A new year has arrived! Some people are anxious about it, while others are celebrating their achievements from the past year. Meanwhile, some might feel disappointed about goals they couldn't reach. As for me, 2024 has been quite the roller coaster, especially in my software engineering career.
A new year has arrived! Some people are anxious about it, while others are celebrating their achievements from the past year. Meanwhile, some might feel disappointed about goals they couldn't reach. As for me, 2024 has been quite the roller coaster , especially in my software engineering career.
Since this is my first year-end review, let me start with what happened in late 2023 to give you the full picture. In November 2023, I officially left my position at a data analytics company after serving a 3-month notice period. After two years there, I felt it was time to step out of my comfort zone as I had learned everything I could. Back in August 2023, I interviewed with a tech solutions company. The interview process was pretty intense - it took three weeks, including a take-home assessment and face-to-face technical interviews. Fortunately, I got the offer, and they were willing to wait for me to complete my notice period. I was incredibly grateful and excited about this new opportunity!
New Beginnings and Unexpected Turns
January 2024 marked my start at the tech solutions company as a Frontend Engineer. I worked on an e-commerce admin back-office project using Vue with NuxtJS and Vitest for unit testing. Both technologies were new to me, which made the learning experience exciting! I met amazing colleagues who taught me valuable practices like clean code development and working with monorepo projects.
February started well with Chinese New Year celebrations with both family and company. However, life threw a curveball at the end of the month - I received a retrenchment notice with one month's notice, before even completing my probation. The company had to make some tough decisions based on a last-in-first-out policy.
In March, I focused on wrapping up my work and preparing handover documents. During my final one-on-one with my team lead, he gifted me "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Dr. Spencer Johnson - a book that really changed my perspective on career and life (I might write about this in another blog post!). During my job hunt, I interviewed with a startup that caught my interest, mainly because of the team lead's personality and experience. Though joining a startup meant facing uncertainties, I decided to take the leap.
Reset and Fresh Start
I took April off to recharge and catch up with old friends before starting my new role in May. May and June were all about getting back into React development at my new role as a frontend engineer at the digital marketing startup. It was like reuniting with an old friend, as I hadn't used React professionally since my internship days.
Growth and Travel Adventures
July and August were intense but rewarding months. The startup environment meant juggling multiple projects simultaneously, but I had fantastic support from my colleagues and team lead . I had my hands full developing core features - from implementing user authentication and payment gateway integrations to building an admin dashboard for business operations. I particularly enjoyed working was contributing to a property management platform that streamlined how agents handle unit reservations and client management.
September brought a wonderful break with a family trip to Hangzhou and Shanghai . The highlights included exploring the peaceful West Lake in Hangzhou, witnessing the impressive Shanghai skyline from The Bund, and indulging in many delicious food. It was refreshing to step away from code and immerse myself in Chinese culture and history.
Challenges and Transitions
October hit hard with a significant increase in workload. We took on several new projects, and I found myself working longer hours to meet deadlines . While challenging, it helped me improve my time management and prioritization skills.
November brought some unexpected changes to the company's direction and some unspeakable incident. The startup began pivoting its focus, which meant rapid changes to our existing projects. The constant context-switching and pressure started taking its toll, leading to burnout. After careful consideration and discussions with my lead about career growth and work-life balance, I made the difficult decision to move on.
December was about ensuring a smooth transition, documenting my projects, and training team members who would take over my responsibilities. Looking back, despite the challenges, 2024 taught me valuable lessons about adaptability, resilience, and the importance of maintaining work-life balance. Each role brought unique learning experiences and helped me grow both technically and personally.
Some memorable moments
As I step into 2025, I'm taking these lessons with me: the importance of continuous learning, the value of supportive colleagues, and the courage to make tough decisions when needed. Here's to new beginnings and more adventures ahead!