Dev Retro 2022: Growth Track
Reflecting on my Journey throughout 2022! A Year to Remember
Hello Readers,
Last year, I wrote about my transition from a Python Developer to a Developer Community Manager. There were a lot of struggles including the series of burnout I encountered too. After overcoming the burnout and picking myself back up, I entered the new year with hope ––– not knowing exactly how I'm going to get my goals for 2022. I used Growth Track because I looked back over the year and all I see is massive growth. You can read my 2021 review here
As the end of the year approaches, it is natural for us all to take a moment to reflect on the past 12 months. To checklist those goals you were able to slay this year and set new goals for the coming year(s).
A lot has happened in the past months, especially in the tech ecosystem. We have fallen in and out of depression, holding our mental health in our grasp. The whole year has been overwhelming nothing short of a roller coaster but as we forge ahead into the new year ––– we have the understanding that we have each other to lean onto.
In this article, I will be sharing the core happenings of each month from January to December; my wins, challenges, and of course share some of my goals for 2023.
January
As the new year begins to unfold, it didn’t start so well, I remembered my phone falling into the water on the 2nd of January. I can tell you for a fact, I cried the whole day thinking about how impossible it is to repair because I just paid for an apartment at that time and of course, I don’t have a job yet. I had a lot of interviews with no reply. Every day was another day filled with the hope of what was to come.
Moved to a new Apartment
When I finished my one-year NYSC program, I had to move from Anambra to Lagos to look for greener pastures. Moved into my space in January after staying with a friend for two months. You can imagine how I felt when my phone got spoilt on a zero account. (lol) Getting the apartment was a big win for me.
Got a job
Since the inception of my career in 2020. I have been freelancing, so getting a job in January was amazing. I got my first job at He-Eleven.1 Consulting as IT sales manager. However, it wasn’t something I want to do but man must eat in Lagos. Regardless of the job I was able to learn and gain some working experience while at it. I was on the job from mid-January to the end of February.
Open Source TwitterSpace
I remember seeing the TwitterSpace link on my timeline and reaching out to Ayodeji that I would like to co-host with him since I'm an open-source fan girl. Started co-hosting OpenSource Gist with Ayodeji on TwitterSpace. We had amazing speakers, who speak about open-source from different perspectives. Topics like:
Contributing to open source as a beginner.
Open source design.
Non-code in Open source.
Open source data. Etc
We had Amazing speakers like Ruth, Santosh, Gift, Cecelia, Rising and so on.
All in all, January was good regardless of how it started.
February
February came with its perks, nothing spectacular happened other than me trying to set a learning pace for myself because I decided I was going to resign from the job to focus on what I love ––– Community Management.
Got a Scholarship
I applied for a community master’s class program in January. The program was to last for 3 months with a huge sum of money for the tuition ––– I submitted my proposal and I got accepted into the program. This was the highlight of February for me. 🚀
I ate Breakfast
Things don’t always happen the way we plan them. There was this job I was already feeling like I work there already. (LOL) When I got the rejection mail, it was devastating. I was served different breakfasts from jobs and Conferences I applied to but I survived and I didn’t stop applying and upscaling.
I Resigned
Doing something you love and are passionate about is a hack for productivity. I had to resign at the end of the month to focus on Community Management because I didn’t like what I was doing. I was without a job in Lagos with no hope of any coming but I resigned regardless and focused on learning and connecting with the right people.
“The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.”- Maimonides
Sometimes you have to make some decisions that seem tough and impossible but it is better to make that decision than not making any at all. My decision to resign and focus on learning later paid off even if I had to struggle for a while.
March
And there comes March, the month everything changed. I remembered tweeting this on the 1st of February "I need a breakthrough" because I was tired and confused.
The breakthrough came in March - and I mean all of it. The CFPs and jobs came in March.
Started a Community Management Master class
I started a TwitterSpace "Let's talk Community Management"
I started the TwitterSpace with The African Open Sourcerer in February ––– "Let's talk Community Management" is a series born from the need of wanting to do more. Upon transitioning into Community Management ––– I needed a community for community managers in Africa and I didn’t see any to join at that time. So I thought "Why not start a community for community managers?" to start that I started by hosting a weekly TwitterSpace with phenomenal players in the field to come to share their experiences with us. Likes of:
Anita Ihuman and many others
Speaking Engagements
I anchored a Mental Health session at Sustain Africa at OSCAFest 2022
Spoke at Open Source Community Africa Festival. The link can be found here
- I met Tejas at OSCAFest. I have always been a big fan ––– He has been a great help to my career ever since.
- Spoke at All Things Open. The link to talk can be found here
I Got The Job 🤭
- Applied to Tunga.io for the role of Community Management and got the job before March ended. This was the best gift for the first quarter of the year
Everything happened fast because before this time I have questioned every possible thing in my life ––– but everything just started happening, all I wanted. At that time I can say March is my best month but it was just the beginning of the best.
April
Wins
I resumed as the Community Manager at Tunga.io with amazing teammates and work culture. You can read about it here
I won a laptop from SheCodeAfrica
May
Traveled out of Nigeria
Traveled out of Nigeria for the first time. The Tunga milestone and team bonding trip to Uganda is one of my highlights of the year.
Went Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
Speaking Engagements
Spoke at Developers in Vogue
Got accepted to C-School 3 months Community Management Mentorship program.
Spoke at Everything Open Source TwitterSpace
June
Doing the Community work
- I organized the first Lagos Dev Meetup for Tunga.io
Interview Invitation
Interviewed with Social champs where I spoke about my role as a Community Manager and how I have been able to give back to the community while at it.
I was invited by Open Source Sustain Africa to speak on Mental Health and Burnout. The link to the recording can be found here
The first half of the year ended with me checking most of my goals for the whole year ––– I couldn’t be more proud.
July
I spoke at SheCodeAfrica ChapterFest. You can find the link to the event here
I'm alive and fine😂😍
August
Upskilling
- I got some books on Community Management from the best authors ––– These are some amazing community management books I'd recommend for anyone and if you are in Lagos, Nigeria and you would like to have a read, I'm just a DM away. There is love in sharing 🤗😊
Giving back to the Community
- I facilitated the EmpowerHer Community Non-Technical Bootcamp for Community Management.
First Event as a Sponsor
- I attended the Wetech event as a sponsor 🤩🤩
September
I spoke at CHAOSScon Europe 2022. Here is the link to the talk
Took a course on Human Relations. This was one of my big wins because apart from being a Community Manager, there was a need for me to understand and relate with people more. Taking a course on Human Relations was a highlight.
October
- I got a MacBook 🥳🥳
- Attended DevFest Abuja
- I was part of the Organising team for the Community Managers Africa Festival.
November
The Month of Events
I spoke at SeaglCon. Here is the link to the talk
Co-hosted SheCodeAfrica Summit 2022! The first of its kind, it was an amazing experience. Here is the link to the event
Organized a Tunga Dev Meetup
- I traveled to Ghana, organized a Dev Meetup in Ghana and attended DevFest Ghana
Attended DevFest Lagos as a sponsor.
December
- OyaMakeweGroove is the highlight for me.
- I spoke on Elizabeth Women In Tech TwitterSpace. Shared my wins and challenges.
- I'm alive and well 🤗
Feedback
I have great feedback from people and communities this year which made me so proud and it's a pointer that I'm in the right direction. However, there is always room to improve and do better which is something I'm looking out for in 2023.
Conclusion
I have experienced so much more growth than I imagined at the beginning of the year. I am grateful to everyone who has a part to play in my growth and wins for this year and while we prepare to move into the new year, I want you all to move in with the reality that there is nothing impossible as long as you set your mind to achieving it.
One way to achieve your goals is to break down your goals into small goals and set strategies for achieving those goals. You can make it easier by batching your goals quarterly and keeping track of them. You can do much more than you can ever imagine by just following through with the hard work. I said this last year and I will say it again
I want y'all to know that burnout will happen in your journey, imposter syndrome will happen, and a lot of rejections will happen, you can take charge of your emotions, take a break(it's okay) focus on other things, set a roadmap for yourself, set your goals, apply for that job, submit that proposal, kickstart that dream, get those books, go on that break or vacation, work with your pace, make it a set at a time, just make sure you never stop, keep going. (In Nigeria's language, problem no dey finish)
I posted this on Twitter at the beginning of the year
My dear readers, In actuality, not everything on that list occurs but I can tell you most of the things on the list were checked. Several events weren't included in that list as well. The goal for 2023 is to surpass all that I have achieved in 2022 and more. I'm sure I didn’t capture everything but I hope this helps motivate someone out there who is looking out for a Miracle.
Looking back, I can say 2022 is indeed a year to remember.
Thanks for reading through my year in review. See you all next year achieving all of your goals and surpassing them. 🥂🥂🍻
