Dev Retro 2022: My first year as a developer & how it has changed my life as a shy, anxious introvert

With a little over a week left in the year, my first year as a developer is coming to a close. This has been a tough year and one of the most significant years of my life. I started out as an anxious introvert with a will to learn and a hungry mind, and I ended the year as a more accomplished but still anxious introvert with a will to learn and a mind stuffed full of knowledge.

This article is going to include a review of my experiences this year. I’m going to share a bit about my journey, where it started, where it’s at now, and my plans for next year.

Earlier this year

Earlier this year, I decided to take on web development after learning a bit about creative coding with P5.js. Writing code actually relieved a ton of my stress and was a breakthrough for me mentally. I started noticing changes in my mood the more that I continued actively learning and coding.

Here is a tweet featuring an example of a creation that I made. Note that the image was created entirely out of code using the p5.js library:

I would ultimately find myself spending hours daily hacking away at my keyboard, working on trying to code more exciting "disasterpieces" (as I like to call them). I started growing more curious about modern web development during this time as well.

Near the end of February, I saw the following tweet from camiinthisthang:

I responded to the tweet days after it was initially posted. Shortly after, I was invited to a Discord server with many other women and nonbinary people. This server contained groups of women who were participating in an upcoming hackathon called Web3Con (by Developer DAO). We filled out team sheets and then started breaking off into teams to brainstorm an idea. We came up with our ideas and executed them over the next few weeks, with all teams submitting an entry into the hackathon.

Here's a throwback to my team's project: New Wordle on The Block

This group eventually turned into Women Build Web3, an organization looking to help further women and nonbinary-led projects. You can read an in-depth article about my first hackathon experience and how Women Build Web3 was formed here. After the hackathon, I had also won a Developer DAO pass as well in a random giveaway. This pass gave me access to their Discord, where I started making friends and learning about other opportunities.

While we were working on getting Women Build Web3 running, I remember participating in my first ever bug bounty (through Spheron) which I found out about through Developer DAO. I ended up winning $500 from participating in the bounty. During that time, I had found a bunch of really minor bugs and a few medium-to-high level bugs while testing their platform. I was super hyped when I got this email (pictured below):

Over the summer…

Over the summer, a lot of different things happened. I was voted to become one of two Community Leads in Women Build Web3. I was really honored to be voted in by my other peers, although I was nervous because of my introverted personality. However, it’s been a very fun position to be in. I loved interacting with our community, lifting up our awesome members, and working alongside everyone.

Around the same time, I met Mariam on Twitter. We got on a Zoom call where she started teaching me about Breshna.io, which is essentially a Canva for creating hypercasual video games. I loved the idea of using a game creator to quickly create educational games. I expressed how cool I thought the idea of Breshna was. We kept talking for a bit, and shortly after, I became a Community Manager for Breshna.

After becoming Breshna's Community Manager, I was able to do fun things like create content for our community. For example, here is a game tutorial video that I created. It showcases the Breshna website and game creator:

Another exciting thing I worked on during this time was Women Build Web3's 30 Days of Web3 project. This was Women Build Web3's first big open-source project. It featured a curriculum designed for beginners to go from zero to hero by building their first decentralized application within 30 days. You can see a preview of the landing page below:

To this day, we have now had over 1,000 participants taking on the challenge. I had worked a bit with helping engineer the website, but the vast majority of my work was the content that I wrote for 30 Days of Web3. I wrote around 7 sections of our project's curriculum. It was a really fun learning experience. So much love and care from our team went into that project.

By this time, I was also speaking with Catherine from MintKudos (on-chain consent-to-claim soulbound token awards). I learned a bit about how MintKudos worked (we were using Kudos for Women Build Web3), and I really loved their platform.

Catherine would always keep me up to date with any changes as the MintKudos site continued to undergo development. I ultimately loved the platform so much that I created an article on How MintKudos Works. (Note: The platform has gotten massive updates since the article was published, so the article is out of date.)

Another fun thing I did during the summer was attending Women in Web3's #7DaysOfLensProtocol rabbithole-style experience. During that event, not only was I introduced to the absolute marvelousness that is Women in Web3, but I was able to meet more women and nonbinary people who wanted to learn something exciting.

I also participated in Build Pr3tti's Solana Camp this summer. I learned how to build an app that allowed people to share their favorite GIFs on the Solana network :) Here is a tweet from our graduation day:

Moving into Fall

During the fall, Women Build Web3 partnered with Encode Club to launch the BUIDL Accelerator Program. This was an 11-week program where women and non-binary-led projects would receive grant funding if accepted.

This was my very first time helping set up an Accelerator Program. Once again, I was able to work alongside an awesome team to make it all happen. It was a very busy but exciting season for me. I was continuing to develop a myriad of different skills.

And in terms of Breshna content, I continued creating more tutorial videos for each gaming template available. In total, I will have created around somewhere around 14 videos by the end of this year. We also started hosting weekly spaces every Friday at 8pm ET. Our Twitter Spaces, called Breshna Bolt Bonfires are, generally feature conversations about building Breshna in public. (Note: Our Bolt Bonfire is on holiday break until January 6th!)

I found some of our most recent Breshna Bolt Bonfires to be extremely insightful as someone who is on the road to becoming a first-time founder. I know very little at the moment, but it's been something I've been trying to learn more about as I continue expanding my skillset.

Outside of WBW3 and Breshna, remember how I mentioned earlier that I met Catherine over the summer? We were continuing to meet frequently to check in. It was always a blast. Anyways, she approached me and asked if I had any interest in writing user-facing documentation for MintKudos. I was BEYOND EXCITED. So, of course I said "yes!"

A small sample of the documentation can be seen in the screenshot below:

I loved writing the documentation for MintKudos. I was also excited to be able to add something new to my portfolio! Not only that, but I got this sweet Kudos as a token of appreciation as well (pictured below):

Last but not least, I started exploring the wonderful world of...creating a Discord bot! It's still technically an ongoing project, but I learned how to implement various functions and modules.

Into the cold winter

We've now entered winter. It's only 3°F (-16°C) as I'm writing this and Christmas is just days away. This was an absolutely massive season for me in terms of projects and things I've been working on. I started learning about marketing, scheduling posts/tweets, and a ton of other skills outside of coding.

I participated in LearnWeb3's Earn program and won my first bounty from writing this Stacks Tutorial article on Hashnode. Check out the cool Kudos badge I got as proof-of-completion (pictured below):

Also, the Women Build Web3 Accelerator finally came to a close on December 22nd. We ultimately had 14 unique projects cross the finish line. I am so proud of all the women and nonbinary people that participated and super thankful for the Encode team's support! It was another learning experience for me.

The team I am on has been working on a digital marketplace called Webgum, built on the Fuel network which is currently only available on a testnet. It is still in active development as Fuel continues to evolve over time! Check out the screenshot of the landing page below:

Another recent happening: I was accepted into Buildspace Nights & Weekends Season 2, where I am launching Web3Besties - a platform for beginners to learn about web3, building in web3, as well as various web3 tools and tech!

It is currently in its V0 State, so it's just a super basic landing page with little bits of information. There is also a button to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, where I will be covering my experience as I build Web3Besties from scratch completely in public. Additionally, I plan on interviewing other builders, founders, and more! This is all new to me, so I'm very excited to tackle a weekly newsletter, create new content, and continue to grow a community.

Not only that, but in order to continue breaking out of my shell, I decided that I will be holding a Twitter Space once a week for Web3Besties. I plan on interacting directly with listeners and interviewing builders about their projects, successes, and failures.

My ultimate goal is to hear from real people building in public in hopes that the conversations will inspire listeners looking for motivation to build something cool (or create a startup!)

What's coming in 2023?

So, what's coming in 2023 for me? I will be continuing to work on Breshna, Women Build Web3, and Web3Besties while pursuing other interesting opportunities. I plan on sharing my experiences and finding tools/tech to create free courses and tutorials on. I am super excited to create a ton of content in 2023. I will be creating a follow-up article detailing more info about Web3Besties as I continue to develop it.

While I started this year as a shy and unconfident introvert battling with imposter syndrome, I can safely say that I am ending it as someone who has gained confidence in her own abilities. This is a big deal for me because I've been struggling with my own self-confidence since I was just a kid.

A special thank you

A special thank you to everyone who has supported me this year! Whether you are someone passing through just reading my article, a friend, or someone else - thank you.

Some of the people and communities that really made my year (in no particular order):

• Mariam: Thank you for providing me with guidance. Your mentorship is something that I greatly cherish! You have been an absolute inspiration and have motivated me to push through any obstacles and keep going. You have introduced me to so many other incredible human beings as well who have helped make this year a blast.

• Cami: Thank you for helping me connect with a community of badass women and nonbinary people as well as some other amazing people as well. You have inspired me to apply myself and seek opportunities.

• Sarah Z: Thank you for all of your mentorship and help. You have taught me so many things this year, even though I'm sure you were busy AF! You helped me explore my interests and find some of my own strengths. You helped me believe in myself more this year.

• Luna: It's always a good time when we hang out and I miss that we can't always hang out as much as we used to, but I wanted to thank you this year for supporting me while I am working towards a better future.

• Meowy: Thank you for all of the fun talks, insightful chats, and kind heart. Watching your career evolve has been super inspiring, and I'm super excited to see how 2023 goes for you!

• Catherine: Thank you for taking the time to educate me about one of the most fun tools I've used to this day. Watching you and the rest of the CL team make magic inspires me to continue to create.

• Mari: Thank you for helping facilitate amazing and interactive educational experiences for women and nonbinary people. Attending these experiences has further inspired me to continue sharing my journey as a builder and an educator.

• with-heart: Thank you for making me feel so welcome in DD and for your unmatched sincerity. You inspire me to continue to pursue my journey while being open about things like my mental health.

• Phil: Thank you for making me feel welcome in DD and for all of the support over the last year. You continue to inspire me with your drive and kindness. Thanks for lifting others up and for trying to make places like DD feel like a home away from home for people.

• Steph: Thank you for your encouraging words earlier this year. I am very inspired by your journey and continue to be blown away by all of your accomplishments. You are one of the reasons why I continue trying to push myself to new heights every month.

• Paloma: Thank you for all of our amazing chats, insight, advice, and for all of the amazing encouragement you've provided this year. I am so happy that we connected. Your drive inspires me to keep on learning, creating, and sharing with others.

• Linda: Thank you for lighting up my life with laughs and fun. Yoda best and I am very thankful that our paths crossed. You inspire me to keep being myself and to continue pushing forward to learn new and exciting things.

• Sarah S: Thank you for all of the positivity you've provided and for all of the things that you've taught me this year. I am inspired by your drive to educate others.

• Afoma: Thank you for all of the great laughs and convos this year! I love your ideas and your ability to come up with great team names. Thanks for all the smiles, I can't wait to see what you accomplish next year!

• Tomi: Thank you for all of the encouragement as we continued working on the webgum project, and for all of the help and kind words! Your creativity inspires me.

• Brenda: Thank you for all of the support this year. From your sincere words, to brainstorming during our first hackathon together, you have inspired me to improve and compete in more hackathons, as well as to pursue other exciting opportunities!

• Sammi: Thank you for essentially being the first person to welcome me into the space. We had some wonderful and deep conversations that I will truly cherish forever. You have inspired me to come out of my shell this year, and to keep moving forward.

• Dawn: Thank you for always encouraging your friends and peers. I am inspired by your hard work and drive as you continue learning new and exciting things.

• Ke: Thank you for the encouragement this year, and for teaching me about social media and product management. You inspire me to always keep pushing through things no matter how hard obstacles may get.

• Naomi: Thank you for the kind words this year. I am inspired by how hard you work to turn a project idea into reality, and I appreciate our conversations. I look forward to seeing how your journey unfolds in 2023.

• Gabi: Thank you for always encouraging others with your words. You lift people up constantly and that helps me stay motivated to keep building and learning new things.

• K: Thank you for the feedback this year along with kind words of encouragement. Thank you for inspiring me to write more this year (and definitely even more next year!)

• Deby: Thank you for inspiring me to write more, for providing helpful feedback, and for your nice words. I appreciate your sincerity and love your articles!

• Muna: Thank you for being a kind soul. You inspired me to create thoughtful and meaningful content! Thank you for your great energy and I can't wait to see what you accomplish next year.

• Nat: Thank you for always being so encouraging and for providing feedback! I love your positive energy and the creativity that you put into projects. Thank you for inspiring me this year.

• Fatma: Thank you for always hyping up not only me, but other ladies in the space who are working on building something awesome! Your support inspires me to make 2023 an even greater year. Thank you!

• Vee: Thank you for being supportive always! You have definitely inspired me this year with your kind comments and I love how you hype others up. Thanks for all the great vibes!

• The Breshna Community: Thank you for inspiring me! We have so many great people that show up to the Boltfires every week and I feel like some of the best conversations have happened during them. Thank you to the Breshna friends and fam (Mariam, Steve, Lindsey, Amanda, Alisha, Liv, Ed, and more!)

• Women Build Web3: Thank you to the WBW3 community for bringing a light into my life this year. I am so happy and thankful to have connected with so many brilliant minds in our org this year. I can't wait to see what 2023 holds for us!

• Women in Web3: Thank you to WiW3 for providing a welcome environment for women and nonbinary people and for offering excellent educational experiences! I connected with so many women this year thanks to this wonderful community and I cannot thank them enough.

• DeveloperDAO: Thank you to the DD community for providing opportunities for growth, development, and more. The community has so many amazing and inspiring people in it, and I'm thankful to have gotten experience scribing earlier this year. Thank you for giving me a place to connect with other amazing builders.

• Build Pr3tti: Thank you for the awesome Solana Cohort experience this year! I met a lot of other great women during this event and had a blast. Thank you for making my 2022 a blast!

And a big thank you to everyone else who has joined my journey this year! Whether you are a reader, viewer, commenter, friend, colleague, or complete stranger - thank you! Thank you for reading my year-end review. I cannot wait to see where things go by this time again next year!