You Don’t Need a New Year’s Resolution to Work Towards Earning Your CTS

It is that time of year again.  When every gym across the country is busier than usual and banks see an uptick in people who want to “finally” start saving money. It also happens to be nearly 3 years to the day that I was first interviewed and then hired for the role of Business Development Manager at Almo Professional A/V!  So, while I have a great deal of respect for anyone who takes steps to better themselves, I also have become adversely against making New Year’s Resolutions.  Let me explain why.

Simply put the idea of delaying something until January 1 baffles me, but especially when that something involves making better choices to positively affect ourselves.  Our happiness and overall growth should have no “launch date” and whether it be personal or professional goals we have, the sooner we take action the sooner we see results.  Just this past year I experienced one of my biggest victories as I finally obtained my CTS Certification. This achievement was significant to me for many reasons.

First, I started 2019 by taking and NOT passing the CTS on January 6.  Talk about a lousy way to start a new year!  Next, in February I began reporting to a new boss who promptly asked me what my goals were for the year.  Almost immediately, I blurted out “I want to have my CTS by end of 2019.”  This was substantial to me because I have now vocalized my goal to my boss who I know will rightfully hold me to it and not accept anything less.

For the remainder of 2019 I made it a focus to constantly be preparing in some form or facet for the exam as well as continue to discuss it with others.  The more you say it, the more you “will” it into existence.  Having been the BDM for our Harman  since 2018, I found that my audio and control systems knowledge had increased and I began feeling more comfortable than I did in January when I first took the exam.  Not to mention one of the most helpful tools, Harman University, is an extensive online library of courses, both web based and live, where the content is very easy to comprehend even if you are 1 day old to the industry.  Since I have never been the greatest “book learner,” the courses through Harman were really the cherry on top of my preparations.

While I had hoped to take the CTS Exam in October, life struck a different cord and my father was suddenly hospitalized at the end of September.  While I am overjoyed to say he is doing much better now, it was quite the rollercoaster for 30+days, least of which involved me delaying the CTS because family will always come first.  While I continued to receive the support of my management and colleagues, I worked even more behind the scenes to do whatever I could to prepare for the exam, which was now on December 5.  The day finally rolled around and as I previously mentioned, I passed!  The mental “high” from passing this exam led me to complete more Harman University courses and complete the DSCE certification for digital signage because I simply wanted to continue my growth.  That is the lesson to be learned- Never delay your own development, start TODAY!  If you want to get healthy and feel better, join the gym today and do not procrastinate.  Start putting a few extra dollars away TODAY rather than next month. Lastly, if you truly want to be happy in your career start taking steps TODAY whether it be signing up for Harman University, registering for your CTS, or applying for that promotion you did not think you were qualified for.  Here is to 2020 and NOT setting a New Years Resolution because you have been taking steps to improve all along.