I spent considerable time contemplating how to craft this article and convey the intended message to my readers. I’ll attempt to narrate it like a story, hoping it will be clearer that way. This isn’t a guide about seizing opportunities, acquiring skills, or mastering technology; it’s essentially a portrayal of my 2023 in various facets.
The year 2023 brought a mix of experiences, featuring both my most significant achievement and the enduring weight of a loss. The initial months were marked by uncertainty and pressure, leaving me doubtful about the path ahead.
One of my goals was starting a charity project and thankfully, i did in March during the muslim fasting season Ramadan. With the funds I generated, I was able to gift food items to over 50 financially challenged residents to help them get through the holy month.
This was one of the most fulfilling projects I worked on and would definitely do it again for the holy month of Ramadan in 2024.
Amidst strings of setbacks career wise, I found solace by starting this Medium blog. Recognizing the wealth of knowledge I was accumulating, I decided to share it in the hope that fellow beginners could benefit from its content.
Additionally, I saw this as an opportunity to enhance my technical writing skills, given my passion for documentation. I’m particularly pleased with this decision, as it has resulted in my inclusion in several publications, proving to be a fulfilling aspect of my journey.
In March I found Technovation Girls, an organisation fostering young girls (ages 10–18) and educators to work together to create real solutions to problems in their communities.
I signed up to become a mentor and would go by 3 times a week to check on students to follow up with their applications.
Mrs Stella Uzochukwu Dennis, the Technovation Girls chapter ambassador and founder of the a non-profit organization Odyssey Educational Foundation made everything so seamlesss and in a short while a became part of her family not just a volunteer. I went on to help out with other STEM projects organised for the children by Mrs Stella and I learnt so much.
By the end of Technovation Girls in May, I had gone to 3 different states in Nigeria. Getting to see and speak to these very smart girls from different backgrounds greatly opened my eyes to different perspectives.
Same March I’d gotten into the contribution phase of Outreachy (link to my previous blog on Outreachy) and successfully joined the internship program in May.
Despite anticipating a life-changing experience with a $7000 stipend, the reality after completing my internship with the open-source Metal-kubed in August was different.
May brought personal victories as I secured my own place (a significant milestone for a liberal Nigerian woman who had lived with her parents). Starting my Outreachy internship on May 29 felt like embarking on a new year.
Having enjoyed volunteering at Odyssey Educational Foundation, i went on to volunteer at Code the Dream an online platform that offers free intensive training in software development to people from diverse low-income backgrounds.
I helped out by assisting the students with web development technologies like JavaScript and HTML, i found this extremely helpful in my learning journey and just knowing i could help out beginners looking to switch careers or learn a skill felt absolutely marvellous.
In June, I applied for the Portuguese Job Seeker visa with high hopes of relocating, only to face disappointment after an 8-week wait. The denial was a significant setback, one i’m still recovering from…
I completed my one year course on Product Management with AltSchool Africa, heaven knows it was one hell of a long year but I did it!
And just to cap the year, I also completed a 3 months devOps bootcamp with GoMyCode.
The knowledge I’ve acquired from these courses have shown me the various trajectories my life can take and I am super excited to go on this journey.
In summary, I’d say these are my highlights, it might not seem like much but these events have all impacted me in one way or the other. Moral of the story;
- You don’t always need to have things figured, definitely plan but leave space for mistakes and unforeseen circumstances
- Celebrate the little things, (I turned 25 this year in September, admist all the chaos in my life at that point and I made sure to have the best birthday still)
- Don’t give up on the skills you’re learning, if you’ve been taking a course, ensure you complete it, if you have completed your course, keep practicing and I would highly recommend documenting things you learn also.
- Give back! wether money, knowledge or opportunities, no matter how insignificant you might think it is, just do it.
This is my 2023 in a few paragraphs, pictures and lots of words!!!
I would really love to hear your 2023 story so here’s my email and social media handles Twitter and instagram if you’d like to share.
I’m beyond excited to experience all that 2024 has in store for me, no pressure😅
Resources
- Technovation Girls website
- Portuguese Job Seeker visa information
- Necessary documentation for Job Seeker visa
- How to Apply Portugal Job Seeker Visa 2023 | Step by Step Application
