I cannot believe that another year has gone by! Time flies! I still cannot find the appropriate way to express the wave of emotions I feel, writing version 1 of my yearlong odyssey (version 0 was last year). Last year, I called it a tapestry. This year, was more of a wave of moments, timelines, all-time lows, peak moments. It truly was an odyssey.
Of course, I kept my streak of consistency on X (formerly Twitter) using my hashtag, #365DaysOfSoftwareEngineering. I lost my consistency at some point, and I’ll explain why as you read on. A few highlights could keep the vibe going, but let’s dive in.
Aetheris 💮
A name I came up with for myself, meaning “Heavenly”. I loved the idea of coming up with a name, to remind me of my legacy: being A Beautiful Mind. One day, I’ll write about the inspiration behind this.
Last year, I talked about the story of A Beautiful Mind, and yes, it continues.
Looking back, I’ll say the year started on a motivational note. Julien Barbier, someone I really admire in the tech space, and his wonderful friend Vincent Karoub visited Nigeria in January this year. The inspiration, mindset shift, and everything I gained from spending time with him, inspired me to push myself even more. But little did I know 🤸♂️.
I immersed myself in giving back to the ALX Nigerian community, but I gained much more! I loved being a Software Engineer, a friend, a tutor, a teacher, a mentor, and many more. I worked towards my legacy but didn’t give it as much as I wanted.
Let’s skip to the good part, shall we? 🤸♂️
A Few Highlights 🤩
I volunteered for a lot of ALX Nigeria events, and contributed to the building of the ALX SE Naija Community, by conducting peer learning sessions, teaching concepts, and debugging sessions, as much as I could. I really enjoyed volunteering for events and attending these events. It truly was, and is, a privilege to serve.
I attended and volunteered for Julien and Vincent’s visit to Nigeria. It strengthened the ALX SE Naija community, and it deeply inspired me to be my best, for as long as I can.
I was spotlighted on ALX Naija, and given a nickname: ALX SE Superman 🦸🏾♂️.
I joined the launch of the #100DaysOfALXSE Challenge for the ALX SE community. I completed the challenge, and I received a badge of honour, to prove my consistency.
I deployed my first MVP, as my ALX SE Foundation project: Learnopolia 🐢 (subscribe to be up-to-date :)). I’m still working on it.
I graduated from three ALX Africa programs: the Software Engineering program (after 2 years 🤸♂️), the AI Career Essentials program, and the Founder’s Academy program (click the link attached to each program to take a peek at my certificates 😁).
I published two blogs on behalf of the ALX SE Community: Building Side Projects: The Secret to Long-Term Success in Tech and ALX SE: Landing Your First Job In Tech 🚀. They were both spotlighted on Hashnode. 🥳 Do well to give them a read 🤸♂️
Algorithmia SE’s first Anniversary 🥳
I had a series of mental breakdowns and a lot of downtimes, I ended friendships and something !so beautiful too. I broke apart, but I’m working on it. 🖤
I served as an ALX SE Tutor and I received a certificate for it too. Another way of giving back to the ALX SE community. 😁
I attended a number of tech events, and I also spoke at a few events too.
I got a gift and an upgrade from someone after my heart. 🖤🤩
I learned a lot of lessons this year, and I wish to share all of them, but I can’t. I made several mistakes that I wish I could take back, some I wish never happened, but I cannot turn back the hands of time.
What matters is what I do next, and how I apply my knowledge. Fixing mistakes, working on habits, more discipline, I can’t spill everything here. 🤸♂️
Back to my consistency, and building projects (#shiporsink).
By the way, if you’re curious about ALX Nigeria, check out their programs, and apply for one here.
What’s Next? 🤸♂️
No one knows the future, but let’s see how this goes.
The journey of A Beautiful Mind continues…
Thank you for reading • Leave a like and a comment • Connect with me here • See you in 365 days, if Jehovah wills. 🤸♂️