As 2018 comes to an end, I have been reading many people’s year-end reviews. With a few days off at the end of the year, I took stock of my own year too. Last year’s review was 2017: 3 Highlights and 3 Life Lessons. Here is a summary of this year’s big events and what I took from them.

A New Member of the Family

This year we welcomed our first baby. As new parents, we were inevitably flustered. At night, my dear wife and I took turns looking after the baby. I used to sleep so soundly that I never heard a sound from the outside world. Now I am so sensitive to the baby’s cries that the slightest sound wakes me instantly, no matter what time of night it is. The potential of parents really is unlimited. This was probably also the year I slept the least in my life, less than the year I took the college entrance exams. But watching the baby grow day by day is deeply satisfying. It is a feeling you can only understand once you become a parent. And babies progress incredibly fast: sitting up, standing, clapping, eating grown-up food. We are constantly delighted at how she has grown. It also reminds me to stay as curious about the world as a baby, and to keep improving.

The Blog, Online and Offline

In November, Professor Cheng-Chih Hsu invited me to National Taiwan University’s anniversary celebrations and the Chemistry Department’s anniversary event, where I shared What I Wish I Had Known in College, and the Stories of My 3 Lowest Points. Over 100 people came specially to hear my talk that day, packing the 180-seat venue, and afterwards I got to talk with some of them. It was probably my first chance since starting this blog to meet readers face to face.

That talk, What I Wish I Had Known in College, and the Stories of My 3 Lowest Points, was also my most popular post of the year: 230,000 reads across Facebook and the blog, 2,800 likes, and nearly 800 shares. The second most popular, Do You Have Impostor Syndrome?, had 200,000 reads, 4,100 likes, and more than 500 shares. The third, Interview Tips: How to Tell Your Story and Persuade the Interviewer, had 150,000 reads, nearly 900 likes, and 300 shares. My Facebook page grew from about 4,500 followers at the start of the year to just over 10,000 now. I am grateful to everyone who reads and follows. Every increase in those numbers is a little more encouragement to keep sharing. I know my writing is not good enough yet, but by continuing to put things out consistently, I hope to share how someone who started from zero, knowing nothing, worked his way step by step to Silicon Valley, and the small achievements and personal growth along the way.

Referrals and Matchmaking

This year I referred nearly 30 friends for openings in the US, Singapore, Canada, Europe, Israel, and elsewhere. About a dozen or so got phone interviews, and a few made it to the final on-site round, but sadly none of them got an offer. Two friends were later contacted by HR about different openings because their resumes were in the system, interviewed for those, and did get offers. I was a little disappointed that my referrals did not earn me a referral bonus, haha. But luck is a big factor in interviewing anyway, and I was still glad to have helped some people land interview opportunities.

I also helped promote hiring for some friends’ companies (1, 2), and helped managers I know recruit inside my own company. I gain nothing from any of this, honestly. I do it in the spirit of benefiting both sides and making friends. The conversion rate is not high enough yet. I hope next year will be better.

Work

Because I build internal tools, there is not much I can conveniently share. In the second half of the year I worked on three projects, and I was a mentor for new engineers twice, helping them ramp up quickly on both the technology and the culture. After working for a while, I have slowly come to know my strengths and my shortcomings, and to understand that some things cannot be achieved overnight. These days I calmly build up my skills and wait for the right moment to come.

Meditation

Actually, I started meditating every day more than a year ago, to settle my thoughts. At first I would accidentally fall asleep, or keep getting distracted. Now I can focus a little better on my breathing and on changes in my body. I cannot say for sure that meditation brings any immediate benefit, but it has made me more mindful of what happens to me, and I practice not letting the things in life I cannot control affect my emotions too much. There are many apps that can help with meditation. After trying several, my favorite is Calm.

To sum up, 2018 was a busy year. Life’s responsibilities grew heavier, the time I have to work with shrank, and that pushes me to use my time better. The blog and the Facebook page grew, and I may think about some new directions for sharing. Helping friends, building good connections, accumulating skills, and paying attention to myself: that is the direction I am working toward.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you had a wonderful 2018 too, and that 2019 gets off to an amazing start for you.

How was your 2018? Feel free to share in the comments.

This post was originally published on my former blog, 「半路出家軟體工程師在矽谷」, on December 31, 2018. The blog is now offline, and the full text is preserved by the Wayback Machine. It has been lightly edited for this site.