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It’s been a few weeks since the end of 2022. So, I wanted to reflect on the highlights of 2022. A lot has happened, so let’s get started!
In 2022, I’ve worked at three different companies as a design intern - Pega, Creator Now, and Roblox.
As you can probably tell, 2022 was an incredibly important year for me career-wise. I’ve met so many amazing designers/design managers and learned so much more about the industry.
It’s crazy to think that in 2021, I thought about quitting design. Now, I’m more passionate about digital product design than ever before. It’s cool to see how things change.
In 2023, I will be going back to Creator Now in the spring to work as a part-time UX Designer. And for the summer, there will be updates in early February 😉
Hands down one of my proudest achievements this year.
I launched my first few episodes on May 9, 2022. And now, at the end of 2022, we’re at…Episode 23! 🎉
Because of the podcast, I got the opportunity to chat with and learn from so many awesome designers.
Also, I got a taste of what it’s like to create content online. It’s not easy. But I think I have built a production system that makes sense and will keep the podcast active as long as possible.
More episodes to come in 2023!
This year, I posted a total of…27 articles!
Even though I haven’t written much after the summer, I’m still proud of how many articles I’ve written.
This blog helps me to refine my thoughts and pushes me to learn new things. I will continue to write articles in 2023.
In general, I felt like my sophomore spring was a lot harder than my junior fall. But, I think the main reason was probably that I had more assignments in sophomore spring.
To be very honest, I have been de-prioritizing schoolwork ever since the beginning of 2022. This is because I find so much more value in what I do outside of school - internships, podcasts, blogs, side projects, etc.
So, as long as I don’t get below A- / B+ for any of my classes, I’m fine.
During junior fall, I took on two new leadership positions:
I do believe I’m more inclined to do hands-on design rather than managerial tasks. But so far, I’ve been enjoying these positions.
As a person who loves to work and dwell on career stuff, I’m trying to do things outside of “work.” Life is so much more than work.
This section was inspired by Catt Small's article - "My year in review: 2022".
In 2022, I created a new aesthetic for my Instagram cafes_diary account! And I posted eight times this year.
But, I haven’t posted since August of 2022 because I’ve been very busy. Right now, I don’t have any concrete plans for the account. Maybe I’ll resume. Maybe I won’t. It all depends on my time.
This was probably the main “hobby” I developed in 2022.
🤣
I’ve always been a fan of anime (Naruto, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Violet Evregarden, etc). But I don’t consider myself a hardcore fan.
Yet, in the latter half of the year, I’ve been watching more.
I remember during the summer, I finished watching One Piece.
It was an absolute grind.
I almost teared up internally reading the final comic because it was so damn long.
And no - I did not watch it in the office at Roblox.
Below are some of the anime I’m currently watching:
In the latter half of this year, I picked back up League of Legends.
And it has been a pleasant surprise so far.
Because of the game, I reconnected with old friends and met new ones along the way.
Even though the game is still toxic, I find it enjoyable when voice calling and playing with friends.
To be completely honest, this year I didn’t run much.
I did not take good care of my health as I barely exercised and slept less than eight hours every day on average.
So, this year, I want to get back to running or even simple exercises. I’m starting to see the value in exercising at least 3-4 times per week.
In 2022, I traveled to a lot of new cities/states, including Montreal, Quebec City, Savannah, San Mateo, San Jose, Maine, Washington D.C., and more.
I plan to go to more places (Pittsburgh, Kyoto, Alaska, Switzerland, etc) in the future!
Thank you for being awesome and reading this far! :)
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out on LinkedIn, Twitter, or by email. Will love to set up a casual call and chat!