---
layout: post
title: Last year in a nutshell
tags: [ personal improvement ]
published: true
---
Today is my 22nd birthday. Yay, you say. Actually, it was a lousy day if I must
say, it rained all day, my degree ain't done yet and I have work to do.

This post is more like an introspection to my progress throughout 2007/2008,
regarding web design, development and self development. It has been by far the
year that I have learned the most. It has been the year where I have put myself
to test the most. It has been the year where I've finally met the USA, their
culture, their "different" food. There were just so many things that happened!
I can't even remember them all.

This was the last year (until further notice) on my degree.

* I experienced the challenge of being a leader of a pseudo-company. It's a
  wonderful experience yet tough if you don't know how to do it correctly or if
  you go soft. I met wonderful people, grew on open-source and developed my
  _standardismo_ during that time.
* In 2008, I had a two month training in one of the biggest banks in Portugal.
  My first true work experience... boy, was that hard. Faced a bad boss, worked
  with awful .NET Framework 1.1, coded in Visual Basic and commuted between
  home, work and college.
* In July, I went to the USA, met lovely people and a lousy house. Won my first
  true job and my first true money. Learned a lot on web design, web tools and
  frameworks, productivity, self development and subsistance... everything that
  turns you into an adult. It really felt like I've taken lots of hormones to
  grow up faster. Try and picture it.

It's September now and I feel wonderful. I know a lot more people, a lot more
of my skills, a lot more of how my future should change from now. Well... I
know it'll change a lot!

Thanks for everyone that's helped me to become a better person, a better
designer, a better developer, a better friend. I'm not going to name everybody
because I have people I learned from ... for what I should do and what I
shouldn't.

I believe this year to come will bring me a lot of knowledge, experience and
income so I can fulfill my dreams. Wish me luck!