What I brag about from the opening half of 2023
I would like to give an account of the things that I feel as accomplishments. These include the habits that I have developed & certain realizations which I consider as a step towards future achievements.
I have compiled my routine from consuming numerous days' worth of content across several credible sources in the form of videos, podcasts & articles.
Fighting neck pain
Back in college, I had neck pain. I don't know how, I just had it for some reason. I'm sure there's some cause behind it in the form of my habits.
By the end of December 2022, I was experiencing excruciating pain in my neck (having an IT job added its wholesome share to the pain). In fact, on 29th December I reached a point where I couldn't even think of going through the same from the next day. The pain was so intense I almost left IT altogether. On the 30th I thought to myself - I have tried so many methods but none proved fruitful to fight the pain. The solution just struck me then - hit the gym. Oh boy, how I wish I had developed this habit back from my previous two attempts in college. I was tempted to start on the 31st.
Feat no. 1: I started going to the gym on the 1st of January, 2023. And I haven't stopped since!
Developing Abs
During 2020, 2021 & 2022 I developed apps. I decided 2023 would be the year I started developing abs.
I have always said: Whatever happens I ain't gonna compromise on food.
I still stick by it, just that my idea behind it has changed from February.
Feat no. 2: I have abandoned sugar, oil & junk food altogether. I stick to eating only healthy food. I have included nuts, veggies & fruits in my daily routine.
Realization of high-paying remote jobs
Around February, I came across videos from Harkirat Singh & Kunal Kushwaha on high-paying remote jobs. Initially, the numbers they were telling was keeping me interested. But soon I got onto the right track. It's so much more than the numbers. A remote job for me is about the work culture, work-life balance, and opportunity to work with & learn from top talents in the field I like.
So how do I achieve this dream of a high-paying remote job?
Answer: Open source.
Open source is free. You just need to spend your time on it. Be nice to others, help others, reach out for help in public, and collaborate on projects. This is what I have been doing my whole life & it resonated with me.
I wish I had known all this sooner. At least during my college days. Nevertheless, I have started my open-source journey with mindsdb.
It took me several days' worth of content in the form of youtube videos to let all this sync in.
Feat no. 3: Building credibility through open-source.
Walking, running, marathons
I work at IBS Software, where we give the utmost importance to health. Around February (yes, when I look back that was the defining month behind all these changes) I got to know through my company about the community that's so much active in marathons. I was intrigued by the opportunities before me so I started preparing for marathons.
I started by going on long walks (10K - 17K) regularly. Then, I started running & haven't stopped since (literally).
As Forrest Gump once said: Anywhere I wanted to go, I was running!
I used to take my cycle to the gym & back rather than taking the bus or any other means of transportation.
But now I run.
I considered this as part of my fitness routine. And it's more of a challenge. There's even a 3 story climb to the gym, just like in the movies ;)
I'm so popular in my area now, everyone knows me (I didn't do it for that).
The day isn't far off when I get approached by TV channels (I even saw a huge camera on my usual path the past month). Heck, I might even get sponsored T-shirts for branding & publicity. Just kidding. Or am I?
I always make time in my schedule to run my way (1K - 3K) to someplace I wanna be.
Feat no. 4: Increasing stamina, practicing discipline
The birth of my blogging journey
Around April, I knew from Kunal the importance of technical writing in my IT career. As someone who loves to express & talk about tech, I started blogging on hashnode.
My blogging journey is only in its infancy.
As part of WeMakeDevs x Napptive hackathon I wrote my first article. Although I had spent some time in the hackathon & with the community, I couldn't reach a working prototype. The submission was more towards the mental win.
Later, I wrote articles on hashnode bootcamp on technical writing & resolving conflicts in version control as part of the WeMakeDevs blogging challenge.
Again, from Kunal (I realize I'm quoting him a lot, it's just cause he has the credibility) I heard the importance of creating a personal brand. And I feel Twitter (I'm still gonna call it Twitter over X) gives me that platform to share all that I want to. Check out my tweets!
Feat no. 5: #learninginpublic #buildinginpublic
3x salary opportunity
In April I tried my hand at Unstop Intellect AI hackathon. I went in solo and spent considerable time researching & submitting a working prototype on invoice extraction. I must admit my aim was learning & the prize of a laptop (I didn't have a personal one then & I still can't afford one now).
I received an interview opportunity that had a starting package 3x my then salary. However, I turned down the chance. Even though there were largely positive reviews about the company, I was deeply discouraged from the reviews online about the work culture, internal politics, work location & the use of legacy tech. I also didn't like several other factors - I was reached out on the phone, they seemed to be in too much of a hurry, lack of details about the job such as description, and location.
When looking back I have two regrets. One is that I should have attended the interview. But my major regret is not documenting & open-sourcing my work. This is of course on my long list of to-do (sigh). Another thing on my to-do is to reach out to them & know why was there no announcement on who got the laptop. As I said, I just didn't agree with them on certain aspects (the open-source blood in me).
Feat no. 6: Bagging an interview opportunity from a hackathon
Open-source contributor @MindsDB
In April, I got to know about mindsdb when Kunal mentioned there's a hackathon on a new tech that focuses on ML. I didn't need another invitation.
But sadly I was occupied with combinations of my previously mentioned ventures during most of the duration of the hackathon. My efforts to understanding & trying to build with mindsdb came in towards the fag end of the competition (I was only able to do this as the fire in me chose to sacrifice a 3-day trip with my friends from college, although I haven't gone on a trip for several years now). I didn't have enough time by then but I thought about the long-term commitment & went on to spend time exploring mindsdb.
I went on to create my first open-source PR, & manage few minor contributions. I'm definitely going to focus more towards building projects, asking my doubts, networking, contributing & helping out people in developing & understanding. Currently, I'm working on building a conversational chatbot using mindsdb.
Feat no. 7: Realizing from experience that spending time on open-source is the key to a high-paying remote job.
Special mentions
I would also like to point out several other opportunities that I have come across but I have had to prioritize the previously mentioned ventures.
EddieHub, Harkirat's remote job newsletter, hackathons & networking opportunities in the developer-focused showwcase and the numerous hackathons from hashnode.
Conclusion
Going forward I hope to navigate through all the opportunities out there to grab a high-paying remote job, share my journey throughout, build using ML, network, learn & help people out in their journey. Wish me luck!
This article was written as part of #WeMakeDevs blogging challenge. It's primary focus is on the track - Brag journal. I have also covered a bit on ML, Development, Open source & Hackathon takeaways.