All the things I want to learn & do in 2019

After reading Jame’s thoughts on what he wanted to learn in 2019, I thought I’d shamelessly copy him.

In our Zero Index days James & I discussed “What makes a good a developer?”. We agreed good developers shared one key trait — an aptitude for, and enjoyment of, learning. Here follows a list of things I want to learn & do in 2019, from purely technical to very much not.

1. Serverless deep dive

I’ve previously written on why serverless technologies are a good thing. In 2019 the Serverless (capital S) platform has matured and I’d like to upskill to take advantage of the vendor-agnostic approach the framework allows for.

2. Embracing GitLab & going all-in on Continuous Delivery

GitHub has had several significant outages over recent months, and Bitbucket’s reliability is famously patchy. Relying on third party hosted servers for your VCS, especially when we use such systems as an integral part of our CI/CD processes, is not ideal. I’d like to investigate GitLab as a sustainable self-hosted replacement for CI/CD workflows.

3. Good web typography

I believe typography on the web is shamefully neglected, even with the plethora of good systems available to bootstrap projects. In 2019 I’d like to learn how to employ graceful & responsive type systems to aid accessibility and improve user interfaces at a granular level.

4. The future of PWAs

PWAs are my bag, but what’s next? Resilient web experiences are super sweet, and I’m keeping an eye on some sexy new APIs that will let best-in-class web apps leverage interesting new interactivity and all-in user experiences. I’m keenly following several major PWA protagonists on Twitter (check my follows) and hope to stay on curve with the latest PWA goodies.

5. Highly effective habits of remote working

I’m relocating to Spain soon, having gone freelance in September last year, and will be remote working for several companies around the world. I think remote working is the future, but I don’t have all the answers yet. In 2019, I’d like to to chronicle my own experiences with remote working and see if I was right.

6. Find balance

2018 was by any measure one of the worst years of my life. It’s hard to write, but events in my personal life left a devastating wake which I’m still trying to come to terms with. It’s not hard to connect the fallout from this with my plans in #5 above.

I’m hoping that in 2019, I can use my skills and experience to help further meaningful projects around the world, but not at the expense of my mental health. I’ve recalibrated my work/life balance to put family first and I’m looking forward to continuing this into 2019.

Summary

So that turned out to be only 6 things (you win James), but I’m confident I can make great progress on my goals throughout the year.

2019 will be a year of change for me and I’m excited to see what challenges and experiences lie ahead.

What will you be learning in 2019?