※This article has been transferred from a previously published post.

Overview

As the title suggests.

Last year was quite rough, but I feel like I was able to act reasonably well while thinking about various things every day.

Reflection

Starting with a reflection on what I did this year.

This year was around my 3rd or 4th year as an engineer, and I was aware of my lack of input, so I consciously focused on input. Therefore, I feel like my output was less compared to previous years.

Additionally, it was a year where I pondered various thoughts about my future career, so I feel like my future direction has become quite clear.

Having gained a bit of confidence in what I've done so far, I think I was able to welcome the end of the year with a good motivation to continue moving towards my future vision while adjusting my vision daily.

Language

Every year, I have a challenge to learn at least one new language, and this year I was able to study Golang.

I haven't produced any specific output yet, so that will carry over to next year...

As someone who has never worked with a compiled language, studying Golang has changed my perspective on PHP and broadened my way of thinking about programming.

It's difficult to articulate, but I have that feeling, so I will continue to work on Golang to feel it more.

Infrastructure

I read several books related to server design, configuration, monitoring, tuning, etc.

I just reread books I already owned, and new books piled up...

OS

I read several books related to OS.

I realized that I need to read and repeat them thoroughly to retain the information, so I revisited some basic ones.

I think I have acquired the minimum knowledge of the really basic parts...

Network

I bought a book on TCP/IP, but I haven't read it yet...

I remember reading a book on DNS.

To be honest, I don't have much interest in this field, so I haven't felt motivated to read, but I think it's a field with too many unknowns, so I want to create an opportunity to study.

Software Architecture

I thought about diving into DDD, Clean Architecture, microservices, etc., but before that, I felt I should study more about the prerequisites, so I decided to stay put for now.

Development

I committed to something, but I don't remember... [https://github.com/bmf-san/Rubel:title]

This year, rather than creating something new, I mostly touched on new technologies and studied languages, so my commits were mostly in that direction.

Contest

I participated in ISUcon. It was a disaster, but there were many things to learn.

I want to participate again next year, so I will start preparing from the beginning of the year.

Study Group (Community Activities)

I held LaraCafe several times. [(dead link):title]

Regarding the management of LaraCafe, I plan to have a meeting with the management team at the beginning of the year, so future activities are currently undecided.

Speaking Engagements

I also spoke at PHP Conference 2018 in Tokyo.

Having done it for two consecutive years, my desire to speak next year has increased.

Continuing from last year, I set a theme somewhat away from technology, so I want to increase opportunities to speak on technical themes starting next year.

I feel that having speaking opportunities creates a semi-forced motivation that enhances my input and output abilities, which I believe is beneficial for my growth.

While I don't want to be driven solely by speaking, I want to actively present what I can based on what I've studied.

Preparing a theme just to present can be counterproductive, so I want to avoid losing sight of the purpose.

I also did an internal LT.

Blog

I feel like I wrote more than last year.

I don't think the quality of the content is high, but I think I was able to summarize what I researched and did to a certain quality.

Writing each article with a volume that can be directly converted into an LT seems to allow me to write articles while ensuring a decent amount of learning time and content, so I want to continue at that pace.

Books

I feel like I bought several dozen books (Infrastructure, OS, Network, Software Architecture, Languages, etc.).

I read a few, but my unread pile hasn't been cleared...

I want to read classical books as much as possible, regardless of new publications.

I subscribed to two technical magazines: WEB+DB and Software Design.

The information power of magazines should not be underestimated.

Gym

I'm not a hardcore bodybuilder, but I think I go enough to consider it a hobby.

After about a year of going to the gym, I feel like I've grasped how to push myself in weight training, so I will continue to work hard.

I feel like my continued attendance has had a positive impact on my health and mental state.

I don't know how effective it is, but I sometimes feel a sense of "I am strong (baseless confidence)," so I think it positively influences my daily motivation.

I believe that engineers need a good balance of mind and body to develop their skills, so I'm glad I was able to continue going to the gym this year.

Goals for Next Year

Basically, I will continue the input I didn't finish this year.

However, since too much input is tough, I will also produce some output (specifically in development and speaking).

Language

I will continue with Golang.

I'm considering picking up a functional language to try out.

Development

I want to create small things in Golang.

Also, I feel that replacing the CMS functionality of this thing with Golang will be a good study and is something I actually wanted to do. [https://github.com/bmf-san/Rubel:title]

I also want to write Golang in my work... it might be difficult now, but I'll do my best.

Contest

I dream of wanting 1 million, but my realistic goal is to pass the preliminaries.

No, at this rate, it is not realistic at all... lol

Of course, the goal in contests should be to win, but my immediate goal is to be able to support the performance of applications that can scale up with business growth, so I want to be able to take home whether I got closer to that goal when participating.

Study Group

As mentioned earlier regarding the study group I organize.

I want to actively participate in or host communities related to the languages or frameworks I'm working with.

Study groups can provide not only technical information but also other valuable insights, so I want to participate more actively than before.

Speaking Engagements

As mentioned earlier, I want to increase speaking opportunities without losing sight of the purpose of speaking.

There will be an internal LT competition, so the number of opportunities will naturally increase, but I particularly want to increase external speaking opportunities.

Blog

I will continue this as well.

If I have learned or tried something, I will write articles with an outline that can be presented as an LT.

Books

I will consider the priority of books and work on clearing my unread pile.

I will continue my strong style of buying books without hesitation if I want them (I feel that if I stop this style, my information gathering and sensitivity might dull).

Gym

I haven't trained my back at all, so I want to focus on that and aim to get abs by summer.

Theme for Next Year

Until now, the theme has been "Challenge," focusing on doing something new both personally and professionally every year, but this year I decided to change it.

In my personal life, it has become difficult to find new things I want to do, and in terms of technology, I feel like I'm doing new things every year as a matter of course, and in my work, I recently changed jobs and entered a new environment, so the theme of "Challenge" has lost its freshness, prompting me to think of a new theme.

Therefore, I would like to set the theme for next year as "Learning from the Past."

Instead of "Challenge," it will be "Learning from the Past."

While it may lack depth, I have studied a variety of fields as an engineer, so now I want to add depth, and I think it's appropriate to revisit what I've learned so far.

In my personal life, there is still room to add more "depth (muscle)" in the gym, and in my work, although I am still onboarding, there are many areas where I need to add "depth" in the future, so I think this is a fitting theme.

Conclusion

To all involved, thank you for your support this year.

I look forward to your continued support next year.