This happened to me in 2023 - A Year in Review

The year 2023 ended on a high note, but if I had one word to describe this year, it would be perseverance.

Early 2023

Learnings

The beginning of the year kicked off from where it stopped in December 2022, as an Intern at SABI Programmers - where I was having my Industrial Training (SIWES) to learn more about Software Development. The decision to intern at SABI Programmers was made so I could spend time under a guided mentor on Software Development, after being self-learning for a long time**.**

To upskill and gain more knowledge, I register for a paid Fullstack Web Development class using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and Django. Built some cool projects with the knowledge gained from the class (here, and here).

Making Impact

While so many books and resources have talked about the act of giving and receiving, one of the books whose idea struck me the most was that of Dr. Abib Olamitoye titled The Greatest and Strangest Secrets of Making Money

Dr. Abib mentioned a concept called the Artery of Wealth which is about balancing the art of making money and giving money. In his words, an artery requires the right inflow for the system to function properly and this can be likened to how important it is for an individual to earn money, and give out money in the right quantity.

While the concept is being referred to as money, I did apply the concept to other areas as well such as sharing knowledge. Early 2023 marked the end of several months of one-on-one training on Introduction to Technology and building websites using WordPress with a student of mine.

I was also able to launch 3 new courses on Udemy (which include both free and a paid one) after a lot of hesitation 😀

Challenges

2023 gulped more of my income than any other past years I might have remembered. At the time of having my internship, it was an unpaid one and the distance to my permanent location was a bit long.

Spent most of my income on transportation, 2x data consumption, getting resources, registering for paid courses, and of course - important social responsibilities.

The most challenging part was the Naira Cash Scarcity in Early 2023 where the physical strain of getting cash, and the burden of adding extra charges when paying for things like transportation took a toll on me.

The Wins

In recent years, I've been building websites, and almost all of the websites are powered by the popular open-source software, WordPress. This year, I was able to work mostly with fully coded web apps and also engage in more collaborations.

Launched the Complete WordPress Dashboard Course for beginners on Udemy with over 70 Lectures initially as supporting material for my recent student who's learning WordPress, but decided to make it public for others as well.

Taught a few students JavaScript and Python programming languages.

Mid-2023

Learnings

• Learned more about API calls, and built some cool projects with it (such as the De Dictionary web app).

• Learned React JS post-internship, and formed a team where we motivated each other on coding challenges and solving code blocks.

• Improvised my technical skills, communication, and collaboration skills for our Ed-Tech Project during the 2023 Wema Bank Hackaholics. (Necessity is the mother of invention 😉)

• Started an intermittent 100 days of code challenges, progressing from building a website, a web app, a Chrome extension, and a mobile app.

• I learned more about my deen by taking the diploma course at IOU which I started in September 2022. (NMC 101, NMC 102, ARB 011, IIS 011, IIS 014, FQH 011, IIS 012, AQD 042, and almost with AQD 021).

Making Impact

• Taught a few students the rudiments of JavaScript and Python programming Languages towards completion of my Industrial Training at SABI programmers.

• Marked the end of my tenure (spanning 4 years) as an Executive at MSSN FUTA, a non-profit organization that caters to the welfare of Muslim Students on Campus) as the Auditor. (credits to our Leaders, and every member of the Executives for their roles during the tenure).

• Playing a major part in multiple roles during my tenure at MSSN FUTA - such as ICT Team Lead (led the team that built the official organization website) , Ramadan Secretary, Freshers Orientation Chairman, Jihad Week Secretary, Skills Acquisition Program Director, and minor roles in other programs (credits to my colleagues, teammates and everyone whom we've worked together).

• Completed the one-on-one training section as a Tech and WordPress Instructor for a student of mine which spanned about 9 months.

• My Teammates commented how helpful the 2023 Wema Bank Hackaholics helped them to learn more innovations, challenging them to upskill and connect with like-minded people.

• Holding a Mentoring session at Digital Boost UK helping small business owners with building an online presence.

Challenges

• Having to come up with an internship report that relates my field of study (Industrial Mathematics) to Software Development. Finally was able to figure out some concepts that connect Discrete Mathematics and Software Engineering.

• Balancing the rigorous final Academic year With Techprenuer (building and managing websites).

• Catching up with physical post-internship mentoring sessions and schoolwork (had to eventually drop the mentoring session - when academic tasks became too demanding).

• Having exhausted income on upskilling and during the internship (internship was meant to be the months of making money😀), it was a bit tricky meeting the financial demand that comes after school resumption.

The Wins

• I won the RankMath SEO Affiliate Contest for my submission here and here (bought a new smartphone with the proceeds to replace my out-of-date existing phone)

• Made it to the quarter-final of the 2023 Wema Bank Hackaholics with our Ed-tech product.

• Being among one of the Elite selected finalists for the DevCareer DCTP Program in partnership with UK-Nigeria Tech hub out of 23,000+ applications.

Late 2023

Learnings

• Dived deeper into React JS concepts such as Conditional Rendering, React Hooks, React Router, Lazy Loading, Architecture patterns, Deploying using Firebase, and Authentication in React.

• Learned more about Sass preprocessor scripting language that provides superpowers in CSS.

• Learned about Mathematical Modelling for Malaria Infection while working on my final year academic project (credits to my Professor T.T. Yusuf and my project mate).

• Learned more about Math Modelling and its application during a 3-day participation in the ICAMMDA 2023 Math Modelling Workshop meeting people from different fields (computer science, mathematics, statistics, parasitology, etc.), cities, and countries. The 3-day session was wrapped with a mountaineering session (credits to my FUTarian colleagues, and the organizers).

• Learned more about pair programming using GitHub collaboration whilst working on A Care Review project with my team members at DCTP (being the team lead, I had to wear multiple hats including combining the tasks of an unavailable team member with mine) 😀.

• Unraveled the mystery behind some of my academic courses (credits to MTS Muslim brothers, and my departmental mates)

• Learned more about Open Source Software which led me to participate in Hacktoberfest 2023.

• Building a meme generator while learning new concepts on React.

• Learned more about Search Engine Optimization during a paid course offered by Yuyu. Learned more about using SEMrush and discovering how high or low the chances of content would rank on search engines

• Learned about using Vanilla Javascript to break the components of a webpage into sections.

Impact

• Contributed to multiple open-source software during Hacktoberfest 2023 and after the event.

• Held a physical interactive session on Beginners Guide to Building Websites with WordPress. One of the landing page project exercises can be found here on Udemy

• Carving a niche in my department for those at lower level who wish to go beyond the norms but are afraid to do so (see Challenge #1 in my Mid-year)

• Held multiple live coding sessions, and followed up as the Team Lead for the DCTP Program so my teammates could all be on the same page - especially for our project.

Challenges

• Academics became x2 more demanding.

• Finding balance in professional programs like the DCTP Frontend Engineering and Search Engine Optimization class Live sessions (totaling 4 days with a minimum of 10 hours a week)

• Embarking on my final year project on Malaria Infection - which involves researching more on diseases, mathematical applications, and math software for simulations, and contents.

The Wins

• Being among the first 50,000 to have my PR merged during Hacktoberfest 2023 (thus leading to a Tree being planted in my name).

• Entry into a Four four-week open-source internship with guided mentoring sessions.

• Being able to optimize the speed of a multi-vendor e-commerce website with thousands of products on the staging site (as of the time of writing this article, January 2024, the live website seems to develop an anomaly that stems from the hosting server).

• Being able to make an impact in my social circles.

• Successfully deploy the MSSN B Zone organization website (credits to everyone who worked on the project)

Summary

The last months were full of learning, and experimenting and some days seem like they are never going to end 😀(Alhamdulilah for making it through). A lot of progress was made, met new people, had new experiences, and organized social-impactful sessions with friends.

Goals for the next few months

In the coming months, I hope to focus on solving more problems, x3 income, making a positive impact, and making experiences. Below is a list

• Get a job. FE or Technical support roles.

• Continue learning React JS.

• Building websites for small business owners (SDG Goal 8 ).

• Writing more Technical articles.

• Launching and updating courses on Udemy (might set up a dedicated YT channel for this too).

• Collaboration with product owners.

• Read at least 4 books this year (starting with Lessons from the Married Life of the Prophet by Dr. Khaalid, and Atomic Habits by James Clear).

• Hopefully, achieve my skydiving goal this year 🙂