Happy New Year 2024! Back again with my once-a-year write-up. This time, itâs the 2023 Retrospectiveâyes, a little late, just a little đ
How was your 2023? Fun? Lots of progress? I hope so!
A Look Back at My 2022 Goals for 2023
Before we dive in, letâs revisit what I planned last yearâmy resolutions for 2023. I wrote them in The 2022 Retrospective.
There were a few 2023 resolutions I listed thereâtargets I wanted to achieve. Hereâs a quick recap:
- fill out all content on my personal website
- build some new projects
- be more active sharing about web development
- set up a hybrid workspace for comfortable work and content creation
- build a PC đ
But the biggest goals were: full-time remote work and building my own SaaS.
Yeahâamazing. So how did it go? Honestly, Iâm really excited to write this retrospective because some of those dream goals were achieved! Letâs see!
Remote Work
This is the biggest achievement of the year! Yuhuuuâfinally, I got to work fully remote! đ€©
In January 2023, I started receiving lots of job offers from international companies.
It started because I was active and frequently shared web development content on X/Twitter. Then offers began arriving via Twitter DMs, LinkedIn, and email.
It was nerve-wracking getting so many offers, especially from overseasâthis was my first time, my English wasnât great, I worried about scams, and had plenty of other concerns.
In the first month alone, there were more than 20 offers! Alhamdulillahâone by one, doors started opening.
Even so, I was very selectiveâchoosing roles that truly matched my skills and professional goals.
CKCollab
It began with a landing page project for a US-based web agency, CKCollab.
The client asked for a Google Meet, but I mentioned my English wasnât very fluent.
With a bit of courageâand thankfully an understanding clientâmy first GMeet with an international client went smoothly and was very memorable.
We sealed the deal and kicked off the project. That was the first time I earned US dollars from remote work đ„Č
The project lasted two months. While I was working on it, another offer came in:
Xyvo Technologies
This one was the most interesting. The offer actually came in January, but I only responded a month later (February). It felt like, âif itâs meant to be, it will be.â
Unlike the previous client who asked for a GMeet, this time I was simply given three questions by text.
They were basic questions: have you used tech A, B, C and for how long? I answered honestlyâsome yes, some no đ and the last one was about salary.
After I replied, I immediately received an NDA! I signed it and we were good to go. I even wondered if it was a scam.
But shortly after, the client asked for an invoice to pay upfront. I sent it with a payment link andâping!âpayment received. Alhamdulillah, grateful for such a decisive client đ„Č
Here I worked on several exciting projects that matched my interests: web apps. There were lots of intricate UI components to designâsuper fun!
As of writing this, Iâm still working with Xyvo Technologies, and in February 2024 itâs officially one year đ
Apa yang menarik dari bekerja secara remote? Whatâs interesting about working remotely?
Working remotely has been incredibly enjoyable so far!
Based on my experience this yearâespecially at Xyvo Technologiesâthe team is very friendly and welcoming to newcomers!
They guide, appreciate, and give feedback in a very polite and comfortable way!
For me personally, remote work is incredibly beneficial day to day.
The office is five steps away, no transport costs, no traffic delays, I see family anytime, coffee breaks can be flexibleâeven while workingâpause when something urgent comes up, and much more đ
Most importantly, the pay is betterâmuch better. I even received a bonus at Xyvo Technologies to buy better work equipment.
What should you pay attention to when working remotely?
Working hours and communication!
You need to adapt your schedule, especially when time zones are far apart. It helps a lot when clients are flexible and understanding.
And because we work from a distance, it doesnât mean we can be careless. We still need to remain professional and responsible.
Also, make sure you have decent hardware and internet. It doesnât have to be fancyâjust enough to keep work and communication smooth with the team.
New Skill Unlocked
Another milestone was learning new skills and gaining knowledge.
After a year at Xyvo Technologies, I became comfortable with a new stack: Vue.
Iâve been a React person since 2016, and finally tried its ârival,â Vue, due to project needs. And heyâthe DX is actually really nice! đ
Rakit PC
Finallyâafter wanting to build a PC since 2022âit happened in 2023!
In early April 2022 I started collecting parts: case, fans, PSU, and processor. Then I paused due to budget and because I got a backup PC from my previous office đ„Č
Alhamdulillah, after earning my first dollars from remote work, in February 2023 I continued with a GPU, RAM, motherboard, and other bits. By March 2023, everything was complete!
I jumped right into assembly. My first PC buildâand it was really fun. It took all night to assemble everything. I was very careful; whenever I got confused, I checked manuals and tutorials.
And what surprised me most: it worked on the first try! It booted right up, all components detectedâsuch a proud moment đ
Workspace
Since the house was being renovated, I decided to refresh the workspace too.
New PC, new workspaceâof course âïž
See more details on the Studio page.
SaaS Idea
Unfortunately, the goal to have my own SaaS didnât happen in 2023 đ„Č
But I already have some ideasâhopefully I can make them real this year! Wish me luck!
Lainnya
Other highlights outside the main goals đ
Dream Motorcycle
After my previous motorcycle was totaled in an accident, I decided to get a replacementâyay!
Can you guess which motorcycle this is? đ
No idea? Itâs in the image alt text.
Engagement Day
07 June 2023. The most beautiful day of 2023.
Renovate my Parents' House
I learned a lot about houses here, since I handled everything directly with the contractor (who happened to be my uncle).
Financial management, timing, layout, and material selection are all crucial in home renovation.
Alhamdulillah, within about six months, my parentsâ house was fully renovated đ
Aqiqah
19 November 2023. Yepâmy own aqiqah in my twenties đ Alhamdulillah, may Allah be pleased. Very memorable.
New Devices
I bought quite a few devices in 2023. First, I purchased several items to support work (mostly Apple): MacBook, AirPods, iPad, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch, and a 34" curved monitor (Xiaomi).
It was my first time using such a complete Apple ecosystemâsuper comfortable. Great user experience.
My favorites, though, were the gaming gears: PS5, 65" 4K Samsung TV, Logitech G29, and my favorite game: Forza Horizon 5 (PC). Itâs great to take a drive in between work stress đ
Iâm not sure how much I spent last year for all this đ„Č but I made sure the purchases were to support work and productivityâexcept the gaming gear, which was purely for fun and a little self-reward for remote work đ„Č
What's Next for 2024
That wraps up my 2023 journey. There were many other small but meaningful wins too. But letâs keep some of those to ourselves â
So, what are my goals and plans for 2024?
The biggest ones are the same as last year: build my own SaaS and continue working remotelyâthatâs the hope.
One more addition: I want to be fitter and reach my ideal weight.
On a smaller note, I want to refresh the look of this personal website and create a kind of webtoon to practice drawing and storytelling đ
Thanks for reading this far. Hopefully weâre all given health and long life to meet again in next yearâs write-up!
Cheers to 2024!