Dumebi OkoloYear-in reviews are meant to answer the question, "How has the year been for you?"
But I think that first of all, I should define what a year-in-review means to me. Is it me amplifying all the wins I have had this year while making the Ls seem smaller, or is it me holistically talking about what that year 2023 has meant to me both professionally and otherwise?
I do not know yet, as I do not have a structure for this article. As I progress, I will find out what a year-in-review means to me.
I will structure this as a sort of question-and-answer session between me and myself.😅
Did you win this year?
Honestly, I do not know. I do not have a particular answer to that question. Some parts have definitely been better than the others, while others were proper messes.
But, in the spirit of gratitude and reflection, I will say that I have won this year.
What will you say was your worst moment in 2023?
Do you mean professionally or personally?
Professionally
Well. That's a tough one, seeing as I had my fair share of low moments professionally this year.
I would say it was the moment my unemployment dawned on me. I was glad to have left my previous workplace and wouldn't have wanted to go back at all. However, after two months or so of being unemployed, it hit me like a rock that I wasn't adding value to any organization, and my savings were fast being depleted.
What will you say was your best moment (professionally) in 2023?
Heh. Well. I don't know. In my opinion, I didn't really have any good moments in my professional life this year. I felt like I had been feeling through walls all year just to find my way around.
Were there moments of pride for you this year?
YEs, to be honest. I had a lot of pride moments. I know I am sounding all sad and like I had the worst year ever, but I was also so proud of myself this year. On many occasions, many times.
Can you tell me about those moments?
Sure.
I will say my first moment of pride this year was graduating from the university.
Then, I went ahead to start and complete a 12-part series: A frontend development guide. It wasn't an easy project, and it was the most difficult solo project I had ever done. I had to keep researching lesson topics and deciding on what I wanted. I was very, very proud of this project.
Also, after the project was completed, I started getting mentorship requests.
Then, when I took my writing on Dev Community more seriously, I started getting features on blogs and Twitter handles.
Here are some features that made me very proud.
The last tweet was the first time I would be featured on Dor Moshe's blog. I got featured a couple of other times.
What were the things you did in 2023 that you can say helped you professionally?
Well, I will say that I wasn't afraid to try. There are so many new things I tried this year.
I started the Complete frontend development series.
I had the courage to leave my job.
I took some mentorship roles, and produced some very good results.
I dared to be bold and saw myself interacting with some people. As a shy and somewhat socially awkward person, this was a huge deal for me.
I gave more attention to my writing and software development.
I started learning Ruby.
What are the regrets you have about your professional career this year?
Well, regrets. I honestly don't know that I have any. I mean, there are so many things I wish had gone differently but I won't say that I have any regrets.
You mentioned leaving your job. Have you gotten a new one now?
No, I haven't. This remains one of my biggest disappointments of the year. I'd like to believe that I worked really hard this year and was making myself out to be something. I applied to a lot of jobs. I did my fair share of interviews but just never got the "congratulations" email.
How did this affect your productivity?
It affected me a lot because I took every rejection as an analysis of my skills and worth. It used to pierce me every time because I felt that being rejected meant that I simply wasn't good enough. Sometimes, this feeling would deter me from coding or writing, because what was the need? It took me some time, but I learned to dissociate the rejections from the appraisal of my skills and worth.
You mentioned mentorship. Tell me more about that.
Okay. When I started writing the series, I started getting DMs from people who had issues or challenges in their frontend journey and who needed my help. Then, I also got requests for writing. People who'd want me to teach them to write or to generally coach them in their writing journey.
Did you get any gadget upgrades this year?
😅 I did. I bought a new keyboard. It isn't the very fancy kind, but I was very proud of it.
We are at the end of the year now; what will your elevator pitch sound like?
My name is Dumebi Okolo, and I am an experienced technical writer and instructor. I am a junior Ruby on Rails developer with strong frontend development skills (React). Trained product and developer advocate with growth marketing skills.
My biggest selling point is my willingness and ability to learn. I am looking for an experience that will thrust me into the world of learning new things, taking on new responsibilities, and challenging myself.
What are your plans for 2024?
I plan to do better and be better. I plan to improve myself a lot. I will also be taking my Ruby journey farther and developing myself.
Finally, what will you rate the year 2023?
This time, I will be more holistic, involving both my professional and personal lives. I will give 2023 a good 8/10. When I think about it, I have had a lot of wins this year. The year might not have turned out the way I hoped it would, but it turned out great.
There are so many things and so many people to be grateful for.
I also want to take time to thank my Lord and personal savior, Jesus Christ, for everything and in everything, for an amazing and fruitful year.
Now, to define what a year-in-review means to me, I will say it is an avenue to really dig deep and lay yourself bare. Go in with your highs, your lows, your wins, and your losses. Make sense of it all, and keep your head high for the year to come.
Thank you for stopping by and reading.
See you in 2024!
