It's been a year of lows, highs and more lows. To say challenging would be putting it mildly. The struggles continue. Nevertheless, I coded.

In the midst of the lows, the highs I achieved were both unexpected and amazing 💙:

• My first tech blog post Navigating the World of Web Development relating to so many others in the dev community on this journey
• Finding the Virtual Coffee community that's so supportive of where I am and encourage me to never give up
• Being featured by CodeNewbie for the February 2021 Community Member Spotlight, my biggest achievement ever!

This journey is not one to be navigated alone. It has been challenging. It has been demotivating, more times than I care to admit. It has made me feel like I'm not progressing. This is why participating in the right communities is so important. The right people will meet you where you are and not judge you, will help you through your struggles, help you learn, encourage you to keep going and celebrate your wins with you. The saying goes "Surround yourself with positive and uplifting people," and those are the only types of people I want in my circle.

My biggest goal is to be the best developer I can be, and work with great people in a supportive environment. A developer will do great work and grow in an environment where they're supported, their voice is heard, their team listens, they feel valued and are celebrated. That's where I want to be.

It's been more than a challenging journey. Nevertheless, I coded.