2021 In Review

Here we are at the end of 2021 and I’m feeling damned good about what’s going on in my life. I feel like I’m more focused than ever and I’m super energized to get better as a father, friend, and professional (in that order).

👨🏾‍💻 Career

Got a new job

This new job was a big move for my career. It’s a pretty massive leap in responsibility and is more aligned with my skills and career goals, which is fantastic.

Refined how I view myself

With this new job came a newfound sense of self-identity. I’ve always thought of myself as a User Interface Developer. A fancy way of saying a designer who can code.

That has changed a bit.

My new role is more specifically in the User Experience side of things and I’m loving it. Now I pay much more attention to stuff like user flows, accessibility, usability, wire-framing, user interviews, and user behavior.

I focus much more on the why than I do the what.

Now I view myself as a User-Focused Web Developer.

🐜 Personal

Family

Also, I got a dog. I’m not sure how I feel about this but it’s ok on most days.

Money

I’M DEBT-FREE!

Student loans can kick rocks. I’m convinced they’re one of the biggest scams ever and they need to get with the times. There’s absolutely no need to go tens of thousands of dollars into debt to get into tech (or probably most other careers).

Health

Sighs.

Although I’ve probably put more miles on my feet in 2021 than I ever have before, I’m eating like garbage. It’s not that I’m eating bad foods, I’m just eating way too much. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been inside more or what, but I eat out of pure boredom.

This absolutely must change. It’s unacceptable.

I’m super grateful for my somewhat fast metabolism but that won’t last forever.

Too much whiskey and not enough kale.

✨ Skills

UX

Mostly because of my new role, I’ve been studying the nuts and bolts of user behavior and trying to align products to best fit their needs. A lot of this is just taking a step back before the design phase and asking questions that try to figure out what the user is trying to do.

Now that I’m in this ‘new’ world, I realized that in the past, I used to design stuff and make it look pretty without providing a real solution to the user.

I really think with me studying the UX side of things, it’s going to supercharge my skills as a professional in this field.

Front-end

Nothing super new here. Refined my CSS and JavaScript skills further. It’s kind of strange to say because I would have never thought I’d say this a few years ago but, I feel comfortable with JavaScript.

If nothing else, 2021 was filled with a lot of “ah-ha” moments.

Actually something new, I finally started learning React this past year. I put it off for a while because I got sick of hearing about it on Twitter. React this, React that. I’ve always been a bit rebellious when it came to new trends and this was no different.

BUT...

React is pretty sweet.

Guitar

I picked up a guitar about three years ago and for the first year and a half, it just sat on the stand. Collecting a lot of dust. It's a strange thing to purchase something because you want to learn it, but when it comes time to actually learn it, the desire goes away.

... well, that’s not totally true. I did try to learn and it was so difficult that I quit. Which was embarrassing because I’ve never been the quitting type.

I chalk it up as being undisciplined (something I try not to be).

I decided to pick up back up in the past year or so I've started putting in the time and I'm loving the progress I've made. The guitar is unbelievably difficult but that's why I do it every day. It feels good to see some wins.

🧞 Self Reflection

Reading

I forgot how much I liked to read.

I borrowed a Kindle from a co-worker and my god do I love reading on this thing. Shoutout to her for letting me borrow it because I don’t think I would have bought one without having done so.

For the longest period of time, I was back and forth on getting a Kindle because I thought I’d "miss the feeling of holding a real book." Turns out: I don’t miss it. The Kindle is amazing, the battery lasts forever, books are cheaper, it syncs with Goodreads and I find myself doing a lot more reading than I used to.

I’ve never been the kind of person to make highlights in books. So instead, I’ve started keeping notes and summaries on what I call my bookshelf. This is a place for me to capture thoughts about some of the books that’s I’ve read that I can go back and reference.

How I feel

Life is good. I’m in a good place in just about all aspects of my life. Maybe it’s because I’m 32 but I feel a heightened sense of purpose and drive. I’m no longer trying to find out who I am and what I want to do.

I know these things.

Now I need to spend time sharpening those.

🎯 Goals for 2022

These are somewhat vague and aren’t directly tied to my impossible list, but goals nonetheless.

Be more present

My mind is always thinking about what’s next. How can I get better? Can I restructure my days to get more done? Why did I say that? Is this good enough? Am I a fraud?

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.

– Eddie Cantor

In 2022, I need to slow down and enjoy the moment. Especially with my little ones.

Grow as a UX professional

I know how to make websites look good. In 2022, I’m going to focus more on the “how can I make this amazing for the user" side of things.

Read more

My aim is to read at least 20 books in 2022. I think that’s very doable especially considering I have a Kindle now.

Create more

Like most other creative people, I’m my own worst critic and enemy. Ironically, I feel the best when I create stuff. Whether that’s drawing, designing, coding, or writing. It feels good to have made something that didn’t exist before I created it.

I’m going to create more stuff in 2022.

Consume less

I hate that I feel like I’m in this vortex of never-ending information consumption. One side of me feels like I have to because I need to stay up-to-date in the industry and tech. The other side of me feels like I know the fundamentals and that will never change.

2022 is going to be a year of ignoring the fear of missing out (FOMO) and embracing the joy of missing out (JOMO).

🎬 Conclusion

I had a great year all around. The current state of the world gives me a little concern because I have to raise two kids in it but I’m optimistic.

Happy new years everyone.