As the year comes to a close, it's time for me to look back on the past 12 months and reflect on all the ups and downs. Primarily because I have no option but to scrutinize my personal development as a programmer just to keep improving. I have to say, it's been quite a ride!
The year started in an unexciting manner, as I was jobless at the time and still frustrated with the resolution to get better at TypeScript (which I had just gotten a mastery course for). We all know what it's like to struggle with a language, I knew I was in for a month to two months of dedication to properly learn and understand TS. The only thing I felt good about was my JavaScript foundation which I knew obviously will make mastering TS easier. It was stressful but it was a huge accomplishment and was all worth it to see myself become a better TypeScript developer.
Sometime in May 2022, I applied for a TypeScript role and got a full-time contract. Of course, writing TS in a work environment was way more challenging than the coding exercises in my TS tutorial. I remember one particularly difficult bug that had me frustrated for days. It made me carry over my ticket to the next sprint but with persistence, StackOverflow, and the help of my team, we found a fix and moved on.
In addition to tackling technical challenges, I also had the opportunity to mentor a new developer who was added to the team. It was a rewarding experience that helped me grow in areas within and outside coding. Now let's be real, the more pleasing part of it was the fun that came with showing off my coding skills to a newbie.
As I look back on the past year, It came to a close in a way better bearing than it started with. I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment and Improvement having gotten better at TypeScript and gotten a high-paying contract for it, launching a product for the company I work with, and taking a deeper dive into PostgreSQL and Kubernetes with Docker. I've learned so much and grown as a developer in many ways during the past year. Even though sometimes I thought it wasn't going to get easier but things got easier for the simple reason that the challenges I faced only made me stronger and more resilient.
So as the new year approaches, I've decided to set a resolution to explore a new career path in technical writing. I'm not quitting coding, I'll still be a developer but I want to explore writing on the side. I'm excited to use my technical expertise in conjunction with writing; to create written content for other technical products, clear and concise documentation for software, and written tutorials for hot topics, while earning from it. It's a new adventure I'm embarking on in 2023.
Here's to the past year, with all its ups and downs. I'm excited to see what 2023 holds and I'm ready to tackle whatever comes my way with confidence and determination. Cheers to a new year and a new career!