tldr from chatgpt 🤣

Raif, a Product Manager based in Malaysia, learned SQL, built a dApp with Solana, React, and Rust, learned PHP basics, and worked on a side project using Nuxt 3 in 2022. He plans to continue learning new technologies and improve his skills, make new friends and launch a Saas tool.

Introduction

Hello, fellow hashnoders!

My name is Raif. I am a Product Manager by day, and at night get into learning code if I'm not playing games. I am from Maldives and based in Malaysia, where I am working at an ad-tech startup. This has been my entry into tech and my learning/action ground for development.

The year 2022 was an exciting year for tech. From crypto waves and NFT craze to breakthroughs in AI and so much more!

I’m so glad I started learning to code in 2019. Looking back, by the end of 2022, I’ve come a long way in learning new things, and excited to learn more!

Here goes some stuff from the last 12 months I wanted to reflect on (in no particular order)

🔢 Diving into databases with SQL

Sometime this year, I wanted to develop an app to help me with my grocery list and shopping. At that point, I was using Apple notes on my phone to check off while I pick things. But I wanted to do more stuff like, click to see aisle, pricing, etc.

Unfortunately, I had only been working on the frontend. So, I asked around and got into the fascinating world of data science to learn about databases.

A friend had suggested DataCamp, which is an excellent website for all things data. The intro to data science course took me back to university where I had studied statistics. It was like studying the same subject from a computer perspective, whereas earlier I was introduced to statistics as a commerce student.

After the intro, I continued with intro to SQL. Their course is highly recommended for anyone starting out!

The second source of learning SQL was on Udacity, where I had started SQL for data analysis. I liked how they provided the database and I was able to set it up locally on my system and really get my hands dirty.

On Udacity, the whole course is based on a fictional paper-selling company and the learnings are practical and business oriented. Usually, the kind of things a marketing or sales manager should be able to query and find. I should probably go and finish it though, been stuck at 72% for a while after I got my hands on my work database and I understood enough to apply at work.

🚀 Building a dApp with buildspace

This one was a real head-scratcher! It was all unexplored territory, but I wanted to get my hands on web3, so I coded along and deployed my first Solana dApp.

I wrote all about this experience as notes from building my first web3 dApp with Solana, React and Rust

I have avoided React because I started with Vue and want to stick to it. But, it was surprisingly straightforward.

Rust though went totally over my head.

Here is the link to the dApp Football GIF Portal.

👨‍💻 Getting into php basic

At work, the core of the stack is in Laravel. So I took an introduction to PHP on Laracast. Which is helping me understand a tiny bit of the back-end code.

This one comes from a bit of frustration and the need to keep learning to make myself more useful at work.

This helped me do some basic API integrations with web app and crm. Ahh the magic of APIs, I wish I started learning these earlier.

I started the laravel 8 course, but dropped it after a while. I just was not ready to leave JS world yet.

😻 Side project with Nuxt 3

The release of Nuxt 3 was super hyped. Combined with Vite, development is insanely faast and not to mention how fast one could get started from scratch!

We created an Instagram account when we adopted a pet cat. My wife has been creating illustrations for pets. In 2021, we made calendars with sticker illustrations drawn on request, and in 2022 calendars had illustrations of pets from our Instagram followers.

So, creating a website seemed like a good next step. The progress is not great but I managed to push it live, featuring illustrations, comics, and a blog.

Hopefully, we'll get around to pushing more educational content around cat parenting in 2023.

It's still very basic. But you can check it out at pawreo.com

Lessons carrying forward

Commit more!

In 2023, I want to commit to writing and shipping more code!

I realized I was stuck in tutorial hell for longer as you can see from my git contributions in 2022.

I had shipped almost twice as many in 2021 and then somehow fell off the wagon later in the year.

Make more friends

This one is hard being an introvert, but here goes in writing!

Looking forward to making more friends in tech, going to a meetup, and maybe even an event!

Build a SaaS

Towards the end of December 2021, I got myself a copy of Make by @levelsio .

👆 that's me now. Let's see how I look in devretro 2023. LFG!

The goal is to build and ship an app that can make money, and hopefully achieve (or get closer) financial freedom while solving some problem.

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Okay, three is plenty, don't you think?

The End

I still struggle to balance product management at work and learning to code. There is so much to learn in both fields and fulfilling in its own way. I have been in this struggle for the last 2 years. Also, I never got around to actually building the grocery shopping app I wanted to before learning SQL. 😡

So, I've decided to lean more toward building and shipping.

Learning + Action = Impact

If you've read this far, please check on me and pull me out of tutorial hell if I am in a rut.

Here is to me doubling down on more action and stopping jumping around just learning new stuff in 2023.