Google Cert: Courses Three and Four

 There was a wide gulf between finishing the third course and fourth course. 

Course three really dug into introducing SQL and database structure. I knew most of this from my database management class. I flew through course three like I flew through the first two courses, nothing to make me think I wouldn't be done in a matter of a couple more months. 

Then summer travel started with my work. I was in Lubbock, then San Antonio, then Dallas, then back to San Antonio two more times before the end of July. Traveling for work was a lot of fun, it included lots of regional food and we usually found time to do something fun and different. 

In Lubbock, the whole staff went to the prairie dog park. 

In Dallas between activities, me and my coworker Brian went to the Meadows Museum on the SMU campus. 

After the Dallas workshop, me and Matt drove back to Fort Worth to celebrate my grandma's 80th birthday. Eighty is an amazing accomplishment and having my grandma in my life all these years is a gift that I'll always be grateful for.

Me and Matt and my best friend Irene spent 10 days in Portland and Seattle in August. It was a wonderful release for us all and a welcome respite from the heat. 

After that, my brothers-in-law came for a visit from Wichita. We always do an escape room when they visit, and we always get out in time. :)

Then, and only then, did I finally return to my Google certification work and finish course four, which I had started months prior. I finished Course Four in September. It was not my favorite course, there was a lot of background in things like business best practices and hiring/job searching that I was very familiar with. But I finished it nonetheless and am now onto course five. 

At this point, I don't know if the job I will be seeking will be a 'Data Analyst' by title. I'm starting to lean back into the idea of project management, not coordination-- there is a significant pay difference between the two and I'm interested in the higher ranges moving forward.

Looking forward,
LBG

TL;DR: I had a fun summer filled with work travel and personal travel so it took a long time to finish the courses 3-4. Maybe not planning on being a data analyst as a job title anymore.