Pandemic
From Shanghai in March to Chongqing at the year’s end, COVID’s overwhelming transmissibility proved impossible to hold back. All I can really hope is that the coming years bring fewer outbreaks like this.
Work
For the graduating class of 2023, the fall job-hunting season was nothing short of hell mode. Layoffs combined with reduced headcounts left social media filled with voices of despair. Under this long winter, everyone was just struggling to get by.
I still remember the confusion and fear I felt in August and September. In the end, I went all-in with mass applications, hoping that at least one company would take me.
By chance, Baidu saved me that October. Without that opportunity, I might never have come to Shanghai, or experienced firsthand how a real internet giant operates. The time there was short, but I remain deeply grateful for it.
Technology
This year, I didn’t spend much time chasing scattered technical points. Instead, I tried to expand my learning in multiple dimensions, including:
- Algorithms
- English
- Core principles and implementations
- New programming languages
Through interviews, I came to understand what fresh graduates are really expected to know. More importantly, as part of a generation facing a “cold wave,” I realized that building resilience—an ability to adapt and withstand uncertainty—is something I will need to keep working on for a long time.
Review of Last Year’s Goals
- [x] Re-learn algorithms and practice on LeetCode
- [x] Learn mainstream frontend technologies and secure a good internship
- [ ] Write at least one blog post per week (ended up with ~30 posts)
- [x] Contribute to an open-source project
- [ ] Read 50 books (finished around 30)
Goals for the New Year
- [ ] Read 30 books
- [ ] Learn a new programming language
- [ ] Make it through the year without being laid off
- [ ] Contribute to a popular open-source project
- [ ] Stay consistent with fitness