2020 Tattered
2020 was a year full of surprises. With this Covid-19 incident, I’ve switched to full-remote job, managed to get a new job, and fortunately fixed my position to be a front end engineer. Which is kinda ironic, because last year I dedicated more on server side, infrastructures and automation techs than others.
As I mentioned at first post, I had an opportunity to work again with Node.js, and I must say I’ve fallen into it. I built few applications with React and tasted how ES6 and TS has changed front end from what I have known for decade. Since last April, I decided to find a new position where I can fully dedicate on front, and since September 1st, I started to work as frontend developer, mainly working with Vue.js, and other libraries.
I won’t mention all the achievements as I did on last year post, because I spent 6 months digging algorithms, problem solving and CS knowledge to prepare interviews. Instead, I will try to rank my favorites and regrets and share my thoughts about each ones.
Most favorite techs
1. Vue.js
Current team mainly uses Vue.js, and other library called flagrate, which is a JS library built and maintained by company as an open source project. To be honest I barely knew other JS libraries other than React, so I had to learn Vue.js from basics.
After few months of study and practices, I got how team uses component and how to control vue instances’ lifecycle through very smart approaches that I would never figure it out alone.
Plus, I learned lots of convenient methods to develop JS frameworks, using Storybook.js, and CI Automation tool such as Drone CI, which I will describe below.
2. Github and Drone CI
Since current company uses Github Enterprise, our team took advantage of whole github’s convenient features. Thanks to prior projects that I was involved, It was relatively easy to get used to.
.configure files were whole different story. Our team used Drone CI to automate developing environment deploys, check lints and test cases, and finally leave message at slack channel. As every configurations were written in yml files, I had to figure out how these integration works, so I can set up for completely new projects.
Thanks to last year’s study, and my blog running on jekyll, I had no difficulties to read documentation and configure with yml files. It is extremely convenient to have CI integrated with versioning tool, as whole communication process becomes very simple, if we can simply throwing test environment’s URL to others.
3. TypeScript
When I studied personally about Deno, I noticed that TS was the thing and lots of ongoing OSS projects and commercial products such as Notion were using it. Luckily, our team has one TS Evangelist, who tries to write effective codes in TS and share with us with explanations. Thanks to him, some of projects were done with 100% TS, and since I got involved into it I got that it is a great language to control and organize massive JS application.
I still need more practices to improve, therefore I probably will start personal projects with it.
Few regrets on me
1. OSS Contributions
As I shifted to front end last year, a whole JS framework library world was an astonishing experience to me. Although I was shorthanded to follow up current issues and to contribute on those projects. Maybe I should start to follow up some open source project, such as Deno which uses TS as a main language.
2. Kubernetes and Docker
Learning how k8s and docker images orchestrate, and applying it to running services were very fun job, but those kind of work became a legacy (to me) at current position. In order to not forget what I’ve used, I should keep watching current IaaS trend, at least following newer tools.
3. React
I used to make all portfolio based on React, and few tweaks with React Native until last august. But since then, I used my 100% studying Vue.js, and left React behind. Still, I should continue those personal projects to practice React again.
Exciting discoveries
1. Full remote jobs
After 1 year, I feel like a waste of time to spend 1+ hours in commute every day. Fortunately current company offers full remote, and has no reason to go office once. (The only time I visit was to buy used chair from office bargain)
Living alone, my life pattern is changed 100%, as I rarely eat outside. I do enjoy cooking and a whole meal preparation process considering nutrition and cost. The only downside I felt was the lack of exercise… Which I should start to work out for sure.
Plus I don’t feel any necessities to live at Tokyo, as housing and living cost is relatively higher than other area. I wouldn’t go to forest for living, but maybe I should consider to move where I can manage myself with a car. I believe that’ll allow me to travel around Japan much more than ever.
2. Hikings
Even though Covid-19 was all over the country, I took an opportunity to travel where might be less people, such as mountains. Japan had lots of traditional hiking courses where pilgrims used for several hundred years ago. Ironically those landscapes reminds me my home country a bit (even though I’m verrry immune to homesick), and gives me a peace of mind for sure. Such a great way to meditate while travelling.
3. Deno
Since I followed Deno and it’s community since last year, I really loved the improvement they’ve been making. Especially watching the decision making process through github helped me a lot to understand how those projects run above internet. (Which is, how we should do while full-remote)
It was for sure one of unforgettable year. A lot of things happened, but I still do what I do for living. I hope to write next year post filled up with more experiences and newer knowledge.