2025 #

I wanted to give myself some time to pat myself on the back.

Key achievements #

• Completed my degree
• Completed two AWS certificates (SAA and MLE)
• Spent more time doing software engineering (Rust and Python)
• Picked up kubernetes

Overall, 2025 was quite a fulfilling year. I definitely got much better at understanding infrastructure for training. Apart from writing code, I learnt the value of writing less and thinking more.

Completing the AWS certificates helped me understand what I don’t know. I feel more confident in my skills now, rather than always doubting myself as an entry-level engineer. I’m jotting down some mantras that carried me through 2025.

Note to self #

You don’t need to know everything #

This is especially important given the landscape of AI. A quick search on Reddit shows that people don’t know what to learn or prepare for in this fast changing environment. Growing was accepting that it’s okay to not know everything. People who claim they know everything are usually lying. Focus on fundamentals and the process of learning. Enjoy the process and results will follow.

Life is a marathon not a sprint #

I learned an important lesson about sustainable work practices while balancing my degree, AWS certifications, and projects. I recognised early signs of overextension and made a conscious decision to recalibrate. I postponed my AWS exam, and for my degree I decided not to strive for perfection.

I still put in the effort, but I didn’t berate myself for not spending more hours. I learnt the hard way that just because I’m not doing anything doesn’t mean I’m unproductive. I was resting. The mind is like a muscle—you don’t grow in the gym, you actually grow during rest as the body repairs itself.

Every Exception is a Lesson #

While it’s a light joke on Python exceptions, the meaning is that the greatest growth comes from errors and failures. This has always been one of my favourite mantras, although it has evolved the past few years. This is why guides and tutorials don’t encompass the full exposure. You can imagine guides and tutorials like a dungeon in an RPG—the beaten path leads you the way, but it’s wandering off into the woods that nets you experience and treasures.

Small, compounding wins #

Big goals are nice and they are also very visible, but I have always believed that small wins are what contributes the most to any individual. From this year on, I want to focus on the small wins, and appreciate them. I may not complete any courses or certificates, but I will embrace each small step and lesson. The aim is to always be better than yesterday. I want to dedicate tiny blocks of learning. It could be 15-30 mins of a new language, reading a research paper, or watching a tutorial. I have also started to read books.

2026 #

Small goals #

I’m focusing on sustainable, consistent growth rather than sporadic ambitious pushes. I will focus on starting and maintaining consistent habits. I won’t aim to complete 1 book a month, but I’ll try to read daily, even if it’s just a few minutes.

• Start masters programme
• Learn golang
• Read books
• Learn a new conversational language

Habits #

• Practice go for 15 mins a day
• Read for 15 mins a day
• Watch or learn some form of Japanese every day
• Write what I’ve learnt every month into a form of blog here

To me #

Take care of yourself. Always remember that it’s a marathon and there’s always tomorrow. While keeping that in mind, remember to live life to the fullest. Show gratitude. がんばって!