Somehow, 2021 has come to an end. Looking back, it was a year full of challenges, experiences, and growth.
The word “involution” became a buzzword this year—studying hard was involution, even living well was involution. But I don’t think that’s the essence. To me, these are simply the necessary steps on the path of pursuing goals and realizing personal value.
It was also the year I kept asking myself what I truly wanted, pushing out of my comfort zone again and again.
All that’s past is prologue. So here’s my recap of 2021.
📚 Entering Frontend Development
The most important decision I made this year was diving into frontend development. Starting at the beginning of the year, when I first seriously picked up JavaScript, my frontend journey officially began.
Tech Stack I Learned
- JavaScript
- Vue2 + Vue3
- NestJS
- React Hooks
- uni-app
Coming from an ordinary university background, I knew I didn’t have the same starting point as students from top schools. But I also realized the real gap isn’t about intelligence—it’s about learning habits and problem-solving skills. So I not only learned technologies but also observed how others think through and tackle problems.
Projects
This year, I applied my skills in a few projects:
- An app for the Internet+ competition (uni-app)
- A mini-program backend management system (uni-app)
- A modified backend system for someone else (Vue2)
The money wasn’t much, but it was still my first taste of earning through my skills. More importantly, I discovered how much I still had to learn, and projects became the best way to expand my knowledge and sharpen my problem-solving ability.
Scattered Learning
Because of my major, my schedule was packed with courses. That forced me to make use of fragmented time—ten minutes here, a bus ride there—scrolling through Juejin, checking out projects on GitHub, filling gaps in my knowledge.
This year, I came to understand the value of time. From then on, I began considering time as the first priority in decision-making.
🏃♂ Personal Growth
I call 2021 a year of “living for myself again.” Why? Because I started listening to my inner voice, whenever and wherever, and training my ability to focus.
Loneliness
Learning can feel lonely. But I never truly felt alone, because I knew many others were struggling just like me. Facing tough problems, or moments when I couldn’t keep going—these are necessary stages of growth.
I don’t love the phrase “grind it out,” but it fits my state this year. And through that grind, I grew.
After all, when you’re doing something you love every day, how lonely can it really be?
Change
Adler once said:
Those who want to change but cannot are not lacking reasons—they are lacking the courage to change.
This year, I didn’t lose that courage. I started writing blogs, speaking in public, and reaching out to more people.
Blogging began almost by accident—I stumbled on a video about setting up a Hexo blog and decided to try it. Since then, I’ve experimented with Hexo, VuePress, and even wrote a React-based full-stack blog system. But in the end, I chose Docsify for its simplicity—Markdown first, so I could focus purely on writing.
I haven’t produced many “quality” articles, but I’ve recorded plenty of mistakes and lessons from my learning process. If those posts help even one person, that’s more than enough.
I also joined several competitions. The toughest yet most rewarding was Internet+. The endless revisions of docs and slides are still burned into my memory, but the outcome wasn’t bad—it even became my first professional award in college.
Passion
There’s a saying I love:
Only passion can withstand the long years.
And I truly believe it. In the darkest days, when it feels impossible to go on, passion is what gives life meaning.
This year, I started finding mine.
- Coding is passion
- Fitness is passion
- Watching basketball is passion
I’ve realized it’s the people and things you love that remind you you’re alive in the present moment. The hardships and struggles don’t matter as much when passion is there to carry you through.
Pressure
This year, I probably lost more hair than ever before (😂). Partly because life isn’t easy, partly because of the pressure I put on myself.
A sudden family change made me realize how hard life can be, and why many people become pragmatic. After all, without a solid foundation, you can’t build higher.
At 20, with one year left before graduation, I know time is precious. So I kept challenging myself, pushing outside my comfort zone.
For a while, I became obsessed with feeling that my code wasn’t good enough or my stack wasn’t broad enough. But by December, I started learning to balance life and study, facing challenges with a healthier mindset.
⏳ Life Outside Tech
Meaning
For most of the year, I hardly thought about “life.” I was always focused on the next task, checking items off my to-do list.
One afternoon, walking in the sunlight, I realized I hadn’t slowed down in a long time to just enjoy life.
So I tried to. I started practicing slowing down, breathing deeply, recording moments, discovering small things. Life itself has no inherent meaning—we give it meaning, and that’s when it becomes valuable.
Relationships
This was another year spent alone. But I think: you have to learn to love yourself before you can love someone else. If I haven’t met the right person yet, that’s okay—it’s not really love otherwise.
Fitness
This year, I finally realized how important cardiovascular health is for studying and working intensely. Running became a habit in the second half of the year—going from breathless after 2 km to comfortably running 4 km.
Pull-ups and push-ups were on and off, mostly focusing on basic movements to build general strength.
Diet, on the other hand, wasn’t great. With everything going on, I couldn’t control my eating habits. That’s something I want to fix next year.
📝 Goals for 2022
As 2021 ends, I’m setting some new “quests” for 2022:
- Revisit algorithms, grind LeetCode
- Learn mainstream frontend technologies
- Land a solid internship
- Publish at least one blog post per week
- Contribute to an open-source project
- Read 50 books
🧭 Closing Thoughts
For me, 2021 might have been the most fulfilling year so far. My skills grew, my abilities improved, and even Curry—my favorite player for 8 years—was crowned the all-time 3-point king.
There are so many people I want to thank this year. Whether close to me or complete strangers online, I’m grateful. Without your help, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
2021 has quietly passed.
Hello, 2022—I’m ready.