2018 year review

6 January 2019

2018, what a year! A lot has happened last year, and I want to give a quick summary of it.

I travelled quite a bit. I went multiple times to the Valparaíso metropolitan area, I went to Buenos Aires for work in April, I went to the United States in June, and to Pichilemu in December. All except for Pichilemu were return trips, so I got chances to deepen my knowledge of places that I’ve already visited. My favorite trip was Buenos Aires. I love the vibe of the city, the architecture, and the food. Especially the food. I primarily subsisted on pizza and meat for my week there.

I moved into my own apartment. That was a long-term goal of mine that I checked off in November. I think I passed the point where living with strangers no longer becomes fun or cool, despite the money you save doing it. I got a great apartment in the center of Santiago and I’m loving it! There’s something about knowing that a place is yours, and that nobody else is going to use the kitchen, bathroom, or make noise that is really satisfying. I love that feeling.

I started going Crossfit, an activity that had caught my interest for a couple of years now but never got around to trying. I’ve had a good time with it. The workouts are more intense than what I had previously been accustomed to, but I suppose that’s a good thing, because you get into better shape. More importantly, it gives me a place to socialize and talk to people outside of work during the week.

I got a whole lot better at programming and data analysis. Well I guess that’s the result when you push yourself every day for a year at one thing, you improve at it! My projects at work continually force me to improve and learn new techniques to write programs that can do what I need them to do. it’s beginning to sink in how awesome computers are. They’re not just toys to binge watch Netflix shows on (although that is a fun way to use them!). With just a computer and an Internet connection, you can use them to make things that can change people’s lives. It’s incredible how you can do so much with so little.

I learned that while programming is a big part of my job, I can’t ignore the other areas that might not be technology related, but are important for anyone in the working world. Things like teamwork, interpersonal interaction, and managing stressful situations all come into play, and are skills you need to draw upon when you want to take on new and big challenges. Improving in these areas will be something I focus on in the year ahead, not just so I can do my job better, but so I can maximize my potential as a person.