Last year, I wanted to write a year-in-review, but it skipped my mind and schedule. I want to make it a habit, though, because it's a great way to self-reflect and write my resolutions. Plus, it's a great way to look back and see how far I've grown. In this article, I'll get into the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Great
A Graduate
I finally graduated from university!
It took me approximately 7 years to get this degree and it's really because of the strikes that happened in between + COVID. Regardless, I tried to make use of the situation so I started a blog (the one you're reading now), wrote documentation and articles for some companies in between, and built some apps for some companies as well.
I'm happy I'm done with my B.Sc in Computer Science from the University of Lagos. Although I didn't make the grade I wanted, I'm happy I didn't give up even till the end. It sure was a surreal experience.
Job Interviews
I think this is the year of my life I had the most job interviews. I won't consider myself the most skilled person in the room, so I'm grateful to God that I was even considered for various roles.
From technical interviews that lasted for just a day or two, to non-technical interviews that lasted for weeks. I'm truly grateful for the experience I've had. At the top of my head, I can remember having interviews with companies like Amazon, Mckinsey & Company, Blackrock, and a bunch more. All in all, I learned a lot from this experience and I'm truly grateful.
Growth
As a Software Engineer, skill-wise, I learned some new stuff and created some things with them. Some are mostly tied with school, but I'm happy I delved into AI a bit and learned how to create an uninformed search algorithm visualizer for a group project and a brain tumor classification system with Python.
I'm most proud of those two because I got pushed to my limit with them and I never thought I'd even do that in a million years and it turned out well. So I'm happy.
As a Technical Writer, I've delved into programming language documentation for the first time and did a decent enough job with it. I'm super glad about that.
I'm willing to do harder things in the future (next year) and hopefully, it works out well! If you have any projects you'd like me to join, kindly reach out to me via my email - sunkanmifafowora@gmail.com. I'm open to any challenging and fun ideas or work you may have for me!
The Bad
Remember how I said I had the most interviews? Yeah, I landed none of the roles. But, I haven't given up. I'm still getting my hands dirty with projects and freelancing articles and web apps, even if I may not get paid with them, and I'm still improving myself in any way I can.
I just think I need to do a lot more learning, building, publishing, and putting myself out there. I truly believe I will rise soon, and I'll for sure celebrate with you all. 🤝🏾
Problems I Identified and Resolutions
Solving more leetcode problems: Yeah, this bit me on the butt during my Amazon and Mckenzie interviews and I would admit, I wasn't fully prepared for what I saw.
I can't tell you the exact problems because well, you know, bound by the law not to tell, but I would say that these were medium questions you could easily find on leetcode, and with a little more practice, it would eliminate even the tension I felt then.
I'm still solving leetcode questions now and then but I need more than what I'm currently doing so I'm aiming for 10 leetcode questions in a week.
Sticking to a plan consistently: Now, this is tricky because of the responsibilities I juggle. Now, that school is out of the picture, I think I have more time for self-development and work.
It was a bit difficult mixing it with school, but I believe I can replace school time with work and self-development. This is more personal and I haven't worked on it yet so I'm looking to have it done the first week of January.
Ignore the memes about this. If you don't plan, you're planning to fail. It's better to have a plan than to have none at all and be running on vibes.
Summary
This year was exciting, it was painful, it was hard, but it was an experience. Next year will be amazing by God's grace. 🙌🏾
Big shoutout to Jesus for grace in my life to do all I've done this year, my family that had my back when I had 0 in my account, my big brothers who don't like to be mentioned (they're shy. 😅) for their constant love, support, and encouragement, my friends (to name a few - Samuel, Uche, Mishael, Ifee, Akinola, Eri, Ada, Bolu...honestly the list is a lot) that helped me survive this year, God's church that constantly helped me serve them and use my talents to the max, and to all my readers who constantly read every article piece I've written.
You all have a special place in my heart. ❤ Thank you for being a part of my 2023 and I hope to celebrate with you all in 2024!
Do let me know how your own 2023 went in the comments! I'd love to hear all about it and everything.
See you in the next year!
