2021 - A Year In Review and Goals for 2022
Tags: learning
Published: 2022-01-01 00:24:54

---
title: 2021 - A Year In Review and Goals for 2022
published: true
description: A lesson-filled year
tags: learning
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/i5ovqrhuthmlz1z3lz8h.jpeg
canonical_url: https://blog.godswillumukoro.com/2021-a-year-in-review-and-goals-for-2022
---
It is January 1st, 2021. A few weeks ago, around 1 am, I returned to Lagos - the city where I grew up. The bus I boarded from Abuja broke down a couple of times, in addition, the driver was unwell the whole time. It was my first experience traveling by road on a journey that spanned over 467 miles. What an adventure that was, I couldn't wait to see my family. It's been one year since I relocated to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), a compulsory program set by the Nigerian government to be undertaken by every university graduate.

The plan was to visit my family for two weeks and return to Abuja where I wished to reside permanently, however with every additional week spent in Lagos, the unrealistic my plan to relocate to Abuja seemed. It became certain the move would not turn into a reality. I had cast all my hopes on relatives who assured me of their financial backing in making my relocation a success. But it felt like I'd be causing myself harm if I continued to hope on their failing promises. I accepted my fate and resorted to live in Lagos.

From the time I was a kid, I had the intention to move out of the house. Simply because living conditions were at the very least, unconducive. If I had to live in Lagos, I told myself, "I'll have to move into my own apartment".

Throughout NYSC, I saved up all the stipend sent from the government, which was N19,800 ($48.06) every month, in addition to money made from freelance work, I had a cumulative amount of N400,000 in the bank. This still wasn't enough to rent an apartment and settle in.

I began applying for local tech jobs with my bachelor's degree in Computer Science and got one interview for the role of Technical Support at a server company. The monthly salary was N55,000 ($133.51) and I was expected to work 6 days a week. I turned down the offer and continued building websites as a freelancer.

Eventually, I registered my business name [Gnest Tech](http://gnest.tech) and got a few clients via referrals and word of mouth.

## Mentorship

I wasn't satisfied with the infrequent rate at which I got clients, so my goal was to get a fully-remote tech job from abroad. That was when I focused on building connections with awesome people on Twitter.

Shortly after, I found an amazing mentor, [Levi Meahan](https://twitter.com/LeviMeahan) who was willing to help me reach my goal. We started 1:1 video call sessions, he'll answer any questions I had on Twitter too. It's always refreshing to know someone has got your back and is interested in seeing you reach your goal.

![levi-godswill-first-meeting.jpeg](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1640988648601/RN_Gx-n0s.jpeg)


The more I engaged on Twitter, the more I connected with like-minded people who were willing to help out. [Dan Mall](https://twitter.com/danmall) is someone who is always happy to help out. We held video meetings where he taught me about public speaking and gave me some general advice when I needed them the most.

I completely studied the [CS50](https://pll.harvard.edu/course/cs50-introduction-computer-science?delta=0) course, a series of Computer Science lectures offered by Havard.

During that time, I committed to the [#100DaysOfCode Challenge.](https://github.com/godswillumukoro/100DaysOfCode) and completed it.

## How I Got Scammed and Almost Lost it

Some of my acquaintances introduced me to this "new opportunity". Unaware of this being a Multi-level Marketing (MLM) scheme, I jumped right into it. Of course, I wanted to move out at all costs, without doing any research on my own, I invested some of my savings, at first, I was getting a return on investment, so I proceeded to invest all my savings and even took a loan to invest even more money. Like all MLMs, the tricksters behind the show took off with all the money.

At this point, I was left with a deep feeling of sadness. Not sure what steps to take next, my mental health greatly deteriorated. I had to relocate to a rural territory, where only a few people know me with the intention of clearing my mind off my losses and channeling all my feelings towards working on my skills so I can pay off my loans and live a better life.

## Channeling the Hurt Toward Creativity

Burning with a passion to build my skills, I consistently studied, wrote articles, and hosted Twitter Spaces. Some of the amazing people I got to feature were:

### [Ryan Burgess](https://twitter.com/burgessdryan)

![03_ryan.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1640990197007/qbnk4g-lF.png)

### [James Quick](https://twitter.com/jamesqquick)

![6.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1640990220103/dIfYbm6M_.png)

### [Rob Kendal](https://twitter.com/kendalmintcode)

![7.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1640992454710/YMz63ziXe.png)

### [Alexandria](https://twitter.com/AlexandriasTech)

![Twitter Space Chats (1).png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1640992470948/BIAJXYZUl.png)

### [Savvas Stephanidess](https://twitter.com/SavvasStephnds)

![5.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1640992502391/VOhCcwSn-.png)


### [Jodie Koffi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodie-koffi-88618914a/)

![01_jodie.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1640992600990/Ok3hddV-z.png)

My blog quickly grew to over 3.5k views.

I was privileged to co-organize [Black Tech Twitter](https://twitter.com/blacktechtw), a safe space where underrepresented folks come together to discuss and aid each other. Before long, this community created some buzz on Twitter, even the official [Twitter Dev Team](https://twitter.com/twitter_dev) gave us a shoutout.


I continue to build custom web applications for my client, while I spend other time improving my coding skills, creating content, and developing healthy habits.

Three months ago, I began my Master's program, studying Information Technology at the National Open University of Nigeria.

## Conclusion

This has been a year filled with many twists, turns, and lessons.

I'm glad I had to go through everything because it made me a much better person today.

## Goals for 2022

1. Become proficient in React and Firebase

2. Make a high-income monthly salary

3. Read 10 books.

> Thanks for reading this far. Did you find this article helpful? [Follow me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/umuks_) and tell me all about it.