Reflection on 2022 and Goals for Next Year

Every year, I write about my reflections and goals.

Personal

Achievements

One of my greatest achievements this year might be completing the replacement of bmf-tech, which was a significant challenge for me. I also enjoyed the fun of software engineering as a comprehensive martial art.

Technologies Supporting bmf-tech

This had been a long-term project, so it was great to finally reach a milestone.

There were times when I was fixated on this, but it also became an opportunity to learn various things through this system, so the time spent was worthwhile.

Aside from that, I continued to create tools, write blogs, read books, and hold study sessions with friends, similar to previous years.

In terms of learning, I had many opportunities to catch up on specific technologies related to my work, which was beneficial.

Additionally, I had a period where I focused on HackerRank, extending my studies on data structures and algorithms from last year.

I felt that it was a good endeavor to develop my coding skills and learn algorithms, so I plan to resume this in the future.

I also put considerable effort into studying system architecture. Although it mostly involved reading various materials...

I have found many articles that seem helpful, and I plan to write about them soon. There are still many that I haven't finished reading due to the volume...

I often think that just reading won't build my skills, but I have felt that gathering knowledge is not in vain, so I want to finish reading the collected articles during the New Year period.

Missed Opportunities

Things I intended to do but couldn't:

Kubernetes
- I have learned the basics, but I lack practical experience, so I want to supplement that. I feel I should start soon (with strong determination).
Broaden knowledge of AWS and GCP
- I wanted to work towards a professional certification, but I couldn't allocate the time.
- While I have opportunities to learn through work, I want to expand my knowledge systematically.
ISUCON
- I mismanaged my schedule and couldn't participate...
Speaking at external conferences
- I had zero speaking engagements at external conferences. I would like to present something at least once a year, but I want to use my busyness as an excuse...

Work

I believe my greatest achievement this year was successfully completing the release of a project that I led as a team leader for nearly a year.

I gained significant technical knowledge, but the experience as a lead engineer was a major gain.

While the main focus was on the team's project, I also participated in a couple of side projects, completed training and obtained certification as a Scrum Master, created internal tools, held reading sessions, conducted internal LT sessions, participated in AdKare, and even accidentally deleted an AdKare. It was a year where I could engage in many things I wanted to do.

There are many things I want to do, and it was fulfilling, making this year enjoyable.

I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has always supported me and hope to work healthily and happily next year.

Reflection on Goals

The goal for 2021 was to "increase the number of clear answers to the question of what I can do."

I feel I have some vague answers, but if I had to highlight one clear answer, it would be that I can lead a team from its establishment to operation as a lead engineer, which is a soft skill I can identify.

It's still difficult to articulate clearly, but there are aspects where my experience and achievements have contributed to my confidence, so I want to count this as one of the values I can demonstrate in my work.

There may be times when my confidence is shattered in the future, but I will do my best then.

Goals for Next Year

I want to set the goal of "creating weapons."

This is an extension of my 2021 goal, but I want to consciously focus on something slightly different.

Specifically, I want to have something in my area of expertise that is a hard skill, rather than a soft skill.

I don't think I can reach the level of being an unrivaled pioneer or expert in that area within a year, so I want to have at least one thing that I can confidently say I excel at.

This also raises the question of what technology I will invest the most in next year, so I want to take some time at the beginning of the year to decide. For now, I am considering investing in some programming language or container technology, or a specific system architecture that I am particularly interested in.

Next year, I will turn 30, marking a milestone, so I am also thinking about how to navigate the next decade.

Here are some notes on my vision for my activities in the next few years (I haven't articulated it enough).

// I want to be an engineer who can achieve this
- Architect
  - Skills in system design
    - Knowledge, experience...
  - Ability to consider the scalability of organizations and system architecture (technology + α?)
  - Support the scalability of organizations and systems according to business scale (there seems to be a management perspective. CTO-like?)
- I want to be able to develop more complex applications
  - Coding ability, code reading ability, advanced specification understanding (interpreting RFCs, deciphering complex specifications, etc.)
  - Advanced software development capabilities
    - I want to raise the level of understanding
      - There may be parts that can be improved by studying CS
  - I want the ability to provide technical solutions when faced with scenes that cannot be solved or are difficult to solve with existing technologies. Additionally, having multiple approaches to solve technical challenges may increase the potential to contribute to organizations and businesses.

Thoughts

For several years, I have been organizing what I learn each year into my will (things I want to do, interests), can (things I can do, a middle ground between will and must), and must (things necessary for work, risks to my career if not done), setting goals and reflecting monthly. I feel that my thinking about my career and skills has become more stable over the years.

While I often find it hard to be satisfied with the degree of goal achievement, it ultimately comes down to the question of how to use my available time efficiently, which is a challenging issue.

This year, I felt the harshness and difficulties of society and the economy, and I have more anxiety than usual about what next year will bring... but I want to move forward positively.