Whoops!! it's 2024 already🔥, and I have so much to be grateful for in 2023, it was a very intentional year for me, which led to having a vision board for myself as well as getting a partner who had similar interests for accountability purposes.

I had a lot of dares too which made it more exciting💃. let's dive in.

My 2023 GOALS

• Improve my academic grades

• Take Public Speaking Seriously

• Pursue a Cloud Career

• Be more Visible on Socials

• Double my Salary

• Write more Blog posts

• Go out More

• Attend AWS re: invent

• Get AWS Certified

• More Community Engagements

It’s time to find out if I actually achieved all these🙈😂

Public Speaking Engagements

One of the things I prioritized in 2023 was "Public Speaking". people who know me personally will think it comes easy for me, but trust me, the reverse is the case. I wasn't a shy person though but public speaking was a different ball game altogether.

Shout out to Joy 🎊who consistently dared me to take up speaking and hosting opportunities. Counting them I had a total of 10 speaking engagements in 2023🙈🙈 and I am super proud of myself ❤️

Improve my Academic Grades

So in a bid to graduate with good grades, I had to consistently put in more effort academically to make sure I reached my goals and in 2023 I had my highest Grade Point which was a “4.91” 🔥cheers to making a “5.0” this year.

Pursue a Cloud Career

2023 was officially my two years in tech 🔥🔥and I don’t regret taking it seriously shout out to my friends who supported this journey 🙈🙈

For the first year, I dived into Frontend development and have worked on internships and a full-time role. But in early 2023 I decided to dive into the Cloud space to build a career around it.

The journey was very confusing because I knew nothing about the Cloud and the internet had a lot of information which was extremely exhausting. Not the one to give up, I decided to participate actively in the tech communities I was in, asked questions, and networked more and that helped clear most of my confusion.

Another thing that helped out was embarking on a 12-week AWS Challenge which was initiated by the NexaScale community 🔥and for accountability I had to post my learnings on LinkedIn.

That was a “killing two birds with one stone “ scenario because LinkedIn at then wasn’t my favorite app but I knew it was necessary for my career so the Cloud Bootcamp helped me upskill as well as gain more visibility 😍.

Still haven’t gotten a role yet but we go harder in 2024 🔥🔥

Write more Blog Posts

As of 2022, I had just three blog posts and the goal was to write more🥲.

Technical writers are the real MVPs🔥, writing is not my favorite thing to do but we have to do the needful 😄 glad that in 2023 I was able to write more blogs centered around different Cloud technologies and Currently I have 13 published blog posts, and this one making it a 14💃. Cheers to writing more in 2024🎉🎉

Get AWS Certified

This was one of my goals in the last month of 2022 but was a very unrealistic one. I mean who writes a certification for the sake of it without actually understanding the different technologies involved?

Thank God I didn’t write it then because I would have failed woefully and misused the certification voucher given to me😫.

I decided to write an AWS Foundational Certification in 2023 because I had learned and practiced the fundamentals and built projects around it too.

During the exams, everything was going on smoothly until the exam portal closed out because the examiner wasn’t seeing my face anymore, Laptop's small camera was doing the most 😫😂 and I hadn’t finished answering all the questions yet. I felt pissed off because I have put in so much effort already but I serve a living God and he came through for me 🥳🥳

Results came out and I passed!! With a score of 810/1000 which was above the pass mark 💃💃

imagine if I had answered all the questions!!! I would have made a 1000/1000🙈

Double my Salary

Was this realistic?? I don’t know 😂😂😂 but I couldn’t double it but there was still an increment💃

Cheers to putting in more work this year and not just doubling but tripling 🙈

Be More Visible on Socials

So I started the year with 200-something followers on Twitter. I can’t remember my initial followers on LinkedIn in 2022 and now I have over 700 followers on Twitter.

Cheers to putting out more valuable content and improving my network this year🥳🥳

Attend AWS re: invent

If you don’t know, re: invent is the biggest cloud event ever which is organized by AWS annually and it is usually held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

there you get to meet amazing Cloud and DevOps Professionals from all over the world. That’s a huge platform for learning and networking if you plan it well🥳🥳

Financially it was impossible for me but then AWS offered an opportunity to apply for a grant that covers your logistics to and fro, feeding, and accommodation which is a huge opportunity!!🥳🥳

So I applied in 2022 and unfortunately, I didn’t get it. So sad right? But we move💃. In 2023, I was very intentional about getting it this time, I connected with people who got it before, prepared my essays and every other requirement well, and applied again, and Yes!! I made it this time🥳.

I was on a bus when I got the email and was literally happy and smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt 😂😂.

But yet again I couldn’t make it this year because of School Exams and Nigeria Visa delays😫, it sucks to be a Nigerian!!! 🙈 but I’m grateful for the knowledge acquired during the whole process.

However, there is always a chance for deferral if you wish💃and I do hope to make it this year without any barriers🙈🙈

Going out More!!

Hmmm!! So I had a couple of Friendly and Solo dates in 2023 and had good conversations with people. I enjoyed all of them 🥳🥳

Let’s make it a romantic one in 2024💃

Attended Guinness Scholarship Award Event

This was not part of my list but it still falls under going out more category 🙈

So Guinness was the first scholarship I had in my undergraduate studies. And it’s been 3 years with them and I’m grateful for all the financial support they have given me. Last year I was invited to the award ceremony where new beneficiaries were inducted and awarded officially.

It was a nostalgic feeling for me because I felt the same way as the new beneficiaries last three years when I first received the scholarship 🙈🥳.

More Community Engagements

This helped me so much in different ways and I will always advise anyone about to take up a career in tech to join a community.

It doesn’t just end in joining but you need to be active and show up in different community activities. This helps in building confidence and fostering new relationships.

I found the importance of this and I explored more of it by showing up and contributing to some of the communities like NexaScale, AWS community builder, Microsoft Student ambassador in FUTO🥳🥳

Plans for 2024 involve doing more, sharing more value, and impacting lives🙈

Renewed My Second Year as an AWS Community Builder!!

Every year, the AWS community builder program gets renewed. This means you will be evaluated based on how well you have used the opportunity. And if you did well you will be renewed the second time.

And yes!!! I got renewed to be a part of the program in 2023🥳🥳

A note to 2024

Dear 2024, no pressures dear but I do hope we do more, learn more, and achieve those milestones that seemed difficult in 2023🙈

Bye!!🎉🎉🎉