Close to the end of the year, I tend to list what I’ve accomplished but also what didn’t go so well, to help me see what can I do better next year. With couple days early, it’s time to look back at 2020.
Starting from a professional point of view, a lot happened. Even though the pandemic impacted the tech industry, I’m thankful that I still got the opportunity to find a new job. This year taught us that there is nothing like “sure and secure”.
It wasn’t all perfect though, most of my job applications to FAANG companies got rejected, but through the different interview rounds, I realize it’s doable and I wasn’t too far from it if I put my focus on it. I really thought previously I didn’t have what it takes to get close to it. It’s better to realize it now than never it’s a reachable goal.
Regarding side projects, they’ve also been ups and downs. I wanted to commit more to this blog and improving my content to share with the community, I’ve wrote 20 posts this year, but it’s not as much I wanted.
On the other side, you’ve been so many coming here and asking questions that I’m really glad it’s been useful for so many of you. I hope to do better in 2021 to give back even more to the community.
On a personal note, even more happened. With my girlfriend, we got engaged. That was as scary as it was an exciting moment but definitely the highlight of this year (yes, more than any FAANG feedbacks!). If the pandemic kept us apart for a while, we managed as well to reunite, and it’s been great since. Planning a wedding through the pandemic isn’t easy, but everybody needs to adapt, so do we and our expectations.
I also turned 30. Getting older is part of life, but I always put 30 as a “deadline” to accomplish big things by then. For instance, I aimed to run 6 Major Marathons (Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin, Tokyo) but only managed 2 so far. Turns out, getting an entry ticket is actually really hard, nothing you can do about it. Turning 30 makes me feel at first that I’m running out of time to accomplish great things, which isn’t the case obviously, but why great people in tech are so young achievers? I won’t be “30 under 30” (nor did I want in) but it’s important to understand that it’s okay, there is plenty more opportunities ahead.
Finally, a big part that kept me sane all this year was my running. I’ve been loving running for 5 years now, sometimes trying to mix it with passion for coding, but this year was at a different level. In 2020, I managed to achieve more than 2200km, which is more than any other past years, reaching a peak of 100km run within a week in August. This year made me realize running is more important to me than I thought. It was the key to go through the circuit breaker, Singapore’s lockdown, but also through anything else that could worry me. It (literally) helped me move forward.
If it’s definitely been a tough year, it’s important to put it into perspective and remember what went right. I’m thankful that so many of my projects, personal and professional, moved forward. I’ve learn so much more as well, about coding and technical skills, but also about myself. I really hope 2021 will be a better year, but I’ll make sure I’ll stay ready for whatever life through at me.
Meanwhile, I’ll focus on keeping the effort consistant and creating new content.
See you next year 🎉
Photo credits Andrew Seaman.