Turning 23: Reflecting on a Year of Growth, Learning, and New Adventures

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Today marks my 23rd birthday, and as I sit here reflecting on the past year, I'm filled with a sense of gratitude and amazement at how much can change in just 365 days. It's been a year of incredible growth, both personally and professionally, and I'm excited to share some of the highlights with you.

One of the most significant developments this year has been the continued success of HydePHP, the open-source Laravel-based static site generator I created. It's been incredibly rewarding to see the project gain traction and to engage with a growing community of users and contributors. The journey of maintaining and improving HydePHP has taught me so much about software development, project management, and community building.

A particularly exciting milestone was having the opportunity to speak at two events – one in Malmö, Sweden, and another in Copenhagen, Denmark. Standing on stage and sharing my experiences with fellow developers was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating. I'm grateful for these opportunities to connect with the tech community in person and to learn from other passionate individuals in the field.

One of the highlights of these events was pairing up with Jason McCreary, the creator of Laravel Shift. Together, we worked on release.new, a Git release notes generator. Collaborating with someone I've long admired in the Laravel community was an invaluable experience, and it reinforced my belief in the power of open-source collaboration.

This year also saw me expand my horizons beyond pure coding. I've started writing a psychological sci-fi thriller about artificial intelligence. While it's still a work in progress, the process of crafting a narrative and exploring complex themes through fiction has been a refreshing creative outlet. Looking back, I'm amazed at how much I've learned and accomplished. From contributing to Laravel core (like adding the Number utility class) to guest writing for Laravel News, each experience has added to my growth as a developer and as a person.

I'm particularly proud of maintaining a consistent contribution streak on GitHub where I have made over 10 000 contributions over the past year. Not for the sake of numbers, but because it represents my dedication to continuous learning and improvement, and contributing to the open-source community.

As I step into my 23rd year, I'm filled with excitement for what's to come. I'm eager to continue working on HydePHP, to explore new technologies, and to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I'm grateful for the supportive community around me and for all the opportunities I've had to learn and grow.

To everyone who has been part of my journey so far – thank you. Here's to another year of coding, creating, and exploring the vast world of technology and beyond!