2020, I wouldn't have even thought of writing this. It's clear that this year didn't go like others. Whether that's a plus, we're about to find out.
I'm just going to start it straightforward.
Pardon the structuring 😂
School
After spending almost the whole of last year in the house due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to improvise.
We went back to school in January and spent 9 solid months there. That wasn't easy.
Academically, I think this year was my worst ever. I want to blame it on myself; I don't think I put in enough work. Sad, but we move!
My most productive moment in school was the time we had to build a telegram bot as a mini-project for our data structures and algorithms course. [Message the bot here: avantionary_bot]
Let me just put this one here as a reminder: he won me 9 goals to 1 in FIFA 21 😭
YouTube (Math plus Tech)
After the first semester, we were given a two-week break.
I had been thinking of starting a YouTube channel throughout the semester. When the vacation started, I figured I'd also use that opportunity to start working on it.
Looking back at the first video; the worst thing ever 😂. I think I did improve a bit.
During the start of the second sem, I kept producing videos but I got discouraged by the views and I eventually stopped.
This is how I started gathering the energy to put myself out there.
Machine Learning
Machine learning has always been on my mind but I hadn't really tackled it.
After the long 9 months in school, vacation started in September.
I used the time to start working on the ML vibes.
I got this book titled Hands-on Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras and Tensorflow. I started reading it. I'm still not done but now I've got important skills in ML. 🤩
Interested in how I eventually got into ML? I wrote another article on it here.
YouTube (trevenue44)
Somewhere in October, I decided to give content creation another chance. 😅
Math plus Tech felt too restricted for me. I wanted something a bit general and so I decided to go with the name "trevenue44".
trevenue44 has now turned out to be my name everywhere. Sounds cool in my ears 🤣
Started doing some stuff on python and general programming. The views were still not all that encouraging but I kept on going anyway.
Now, I've decided to start a new series where I teach python from basics on both the channel and Hashnode. (Learn Python like ABC)
You can check out what I've done with the channel here.
While you're here, don't hesitate to smash that like button 🤣👍🏾 {Both here and there}
Productivity
Overall, 2021 has been my most productive year.
Akorfa made me think about accountability and timetables from another angle and I believe that has made a huge difference.
Here's my article on accountability if you're interested: accountability
Social Life
I've spent more time with people this year. My communication has greatly improved and I'm really happy about that.
I'm still not perfect but compared to before there's a clear difference.
I spent a good amount of time with friends.
I went out to celebrate my birthday 😂, not something I usually do.
Stepping Out
One big thing I started this year was putting myself out there.
I became more active on tech twitter. I got in touch with some key people that helped me a lot.
I started writing articles and sharing my journey.
YouTube is also there.
I don't have like a thousand followers but I'm happy some people find my content useful. That's all that matters.
200+ YouTube subscribers 🤩. Thank you all.
Putting myself out there didn't only allow me to help others. It also made me realize a few things about myself and helped me improve in ways.
Some Projects and Achievements
Digit Identifier: my first machine learning trial. I built and deployed a model that is able to identify digits in an image. And no, it's not a really good model 😅 (identifydigit.herokuapp.com)
Avantionary: a telegram bot that's ready to be your OTG dictionary! (avantionary_bot)
Scintilla Foundation GH: a good friend of mine started an NGO in Ghana. He asked me to create a website for him. Haha, I know nothing of how to create a website. Not like 0 but... 😂 With Google, YouTube, Django documentation, bootstrap, and tips from my friends, I came up with this.
trevenue44: how can I forget about the YouTube channel. I've said enough about it. I'm really happy about the 200+ though 🥺🔥
Digital Art: So I also decided to learn digital art. I won't say much. Just look at what I think is my best work.
Yes! That's supposed to be me.
The +ves and Sources of Happiness 🤩
👍🏾 I stepped out. I started creating content on YouTube and writing articles on both Hashnode and Medium. I connect with people on Twitter.
👍🏾 I learned new skills in machine learning with Scikit-Learn. I went through important supervised learning algorithms.
👍🏾 I learned some basics of Django and web development. Seems cool.
🤩 She got admission into MIT and I'm really happy! Like very very happy 😊
👍🏾 Started home workout with an app.
👍🏾 Improvements in my python skills and general problem-solving skills.
👍🏾 During the long vac, I think I coded more than any other year. I customized my Github a bit with some green things 🤣
👍🏾 Social skills improved!
The Negatives
😔 My worst academic year so far. That's really sad but we move! Can't change the past.
😔 Income. I still haven't figured out a way to use my skills as a source of income.
😢 Imposter syndrome at some points. Felt like I didn't know anything. 😂
😔 9 goals to 1 in FIFA 2021. 😂
Overall, 2021 has been my best year compared to all the ones before it. A solid 7.5/10!
2022?
So next year? It's all just meh 😐.
Obviously, I have things I'm definitely going to work on to improve my life.
More skill improvements.
I really need to work on my academics.
I don't know what's in store for me yet. However, based on this one, 2022 is definitely gonna be lit 🔥.
I'll see you soon.