing Azure Static Web Apps should reduce my yearly hosting costs.
Markdown - I’ve been meaning to get more familar with Markdown for years. From this point forward writing articles will force me to use the syntax (no more excuses).
DevOps - I’ve been meaning to upskill with GitHub and GitHub Actions. I’ve be using both to publish the site going forward forcing some much needed learning.

What’s Ahead?

I’ve completed the content migration and plan to write one or two articles per month going forward. I’m going to continue concentrating on certification and have a few articles already planned on some certifications I earned last year. I’ve also got plans to earn some other certifications this year which I plan to write about as well.

2023 – Year in Review

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The year 2023 is over and done. Time to look back.

Faith

As a family our faith continues to grow. I have enjoyed watching the faith of my wife and children grow and mature this past year. God continues to grow and stretch my faith and performed a miracle late in the year after one of my brother-in-laws was injured while at work.

My friendships have gotten deeper and I thank God for the Christian men He has allowed me to be in relationship with. I played on the church softball team for my second season – injuring myself again this time later in the season and different muscle (make sure you stretch as you get older). I continue to serve on the tech team and have expanded my responsibility to additional areas.

How I'm Getting Stuff Done in 2023

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Back in January of 2021 I posted about the Tools I use to Get Stuff Done. Since then I have continued to make choices and decisions in order to slim down and reduce the number of devices and tools that I use.

Below is my updated list of devices and tools that help me manage my personal life along with some rational to support the decision.

Microsoft Certification Advice for 2023

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

January 2023 is behind us, and February 2023 is already almost half over. Time feels like it goes by faster and faster the older I get. As tech layoffs continue, now may be the best time to review your current career skillset and work towards Microsoft (or other) certifications that you have been putting off for a while.

For those looking at certification in 2023, I wanted to provide some advice on how to plan and move forward.

2022 – Year in Review

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Our first full year in North Carolina has ended. Making the move from NJ to NC was without a doubt a great decision for our family. We’ve settled into our new home and neighborhood, made some great friends, and found an incredible church.

Time to look back.

Faith

We have found a great church in our community. I’ve been able to make friends with Christian men of all ages which has been a blessing. I played on the church softball team in the spring – injuring myself in the first game but getting back into it a few weeks later (make sure you stretch as you get older). I’m serving on the tech team putting my skills to good use at the church and during Sunday worship services.

Azure Certified: AZ-700 Resources

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been three weeks since I passed the AZ-700 exam to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate certification. I’ve been spending increased time researching Azure Networking services due to recent customer requests, so I decided it was time to validate that knowledge.

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the AZ-700 exam as of Q3 2022, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official SC-900 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

Microsoft Certified: SC-900 Resources

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been just over six months since I passed the AZ-140 exam to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty certification. During that time, I made the decision to have a deeper look at the Microsoft Security Stack in response to priority changes with some of the customers that I currently support. I chose the SC-900 Exam to gain foundational knowledge in the areas of Security, Compliance, and Identity.

One Year at Microsoft

Tue, 17 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

One year ago today, I joined Microsoft. It’s hard to believe that a full 365 days have already passed.

As I reflect on the past year, I believe I’ve grown a lot as a person through the challenges, opportunities and support I’ve received.

CHALLENGES

REMOTE WORK: I am 100% remote working from my home office (master bedroom). It’s been a year and I still have not met anyone on my team in person. As the world appears to be moving back to what we all used to know as normal I’m looking forward to some travel and meeting people in person.
OFFICE SPACE: I was hoping that my dedicated office space would be completed by now. Unfortunately, it has taken more time than anticipated to find trusted contractors to handle some of the more complex work. I’m hopeful that I’ll be in that space by the end of August.
SKILLS: Azure continues to add new services and features. Keeping up with the constant change as well as the differences between our Public and Government Cloud Offerings could be a full-time job.

OPPORTUNITIES

CUSTOMERS: Based on the needs of my organization I quickly picked up some customer contracts. It took some time to fully understand the business and teams I would be working with. A year in I can now say that I have forged some great working relationships and believe that I provide real value to those I work with.
TEACHING: Part of my current role involves running training opportunities for our customers. These can be anything from formal classroom type training with specific material, proof-of-concepts, workshops, etc. I find this part of my role to be the most enjoyable.
LEARNING: Microsoft is huge on encouraging learning. The required corporate and role-based training is particularly good and better than what I have gone through with previous employers.
CERTIFICATIONS: As a full-time employee I get the benefit of taking free Microsoft Certification Exams. Since joining Microsoft, I have taken five exams and added five new Azure certifications to my list.

SUPPORT

MANAGEMENT: Not much to say here – my management team is awesome. As a new employee they have been super supportive of the needs I have had over the past year.
TEAM: My role as a Customer Engineer falls into the Individual Contributor category. While I can handle many of my assigned engagements via my own knowledge (and the occasional Bing/Google search) my team is always ready to jump in to lend a hand, answer a question, or just provide some social interaction.
FAMILY: Working from home full time while my wife homeschools our two children can prove to be a bit of a challenge at times. Listening and understanding have been the key. We have made it work and we are a stronger family for it.

I can’t wait to see what my second year at Microsoft will bring!

2021 – Banner Year in Review

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

2021 has finally ended. If I had one word to describe this year, it would be CHANGES.

While the COVID-19 pandemic continued to disrupt many areas of life across the globe, it honestly had negligible effect on the amount of change my family and I experienced this year.

So, what is included in all these changes I mentioned? Let’s look back at a few of the highlights:

Azure Certified: AZ-140 Resources

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been a few months since I passed the AZ-500 exam to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate certification. I’m still working towards the non-Microsoft Azure certifications I mentioned in my last certification journey post but based on some of my customer work over the last few months I decided to take my first Azure Specialty exam to validate my knowledge and skills on the Azure Virtual Desktop service.

Azure Certified: AZ-500 Resources

Sat, 03 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000

After passing the AZ-400 exam to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert certification, I decided to delve into the world of Azure Security and work towards the final certification on my initial “want to get” list.

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the AZ-500 exam as of Q2 2021, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official AZ-500 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

Azure Certified: AZ-400 Resources

Sat, 26 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

After passing the AZ-204 exam to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification, I decided continue on the “developer” path to get a better handle on modern practices like continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD).

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the AZ-400 exam as of Q2 2021, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official AZ-400 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

Azure Certified: AZ-204 Resources

Sat, 19 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

After passing the DP-900 exam to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals certification, I decided that it was time to get a better handle on what developers experience when working in Azure using the various tools and service available to them.

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the AZ-204 exam as of Q2 2021, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official AZ-204 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

Leaving New Jersey

Fri, 28 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The picture above was taken earlier today from our neighbor’s driveway. This is the place we have called home for the past 17 years.

This small 1100 sq ft house was our first family home purchased two years after we were married. Our oldest daughter was eight when we moved in. Our 15-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter have only known this house as their home.

The home is vastly different now from what we moved into back in 2004. Every room has been updated – floors replaced, walls removed, new cabinets, new appliances. The final project was a facelift in the main bathroom right before we decided to list the house for sale.

My First Week at Microsoft

Sat, 22 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve just finished week one as a Senior Customer Engineer (CE) at Microsoft and wanted to document how I thought things went.

Preboarding

Before I start to document week one, I want to talk about the preboarding process prior to my first official day.

Most preboarding tasks were handled remotely via email and several online tools. I was able to complete most of the standard company background check online. I did have to schedule a 15-minute appointment 20 minutes from our home in New Jersey just over the border into Pennsylvania to complete the identity verification component.

Azure Certified: DP-900 Resources

Mon, 10 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

After passing the AI-900 exam to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals certification, I decided to continue with my Microsoft Fundamentals Certifications detour. My interest in data and analytics took me down the path towards the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals certification.

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the DP-900 exam as of Q1 2021, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official DP-900 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

My Last Day on Mars (Incorporated)

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Today – Friday, April 30, 2021, was my last day with Mars Incorporated.

I started my journey as a Martian on Tuesday, October 16, 2007, at the Mars Information Services building located in Mount Olive, New Jersey.

I had spent the previous seven years working for IBM (as my first career job out of college) supporting the Internal IBM Account and then AMEX. I was going to be working for the IT segment of a CPG company. How different could the day to day really be?

Azure Certified: AI-900 Resources

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

After passing the AZ-303/304 exams to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Solution Architect Expert certification, I decided it was time to take a slight detour to have a look at the other Microsoft Fundamentals Certifications. My interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) took me down the path towards the Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals certification.

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the AI-900 exam as of Q1 2021, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official AI-900 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

Azure Certified: AZ-304 Resources

Sat, 03 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the AZ-304 exam as of Q1 2021, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official AZ-304 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

Passing the AZ-304 exam provided me with:

Azure Certified: AZ-303 Resources

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the AZ-303 exam as of Q1 2021, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official AZ-303 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

Passing the AZ-303 exam provided me with:

I Completed 75 Hard

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I first heard about 75 Hard through a random conversation in December with my friend Jason. A friend of his was working through the program and posting progress pictures to Instagram. Jay mentioned that he was not interested in seeing those types of photos in his feed and we had a good laugh over the entire thing. On my way home that night I decided that I wanted to investigate 75 Hard for myself to see what it was all about.

Azure Certified: AZ-104 Resources

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the AZ-104 exam as of Q1 2021, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official AZ-104 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

Passing the AZ-900 exam provided me with:

Azure Certified: AZ-900 Resources

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I started my Azure Certification Journey by studying for and taking the AZ-900 Fundamentals Exam. Did I have to take this one? Honestly no, my experience with Azure really should have pointed me to a higher exam, but I really wanted the exam taking experience on a less stressful exam (especially since I would be doing it from home).

Disclaimer: Microsoft reviews certifications regularly to help ensure that they remain relevant, technically accurate and that they assess the skills needed to thrive in a cloud-based world. Exams evolve over time and may change without notice. This post represents my best knowledge of the AZ-900 exam as of Q1 2021, but you should always consult Microsoft’s Official AZ-900 Exam Page for the contents of the exam.

Azure Certified: My Journey

Sat, 06 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The cloud as we know it today is well over a decade old. It’s everywhere. It’s a part of and powers many (if not most of or all) services we use today. It’s not going away any time soon.

Where and How Did I Get Started?

My journey began five years ago when my employer at the time announced a large resource action across the entire IT organization. I was working on the Digital Workplace team supporting SharePoint and Yammer on the company’s Microsoft 365 environment.

2021 – The Tools I Use to Get Stuff Done

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been obsessed with productivity for over a decade. The obsession started after I purchased my first Mac, the 2006 Black MacBook.

Below is the current list of hardware and software that help me manage my life. What works for me may not work for you, but hopefully it will provide a few ideas as to how to create or improve your own.

2021 - My Plan for a Banner Year

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The dumpster fire that was the year 2020 has officially ended. Looking back on the year I wasted it from a health and improvement perspective. I can blame any number of things from an early in the year health scare, the COVID-19 pandemic, home renovation projects, etc. The simple answer is that I was just lazy and did not put the effort and thought into making several important things a priority.

Welcome

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

My name is John Bowersox. As you’re reading this you’ve found my website. This site will slowly be filled with my code, experiments, reflections, and thoughts.

Welcome!