🌟 #DEVImpact2023 - My Proudest Moments, Failures and Wins
Tags: devimpact2023, career
Published: 2024-01-08 14:34:00

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## Proudest Moment - Becoming a GDE
<!-- Share something you accomplished in the last year that made you proud. Whether it's a coding triumph, a community initiative, or personal growth, we want to hear it! -->

I became a Goggle Developer Expert 😇!

I never thought about applying because I thought that with my small online presence, I don't have enough influence and other GDEs regularly publish videos or give talks, which I don't do.

I thought I'd give it a go anyway, I have nothing to lose. It was exciting to go through all those application steps and interviews. I had the honour of convincing Sam Dutton, a Googler, why I was a good fit for GDE, and I nailed it.

<img width="100%" style="width:100%" alt="I am a Google Developer Expert" src="https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1OYyd_-LJD8bxNaU5mOP-c4C4v7xYDewI" />

Receiving the news in November that I am now officially a GDE was definitely the highlight of 2023.

## DEV Contributions
<!-- How did you contribute to the DEV Community in 2023? It could be writing articles, engaging in discussions, or helping others -- your impact matters. -->

At the beginning of the year, I continued to regularly write about 2 blog posts per week to fulfill the challenge of writing 2 articles per week for 1 year. A challenge that unfortunately only existed in my head and never on DEVto as a badge criteria 🤣.

After that, things went a bit quiet for me. There was too much going on for me to concentrate on my side projects and such. I started learning Austrian Sign Language 🧏🏽‍♀️, took 3 courses at university, it was just too much.

That changed when the Hacktoberfest was just around the corner and I made a strong comeback. I got active again, prepared for Maintaining and Contribution in Preptemeber (that's what it's for 👀) and started writing regularly again.

## Brilliant Fails
<!-- What are some of the most significant challenges you encountered this last year? How did you handle problems and make improvements? -->

Did I fail this year? Hell yes, I have 😈. And that's okay.

I used this year to see where my limits were and I reached them. Failing at 3 tasks I had set out to achieve showed me where my strengths lie, how much my brain can handle and how well I planned my time and content. 

With all this newfound knowledge, I will be able to make 2024 even more successful 🤓.

## Celebrate the Numbers 
<!-- Relive your moments on DEV with the cool [DEVto "wrapped"-style app](https://dev.to/code42cate/devto-wrapped-2023-13o) created by our talented member @code42cate and include your "wrapped" screen shot in this post. -->

![My DEVto wrapped in numbers, details in next paragraph.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/n6pi4pkx9g8ady0nfcmw.png)

- 20 posts published
- 354 total reactions
- January was busiest month
- 78 people discussed tech with me
- 18 hours were spend reading my articles
- #career and #webdev were most used/favorite tags
- [HTML can do this](https://dev.to/yuridevat/html-can-do-this-part-1-3ab2) was most loved article
- 21 devs mentioned me

Thanks @code42cate for creating this awesome tool. 😄 Is there a chance to generate it for the previous years as well? Would be nice.

## Shoutouts
<!-- Give a shoutout to another member on DEV who inspired, helped, or collaborated with you. Spread the appreciation and let's celebrate each other! -->

I would like to thank these wonderful people with whom I have had a special connection in one way or another throughout the year (randomly ordered) 💪🏼:

- @corinamurg 
- @eddiejaoude 
- @_collab_lab 
– @adiatiayu 
- @pradumnasaraf 
- @emmadawsondev 
- @grahamthedev 
- @arisa_dev 

Check out their GitHub profiles, blog post, and more, these people are amazing!

## Future Goals 
<!-- What are your coding- or community-related goals for the upcoming year? Reflect on your personal growth and share your resolutions and aspirations. -->

My main goal for the future is to make my project [Accessibility First](https://accessibilityfirst.at/) more visible.

I also have other goals in mind for my career in the field of accessibility, and I'm currently trying to plan them out.

## What Does DEV Means to You?
<!-- In a few words or a paragraph, tell us what DEV means to you. How has this community influenced your journey? -->

DEV has made it possible for me to become a blog post author. Since I started writing, I've had nothing but good experiences with the platform and the community that no other platform could offer me.

And it seems that not only does DEV mean a lot to me, but DEV means a lot to me.

![Favourite Author of the Year](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hrgpd0o2wawg36lvgl8r.png)

I was voted [Favourite Author of the Year](https://dev.to/devteam/dev-mods-favorites-of-2023-2k3c), which makes me proud and I feel welcome 🥹 .

<!-- ✨ Use the #DEVImpact2023 tag when posting your reflections on DEV, and let's create a wave of positivity and celebration. Here's to an incredible 2023 and many more achievements to come! ✨ -->