Why a month late? Because I can.
Lesson from 2022: We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
Yes, it is humblebragging season. Around this time of the year, online publishing platforms are stuffed to brim with articles about what so-and-so achieved in the outgoing year and what they hope to achieve in the incoming year. Here’s a random kid from some random suburb town in Nigeria humblebragging.
I remember my thought process for the Year in Review article for 2021 and boy, was it different from this one’s! Unlike last year’s where I put in a lot of thought, time and effort into writing it, I only made up my mind to write something last night. Furthermore, unlike last year’s edition that was really structured — a function of the work I put into it, I assure (more like warn) you that you are about to read some really fuzzy content. Finally, as opposed to the I-did-this-and-did-not-do-that format of last year’s, this year’s edition would take a chronological order. Shall we?
I don’t think I can touch on 2022 without referencing that December afternoon in 2021. I still remember it like yesterday. Of course, I do. I mean, it has been my point of reference for a whole year. If I felt lazy, I would remember that afternoon. If indolence tried to creep in, I would chase it off with the thought of that afternoon. And if procrastination came around, the feeling from that afternoon came with it. On that sunny afternoon, I was out with family in line with the detty December culture in Nigeria where young people lose their home training and party with all their might to make up for the hard work they had put in from January till November. I was supposed to be having fun. However, I felt like I hadn’t worked hard enough from January till November. I felt like I didn’t deserve the fun.
Now, fast forward to a year later. The story is very different. You know, it is crazy how much time can change and how it offers some perspective. That dissatisfaction has become fatigue. The emptiness assumed the form of a low social battery. The regret has evolved into a need to rest. And the disappointment came to be burnout.
An average week in 2022 for me would usually start with me exhausted and end with me being burnt out. And the crazy part? I would do that all over again the following week. So, when my social battery hit an all-time low in November, it did not come as a surprise. I mean, through the entire year, I kept putting off a much-needed break. Till this moment that I write this, I still haven’t gotten that break. The last week of December would have been perfect for the rest. I mean, now I would have actually deserved that rest. But then, guess who spent the last seven days preparing for their AI-102 Certification Exams (more on how I failed that later). Yes, Salim.
AlhamduliLlah, I had a decent first quarter. The United Nations Millennium Fellow that wrote last year’s edition became a United Nations Millennium Alumnus in January and he also won a national essay competition. In my head, I see both feats as one because not only did they come days apart but something about both revolving around mental health advocacy (something I am super passionate about) puts them in a special place in my heart. The essay win was a little more emotional for me. At least, it was emotional enough to get me to write a twitter thread on the experience.
In February, I had my first appearance (not so much an appearance as a cameo) on TV — NTA. Keeping it a buck with you all, I really enjoyed that one. BBC next Bi-ithniLlah 🤞🏽. Thereafter, March saw me take and complete a Technical Writing course from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Sure, this seemed like just another certificate at the point. However, when you consider the fact that nine months later, Salim Oyinlola was amongst the top contributors at freeCodeCamp’s technical publication, you just might see why it was not just another certificate.
Four days into the second quarter, we launched a mental health newsletter at SoundAsABell Initiative called The Bell. Oh, yes, if you are wondering what the Initiative is (about). SoundAsABell Initiative is an amazing project I got going with the most amazing team where we advocate for the elimination of shame, stigma, and discrimination against persons with mental illnesses in our society. It only started as a semester-long project but boy, am I proud of what it has become! To be frank, I had always wanted to write a newsletter but writing one on something that impactful with the most amazing set of guys made the experience even better. Eleven days later, my tech career changed.
Okay, not changed but it took a turn in the right direction. I became a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador. It is crazy how about four days ago (at the point of this writing), I was put on the spot when I was asked to speak on the wins from my year on the Nigerian Ambassadors’ Community Call, and it was not until that moment that I realized the impact the program had in my tech journey this year. Not in my wildest imagination 365 days ago would I have thought that I would have hosted virtual tech events this year, became a GitHub Campus Expert, be in a position to (peer) mentor others, attempt Microsoft certification examinations, become well-acquainted with the workings of Microsoft Azure or get to work with ambassadors and cloud advocates from all over the world — S/O to my Kenyan friends, you all are the best!
May was perhaps the most eventful month I had. I ended up as one of the runner-ups in a global hackathon that encapsulated Mental Health, Writing and Artificial Intelligence. Everything about that experience was beautiful except the fact that FedEx still has my DEV hoodie, backpack, and sweatshirt with them. I also attended Microsoft Build and got a voucher to take the AI-102 certification exam. I started (but failed to keep up with) a Data Structures and Algorithms marathon with a friend. I completed my Machine Learning Engineering for Production (MLOps) specialization. I also attended my first physical tech event — the Azure Nigeria Community Conference. And finally, I hosted my first technical online seminar.
Fast forward to June and July. I spent both months trying to tick off everything on my do-this-before-you-hit-your-twenties checklist. While that was going on, I got a reply from Microsoft Nigeria on twitter that would later be my pinned tweet, finished in the top 100 for a global technical writing competition, built (and deployed) my first end-to-end AI project (an AI web translator app) and became a two-time Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals & Azure AI Fundamentals. I also had the opportunity to give back to the community in the form of a visit to secondary schools with IEEE Unilag to empower the future STEM innovators. On the last day of July, I clocked 20.
Now, barring being obsessed with Randy Pausch’s last lecture on how to achieve ones childhood dreams and having my application to speak at DataFest Africa rejected, I don’t think I did much in August.
Umm, yeah. The –ember months. I became a Technical Author at freeCodeCamp, had a meeting with Quincy Larson, the Founder of freeCodeCamp (Nah, it was not good. He felt I could do better as a technical writer. So, it was good actually), became a GitHub Campus Expert, got rejected as a speaker for the Global AI Student Conference, authored a technical article at DigitalOcean and had to squeeze a semester-worth of workload into six weeks.
Finally, if you have read up to this point, thank you for letting me bore you about how my year went. But then, did you figure out what the head fake is? [in Randy Pausch’s voice]. The head fake is that this piece is not about the year I had. It is about the quality/impact of those around me this year. Every single ‘feat’ wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing people I had around me this year and I only saw the ‘losses’ as lessons because these amazing people made me realize the true essence of life — to make an impact. I got a lot of help, and I am appreciative of the help I got. I want to mention everyone but that could be another article of its own. So, if you had a role to play in my 2022 story, Salim says gracias for 2022.
Ciao,
Salim.