This is a submission for the 2025 New Year Writing challenge: Compiling 2025.
2025 should be the year of trying new things right? After a few years of being told that some things can't be done. AI can't be done more cheaply. You need an NVIDIA chip. You have to be in Silicon Valley. Here comes DeepSeek which reminds us that with a unity of purpose and grit, we can achieve what is required. This is my mantra for 2025. Someone can do it despite the circumstances, and that someone can be me.
My aspiration for the new year is to revisit past projects and improve them to refine my technical skills. A year ago, I built a few projects as I began on React Native and want to revisit them and improve with the skills I now have. I also want to apply new skills to the existing projects as a way of breaking new technical ground. My initial goal for learning React Native was to build a language app for native languages in East Africa. This has not changed. Instead of overwhelming myself with an ambitious timeline, I intend to start small and approach my goal incrementally. Building a small feature into my app and gradually improving it by adding other features throughout the year.
Additionally, I shy away from the backend a lot. To tackle this, the plan is to improve a link-sharing app created last year in the design format of bento to explore authentication and API development.
Beyond coding, my engagement with the tech community has mostly been from the shadows. For example, despite being part of the dev.to community since 2020, I have rarely shared nuggets on how to approach problems and offered personal perspectives on various tech subjects I am passionate about. This is the year that changes. Moreover, I aim to give at least one talk at a conference this year. Sharing knowledge and engaging in discussions should help me solidify my expertise and connect with other passionate developers. Aside from tech, I intend to use the tools other developers have crafted to commit to my art pursuits. For example, as I publish this, I have done 24 consecutive days of #dailyartsketches. You can just do things!
Point me towards any tools you're using to ensure consistency!
At the end of 2025, I hope to look back at a year of steady progress, with improved past projects, collaboration and supporting other engineers and creators. Consistent sharing, learning, collaboration and public engagement will help me prepare for bigger projects and opportunities in future. In the spirit of just doing things, I also intend to just not do things and commit to what I feel most passionate about.
What are some great conferences that are welcoming for beginners and newbies to give talks in? I am interested in open-source, and digital health.
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