…it makes me want to reflect on this past year and plans for the new year.

Professionally it has been a great year. I feel like an active and important part of the work we do at Points. Over the past year, I’ve gone for being mediocre in Javascript to someone who feels confident in working with that language. I have given talks both small and large, and people seek out my expertise. (Even though I don’t feel like I’m an expert at times in many things.) I have approached languages and frameworks like Erlang, Qt, C and OpenGL that in the past felt unapproachable, and have learned quite a bit about them. In general things are looking up, and hopefully next year I’ll continue this trend and expand my knowledge and experience in new directions.

Personally it has been a year of highs and lows. I am happy to feel that I’m on track with some of my personal goals. A large one was giving a talk at a PyCon, and that went pretty well. The steady progress on Rookeries has also been encouraging. I feel my faith has deepened which is an important aspect of my life. Also the realization and confirmation that I can be an interesting and fun person, that others want and seek out being with me, makes me feel better as a person. It has not been all been sunshine and roses, having to close down projects (like justCheckers) and give up on certain plans certainly has been disappointing. Also I have the nagging feeling of having not done enough writing. Hopefully I will rectify that, this upcoming year.

Maybe it is just a feeling; but seeing myself take on older projects and realize them feels empowering. There is still so much I want to do, but as this year draws to a close, I feel that I’ll be able to continue progressing forward. And I know this a bit premature, but since we are so close to the start of 2016: Happy New Year!