2018 In Review: The beginning of many things
This is the first time I’m writing a year in review article. I guess it’s a good way to document how the year went and also share with those who care to know.
Open Source Contribution
I made contributions to Slack, Node.js Nigeria, IBM Watson Developer Cloud, and Node.js Africa. I also was a part of the planning for the Node.js mentorship program.
Community Building
Speaking and getting involved in helping foster the growth of the developer community in Nigeria has been such a wonderful and exhilarating experience for me, and i’ll definitely do more of it in the coming years. It’s been such a sacrificial but hugely rewarding journey. It’s alright! Let’s get into the details:
Node.js Nigeria
Yeah! This was the biggest part for me! I co-founded Node.js Nigeria with two amazing people, Oluwasegun Adeleye and Peter Mbanugo. I must acknowledge that it would have been an impossible feat without the tremendous help and support of Agiri Abraham. Phenomenal people 👍🏽💯
We should take a visual break at this point…
A huge part of co-founding Node.js Nigeria was also organising NodeConf NG with the team. Quite an experience, I must say. Losing my dad few weeks to NodeConf NG didn’t make things any easier. The conference went well, and we’re definitely coming next year with something more explosive.
Babcock University Computer Club
I spoke at BUCC Dev Meetup in September on Demystifying Learning and Career Pathways as aSoftware Developer. Most of the talk emphasised on the skills that are really important in building a career as a Software Developer, and the opportunities that existed in the industry at the time.
Submitting CFPs
Conference speaking isn’t something I thought I would do this year, but I decided to give it a shot (after building enough confidence, lol).
I submitted 8 proposals to conferences:
- 2 were rejected 😞
- 1 was accepted (mama! I dey go Germany ooo🕺🏽✈️ 🇩🇪)
- 5 awaiting response (fingers crossed)
Writing
I did much less writing than I wanted to 😞. I wrote a couple of technical articles on Codeburst.io , wrote something on mentorship, being emotional, and did a bit of ranting.
Work
I joined Softcom Limited this year as a Backend Engineer, and it has been nothing short of amazing!
Life
Lost my dad
I received shocking news that my dad had died in a ghastly accident while on a business trip. This was a huge blow to my mom, siblings and I, but I’m glad we were able to pull through and we’re all doing fine now.
Attended my first and only owambe
One of my dearest childhood friends got married this year, and I turned up to celebrate with her. It was such a beautiful experience. Dear Bunmi, God bless your new home.
Downloaded WhatsApp
Yeah, I know you’re wondering what this is about. I downloaded WhatsApp after a 1-year break. Quite rewarding.
Looking Forward
Well, I don’t think I have all my plans and goals for 2019 straightened out, but I know I’ll be doing the following:
- Working on getting more involved with the developer community in Nigeria
- Doing more public speaking
- Traveling (I see myself doing a lot more traveling than ever)
- Sleeping (Yes, I want to sleep more this year)
- Making money (Heck yes!)
You can send me an email if you want me to speak at your next developer/tech event. I enjoy talking about Javascript, Typescript, Node.js, Open Source contribution and building developer communities.
You can follow me on Twitter or GitHub.
Cheers to a beautiful 2019! 🎉🎊🥳🎁
