January Recap

Looking Back on January

Well January is officially over. It was a tough month for me because a lot has changed since last year, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything. Here’s a little recap of how my January went.

Blogging

So I created this blog site in the first week of January and managed to post three blogs here. Apart from that I also started writing on my medium again and I posted 3 articles there as well. Most of what I write is just me dumping my notes and thoughts about the new tech stuff I’m learning at work. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s a good way for me to process things and maybe help someone else along the way.

Hello, Bluesky

I joined Bluesky this month. My X timeline was a tech stuff mixed with combat sports and football, and it was just too chaotic. Bluesky feels a bit fresher, and I’m thinking it might become my go to for professional stuff. I’ve been posting here and there, following some tech influencers. We’ll see how it goes!

I Deployed My Project

I deployed my project for the first time since graduated bootcamp. It felt like a huge milestone. Also since I hadn’t posted anything on LinkedIn in like forever, I shared about my project there.

New Job, New Challenges

January also marked the start of a new job for me. I thought the first month would be chill, just getting familiar with the codebase and settling in. But I was wrong.

The skill gap between me and the other developers feels massive. Everyone seems to finish their tasks super fast and logs off by 6 PM. Meanwhile, I’m working until 10 PM, trying to keep up. I didn’t want anyone to think I wasn’t good enough, so I log off early like everyone else (like 6 PM) and just keep working late without telling anyone.

This is my first time working on an in-house product, and the code reviews are intense. My PRs take 2-3 days to get merged, which is a big change from my last job where code reviews were basically nonexistent. I’ve also been doing code reviews myself, and I’ve realized how important they are. Reading through other people’s code line by line has been a huge learning experience. When I don’t understand something, I either Google it or ask the developer directly. It’s been super humbling, but I can already feel myself growing.

React Tokyo Meetup

I went to React Tokyo meetup. The creator of the Jotai library was there giving a talk, which was pretty inspiring. I also got to chat with a Chilean guy who’s been a software engineer for over 10 years. He was super chill and gave me some great advice on how to level up my skills.

He recommended a bunch of books, YouTube channels, and other resources to help me learn more about programming. It was one of those conversations that just leaves you feeling motivated. Meeting people like him reminded me why I love the tech community. Everyone’s so willing to share knowledge and help each other grow.

Adjusting to a New Routine

For the past year and a half, I’ve been commuting early, hitting the boxing gym near my old office, and then heading to work. But with the new job, things are different.

Now, I only go into the office once a week and the rest is fully remote. I start working around 8 AM, and the first thing I do is code reviews. It uses my brain a lot, so I like to get it out of the way before diving into actual development work. After my daily meeting, I head to a boxing gym near my place. I work out, eat lunch, and then get back to work around 1:30 PM. It depends on the meeting schedule but I usually take 2 hours break to do my own things.

I leave work again around 5:30 and go to grocery and cook and eat. Then it’s back to work until I feel like I’ve done enough for the day. It’s been an adjustment, but I’m starting to get the hang of it.

The biggest change is no more commuting. I’ve gained back about two hours a day, which is amazing. My last job was fully remote too, but I still commuted every day just to go to the gym and force myself to be productive. For some reason, though, I haven’t felt lazy working from home this month. In fact, I feel more productive at home than in the office. As long as I can keep my discipline, I think working from home is the way to go. It gives me more time to focus on my own stuff.

Final Thoughts

January was a month of big changes, new job, new routine, and new challenges. I’m hoping February will be the month where I start feeling more settled into my new role. I also want to keep up with my studying and blogging