It’s the first time I’m writing a yearly reflection. I want to improve my writing chops, so when I came across some other blog posts with such reflections, I thought that I should really get down to it. It’s one New Year’s tradition that seems pretty neat to me.
2022 has had its share of ups and downs.
In January, I gave the GRE and scored decently, but I wasn’t sure if and when I would apply to grad school. Instead, I began searching for work opportunities fervently to make the career transition from my quality assurance role at Shopee to a software engineering role.
I had applied to a couple of companies, but I only landed interviews with Zendesk and a startup called the Juggernaut, where I was keen on working as I was impressed with their content and aligned with the mission of smart South Asian journalism. Unfortunately, I could not clear the Zendesk interview, and the position for a Full Stack developer at the Juggernaut had filled up already.
In early February, a recruiter from TEKSystems reached out to me about an opportunity to work at Visa, the financial services company. I was initially hesitant about interviewing for the role because it was not a full-time opportunity but a 6-month contract-based position. Nonetheless, I decided to interview for the role because the project he described on the call seemed interesting, allowing me to try something new.
The first 3 months at Visa went well, but I hit a snag when I was assigned to a different project. When I sought feedback from my manager, I was informed that I would not be converting to a full-time employee, as my contract would not be renewed.
I was dejected, and the months after felt quite difficult. I kept applying for new job opportunities and preparing for the interviews, but things did not seem to be heading anywhere. Meanwhile, I also applied to grad schools in Florida to start school in Spring 2023, hoping to fulfill my dream of pursuing higher education in the US. Unfortunately, I did not hear about the outcome of my job and school applications.
In October, however, I was offered a contract-based role at Accenture. As I was getting ready to accept the job opportunity, I also received an offer of admission to the MSISOM program offered by the Warrington School of Business, University of Florida.
I was faced with the dilemma of having to choose between the two. Ultimately, I opted for the admission offer because I was keener on pursuing higher education.
The month of November was mostly spent on fulfilling the different requirements for enrolling in the program post-admission, such as securing the visa interview, submitting my immunization records, preparing the required paperwork such as the I-20, selecting accommodation, registering for the courses, etc. I was pensive about whether there would be any hiccups along the way. I heaved a major sigh of relief after my visa interview.
I dedicated most of my December to spending quality time with my family, as it was my birthday and their wedding anniversary (on the 18th and 20th, respectively). Once I had landed in Tampa, Florida, I spent a day recovering from jet lag before I headed with my family to Helen, Georgia, for a mini vacation. It’s a beautiful town modeled after the German state of Bavaria, with beautiful natural sights to behold. It is a microcosm of nature’s bounty that the country is blessed with. It was a great way to cap off the Christmas celebrations.
Here I am, back at my aunt’s in Tampa, a day after New Year’s eve spent hanging out with family and friends. As I reflect upon 2022 and look to usher in the new year, I can only feel a sense of excitement and gratitude for the things that have come my way. I look forward to what 2023 will bring.