2020 was a peculiar year. But as time progresses, we have to keep learning and improving on our weaknesses. One way of doing this is reflecting on the year and making a review. In the spirit of reviews, here's mine.
First Quarter (January - March)
I began the first quarter filled with optimism. My 2020 goals centred around upskilling, networking and building amazing stuff. I had already participated in a hackathon (Hackmania) and attended a conference before the lockdowns were imposed. I planned on levelling up at 2x the speed during the lockdowns.
Second Quarter (April - June)
Deep into the lockdowns in the second quarter, I participated in several developer events such as
- Internship at Essetlement Ltd
- BuildForSDGs Cohort 1
- HNG 7
My greatest lesson in the second quarter was to only participate in the number of things I could handle. I also learned that I don't focus on things I don't believe in.
Third Quarter (July - September)
I experienced the extremes of the year in the third quarter. The lockdowns were lifted. I decided to join a mechanic workshop which I'm still not sure why. My workshop experience lasted for just 30 days. Between July and August. I got my hands dirty with freelance development and writing. I faced the worst kind of depression. I lost faith in my software development ability due to
- Not being able to deliver 2 projects
- Not being able to finish anything
My greatest disappointment was forgetting to apply for Outreachy π. I was too psyched, thinking about making a reasonable application that I didn't make any. I probably didn't feel experienced enough to apply. My greatest achievement was earning my first internet money by writing for FaunaDB.
Fourth Quarter (October - December)
The fourth quarter was centred on healing and learning. I got over my depression in October and started writing again in November. In order to improve my blogging skills, I joined bloggingfordevs pro community and also published 1 blog post per day for 10 days straight. You can check a series I made during those 10 days here
I still feel mediocre for posting this here.
What I learned this year
- Cloud concepts such as deployment, scaling, availability etc
- Backend development using Node.js and PHP
- Basics of Kiswahili and Deutsch.
Let me try saying my name in both languages
πDeutsch: Mein Name ist Osinachi Kiswahili: Jina langu ni Osinachi
How I will be better
Like many other people, 2020 brought some unexpected challenges and opportunities. Here are some actionable steps I will take in 2021
- Keep my consistency up by publishing at least 1 article every week.
- Organize more real-world student-focussed events on Cloud Architecture and Data Engineering as part of my Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador duties.
- Finish more things by wagering money and setting rewards (maybe get a Nintendo Switch as a reward).
Above all, learn to be flexible and adapt to situations. Due to the unpredictability of 2021, I will have to adapt to situations better. I pray Oluwa blesses my hustle. π
Thanks for reading. Adios βπΎπ§‘.
Credits
- Article cover image and images on quarters by @rfaizal707 via Twenty20
- Lightbulb idea image by @sitthiphong via Twenty20