My Year in Review: Hey there!
Tags: review, 2022
Published: 2022-12-31 07:53:02

Honestly, I wasn't planning on writing a year in review. This is my first time writing one, and I am also trying to figure out how to write one. But 2022 was interesting, to say the least. I got into tech in 2021, and 2022 was me exploring and finding my feet within the industry. I also contributed to various open-source projects, made new friends, and experienced fantastic career opportunities.

I will try to make this personal, but then again, I'm not expressive, so I'll just list some highlights. So here we go in no particular order.

## 2022 highlights

- I finally got the hang of the data analysis landscape and started crushing it at [UrBizEdge](https://urbizedge.com/). I learned a couple of new tools and more about old tools I frequently used. I also hit the one-year milestone. Thanks, Michael Olafusi.
- Teaching people about data tools and Microsoft technologies; taught over 400 people.
- I got accepted as a technical writer into more publications, though I did not write for some. On the bright side, I, however, got to write for a bunch of new B2B, B2C, and SaaS organizations like Linux foundation, Bird eats bugs, Loggly, Opslevel, Microsoft 365 blog, and a lot more via [HitSubscribe](https://www.hitsubscribe.com/). What made this notable was how broad the topics always were.
- More about technical writing: I also got [accepted](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6976486760985821185/) into [freeCodeCamp](https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/author/benny/), was able to write a post, and made the [top contributor](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7012756113225854976/) list.
- I got the contract technical role with [Sematext](https://sematext.com/) four months ago to create [glossaries](https://sematext.com/glossary/) about various DevOps and cloud terminologies. It is a pretty exciting project because, besides writing, the team and I also work on the information architecture and showcase helpful product demos to help everyone get started.
- I got some amazing feedback from the various [short tutorial videos](https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelOlafusi/search?query=ifeanyi) I recorded about data analysis, data science, and several data technologies, languages, and tools like Microsoft Excel, SQL, Python, Power BI, Power Query, and the Power Platform.
- In 2022, Hashnode did an [Open source themed writeathon](https://townhall.hashnode.com/oss-grant-badge-winners). I learned about open source and gave it a go this year. I got the chance to contribute [docToolChain](http://doctoolchain.org/docToolchain/v2.0.x/), a doc-as-code generation tool (here is a [quickstart guide](http://doctoolchain.org/tutorials/01_Tutorials/010_Quickstart.html)), [Numpy](https://github.com/numpy), and a few smaller projects like [Oppia](https://github.com/oppia) (free education for all) and [Forecast work](https://github.com/andrew-codes/forecast-work).
- For more small wins in open source, the Spotify team added an article I wrote about [Spotify's Chartify](https://www.section.io/engineering-education/data-viz-chartify/) as an [official resource](https://github.com/spotify/chartify/pull/137). I was also able to make a tiny doc fix to Microsoft Power BI's documentation. This is a tool I use a lot, so saying this felt awesome would be an understatement.
- Participated in Hackoberfest 2022 and wrote an article via [opensource.com ](https://opensource.com/article/22/10/how-to-contribute-hacktoberfest?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY) to onboard curious folks. 🙈 I also got a [tree planted in my name](https://tree-nation.com/profile/benny-ifeanyi-iheagwara). Thanks Hacktoberfest and DigitalOcean!
- My friends [(Blessing, Timonwa, and Light)](https://github.com/Bennykillua/Getting-started-in-Technical-Writing/blob/main/Empower%20Her%20X%20Non%20Tech%20in%20Tech.md) and I Introduced more than 70 girls to technical writing and open source by mentoring at the Empower Her X Non-Tech in Tech Bootcamp. The conversations, questions, and feedback were also promising and intriguing. I love teaching as well, so this was fun and fulfilling. A few got gigs from the articles they wrote during the Bootcamp, and others made their first open-source contributions.
- Created a [technical writing resource](https://github.com/Bennykillua/Getting-started-in-Technical-Writing#readme) repository with a friend, [Blessing](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anyebe-blessing-ene-kwennb/) of CSS tricks. The [repository resources](https://github.com/Bennykillua/Getting-started-in-Technical-Writing#learning-resource) and [discussions](https://github.com/Bennykillua/Getting-started-in-Technical-Writing/discussions) are supposed to act as a roadmap for anyone looking to get started in technical writing. Since it is open source, you can contribute to it.
- I attended a few tech events like [DataFestAfrica](https://datafestafrica.com/) and [OSCAFEST22](https://festival.oscafrica.org/) (the first physical tech event I have attended and volunteered at).
- Besides data analysis and technical writing, I spoke at, co-organized, and managed meetups that hosted free virtual learning sessions every Sunday. Attendees learned more about [data analysis, Microsoft Excel](https://www.meetup.com/microsoft-excel-and-data-analysis-learning-community/), [Power Platform technologies](https://www.meetup.com/power-bi-learning-community/), Microsoft Azure, Power BI, SQL, and [financial modeling](https://www.meetup.com/financial-modeling-valuation-learning-community/) in the community sessions. I co-organized 114 meetup sessions with 70 speakers and the speaker's lineup this year was also impressive. We had Ruth Pozuelo, Bob Umlas, David Abu, Travis Oliphant (the creator of Numpy and SciPy), and many more. Can I include myself as one of the impressive speakers this year?
- For community growth! Each meetup community I managed ([Microsoft Excel and Data Analysis Learning Community](https://www.meetup.com/microsoft-excel-and-data-analysis-learning-community/), [Power BI Learning Community](https://www.meetup.com/power-bi-learning-community/), and [Financial Modeling & Valuation Learning Community](https://www.meetup.com/financial-modeling-valuation-learning-community/)) also grew in the number of members and engagements by over 51%.
- Talking about meetups, conferences, and advocacy, I got invited to speak at a couple of meetups like Microsoft Power BI UK, Microsoft Student Ambassadors Kenya, and Resagratia data digest. Oh! And the most significant speaking conference opportunity this year was being a speaker at [Write the Docs Prague 2022](https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2022/). The experience was great! From the past speaker's lineup, we ([Mustapha and I](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6963831541537869824/)) were also the first speakers ever from Nigeria. Here is a [quick recap of the conference](https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2022/news/thank-you-recap/), our [slide](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WE-8PFfDlEYMywA_Yl5ia54gleVuVXSR5WaUgQCVOKw/edit#slide=id.p), [sketch-note](https://www.flickr.com/photos/writethedocs/52378456393/in/album-72177720302317531/), and the [video session](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2L3QoTnYbE).
- Self-confidence and social anxiety. I battled a lot with this, and although I have gotten better at it, there is still a lot to be done.
- The biggest win of 2022 is that I am still here, got the chance to meet a couple of my mutuals, and made new friends. GRATEFUL is putting it lightly 🤲🏿 🤲🏿

These years also had a lot of downs. From the rejections emails, a couple of which pretty hurt ‘cause I was in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th interview stage, to the period I struggled with low productivity and the letdowns. But, generally, this year's vibe was rough and more of “getting the hang”. Next year will have a more upward trajectory.

## For 2023… 
I'd like to breathe and do better in a lot of things:
- Get better at my career and work.
- Be a lot more visible career-wise.
- Do a physical talk and speak at more conferences. Most of my talks last year have been mostly online.
- Connect more and be a lot more intentional.
- More consistent with my daily 1-hour activity.
- Take a trip… or more.
- More community work.
- Most importantly, have a better personal relationship with God.

Thanks to everyone who has been a part of my 2022 journey. Thanks for your support and guidance. I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Have a blessed 2023, everyone!

Cover image is by [PhotoGerard](https://twitter.com/gerard_nartey?s=11&t=C8fNRqBdxc4_oDXNBq24tA)